Tag Archive for Contactless payments

Hot Business News Today

Best payment apps for small businesses

by  •  • 0 Comments

By Dom Walbanke on Small Business UK – Advice and Ideas for UK Small Businesses and SMEs

The number of providers offering payment services to UK small businesses has exploded.

Many of these are app-based solutions, which offer businesses a simple and cost-effective way to start accepting customer purchases, whether they’re contactless card payments or even bank-to-bank transfers.

These payment apps are essential for small businesses and customers alike, making it easy for both parties to complete quick but secure transactions. With more consumers choosing to pay via contactless and suppliers invoicing online, businesses no matter how small need to be ready to process transactions.

>See also: Best mobile phone payment for self-employed

Payment apps for small businesses 

You can use payment apps to make bank transfers, mobile payments, online card payments and point of sale payments.

This list includes payment gateway apps and point of sale (POS) payment apps. If you work in brick-and-mortar retail or are taking more than £10,000 per month, a more substantial payment solution, such as a card reader, might be a better option.

Here’s our pick of the best payment apps for small businesses.

WorldFirst

GoCardless

Wallestar
Worldpay

Square

Takepayments

Online payment gateway apps
 

Price
No monthly fee

Transaction fee
30p to £4 (+0.50 currency conversion)

Set-up fee
None

Terminal
None

WorldFirst is bringing down the cost of

Read more...

Hot Business News Today

10 card payment machines ideal for small business

by  •  • 0 Comments

By Tim Adler on Small Business UK – Advice and Ideas for UK Small Businesses and SMEs

In an increasingly cashless society, if you don’t have card payment machines, you risk losing out on sales.

The 2025 UK Payment Markets report, found that debit card payments are by far the country’s most popular type, accounting for more than half of all payments (26.1 of 49 billion transactions) made in 2024, while 39% of all payments were made using contactless cards or mobiles. By contrast, less than 10% of all payments were made in cash.

Every one of the card payment machines on this page accepts debit, mobile and card payments. But there are differences in features, fees and upfront costs which will make some more or less suitable for your business than others.

This article will break down the hardware and functionality of the best card payment machines currently on the market to help you choose the one that’s right for you.

Card Payment Machine Reviews
Jump straight to a particular card machine or discover our full ranking of the 10 best card payment machines for small UK businesses in 2025.

Square Reader

Tide Card Reader

TakePayments

SumUp Air

Zettle Reader 2

MyPOS Go

Barclaycard Smartpay Anywhere

Tyl (by Natwest)

Shopify

Worldpay DX800

How much does a

Read more...

Hot Business News Today

How to sell anywhere with contactless payments

by  •  • 0 Comments

Originally written by Dan Matthews on Small Business
The way consumers pay for goods and services has been revolutionised in recent years. From the coins and notes that we have all used for decades, to the smart digital applications of the 2020s, people now have more ways to pay than ever before.
As a small business owner, keeping up with advances in payments technology can feel like a challenge, but in truth getting set up is easier than you might think.
Why go contactless?
Cash remains a popular way to buy. According to the Bank of England, there are around £70bn-worth of notes in circulation, or about £1,000 for every member of the British public.
But plastic has caught up and, in 2017, overtook paper and coins as the UK’s preferred payment method. At the same time, the old-style Chip and PIN method has been joined by contactless as a quick and easy way to settle bills of £45 and under.
Before the coronavirus took hold in the UK, there were 889m contactless payments in February 2020 alone, the vast majority of which were made via credit or debit card. But customers also increasingly use their phones or smart devices to pay.
But at the peak of

Read more...

Hot Business News Today

How to sell anywhere with contactless payments

by  •  • 0 Comments

Originally written by Dan Matthews on Small Business
The way consumers pay for goods and services has been revolutionised in recent years. From the coins and notes that we have all used for decades, to the smart digital applications of the 2020s, people now have more ways to pay than ever before.
As a small business owner, keeping up with advances in payments technology can feel like a challenge, but in truth getting set up is easier than you might think.
Why go contactless?
Cash remains a popular way to buy. According to the Bank of England, there are around £70bn-worth of notes in circulation, or about £1,000 for every member of the British public.
But plastic has caught up and, in 2017, overtook paper and coins as the UK’s preferred payment method. At the same time, the old-style Chip and PIN method has been joined by contactless as a quick and easy way to settle bills of £45 and under.
Before the coronavirus took hold in the UK, there were 889m contactless payments in February 2020 alone, the vast majority of which were made via credit or debit card. But customers also increasingly use their phones or smart devices to pay.
But at the peak of

Read more...

Hot Business News Today

5 reasons why (and how) you should meet demand for cashless payments

by  •  • 0 Comments

Originally written by Lee Jones on Small Business
For businesses in the unattended market, keeping up to date with ever-progressing technology poses a challenge. Cashless payments and new payment methods have been growing in popularity, and it can feel like a struggle to keep up. Not to mention the fact that the time and expense of upgrading self-service payment terminals can be intimidating.
However, failure to move with the times could cost merchants business.
Here are five reasons why (and how) any merchant who operates unattended terminals – whether they’re in hospitality, parking, transport, retail, transport or travel – should be looking to meet the demand for cashless payments.
>See also: Why businesses should go cashless: pros and cons
#1 – Cash has been dethroned
The old saying, cash is king, has become less and less relevant in recent years. Card payments in the UK have grown at an exponential rate, and research from UK Finance showed that the amount of payments made with physical money dropped by 22 per cent between 2006 and 2016. In fact, card payments overtook cash payments in 2016, with notes and coins accounting for just 40 per cent of spend. It’s predicted that, by 2026, cash will be used for

Read more...

Hot Business News Today

Best payment processors for UK small businesses – 11 of the best

by  •  • 0 Comments

Originally written by Anna Jordan on Small Business
Now that your business is ready to take payments, it’s time to think about how you’ll be processing payments. Alternatively, you might just want to change your current payment system. It’s time to think about what are the best payment processors for you and your business.
You’ll find that payment processors perform largely the same tasks, but it could be a single feature – or the cost – that’ll steer your final decision.
Knowing what’s on the market will help get you going, which is why we’ve compiled a list of the most widely recognised systems. But first: a quick definition.
>See also: Why getting up to speed on card payments is essential for SMEs
What is a payment processor?
A payment processor is a third-party payments system, sending between your customer’s bank account and your business bank account. Payment processors can also authorise transactions and work on merchants being paid within a certain time period.
The term is often used interchangeably with payment gateway, a means of approving a payment. Many firms combine payment processors and payment gateways in one product, so you’ll more commonly see it referred to as a payment gateway.
>See also: Setting up card payments

Read more...

Hot Business News Today

What Facebook’s Libra currency means for your small business

by  •  • 0 Comments

Originally written by Timothy Adler on Small Business
Libra is the new cryptocurrency that Facebook plans to launch worldwide in 2020 that will enable its 2.4bn users worldwide to pay for goods and services or send money worldwide with no transaction fees.
Kevin Weil, vice-president of the proposed Facebook payment service, says the company hopes the new currency would last “hundreds of years”.
Why is Libra significant?
Libra will give Facebook the full picture of its users. The world’s biggest ad platform already know almost everything about you – who you are friendly with, where you go, what you like and what you think (at least publicly). However, although it knows which products get your attention so small businesses can sell to you, what you actually buy has been unknowable. Until now.
How does Libra work?
In truth, Libra is not really an unregulated cryptocurrency; it’s really a PayPal or a garden wall version of crypto pegged to a basket of fiat (government-backed) currencies and supported by some of the world’s biggest financial brands including Visa and Mastercard. Libra’s assets managed by an independent Swiss trust, the Libra Association, which Facebook would be just one voting member of.
Facebook sees Libra as an evolution of PayPal: simpler

Read more...

Hot Business News Today

Half of customers would walk away if cash is the only payment option

by  •  • 0 Comments

New research from business technology provider First Data reveals that UK businesses risk losing one in every two customers by not accepting non-cash payments. In a survey of 1,000 UK consumers conducted by OnePoll, card payments emerge as the preferred method of payment for 59 per cent of respondents. Rather than seek an ATM, 43
The post Half of customers would walk away if cash is the only payment option appeared first on Small Business.

Read more...

Hot Business News Today

Contactless payments to save UK shoppers almost £1 billion of their time

by  •  • 0 Comments

Ahead of the tenth anniversary of contactless payments next month, Barclaycard’s data predicts that the number of contactless transactions will increase by 317 per cent in the next four years. With proprietary data showing that ‘touch and go’ is seven seconds quicker per transaction compared to Chip and PIN and 15 seconds faster compared to
The post Contactless payments to save UK shoppers almost £1 billion of their time appeared first on Small Business.

Read more...

Hot Business News Today

Contactless now the favoured way to pay for British shoppers

by  •  • 0 Comments

Data released by Barclaycard today as part of its quarterly Contactless Spending Index shows that ‘touch and go’ payments continue to surge in popularity with spending up by more than a third (34 per cent) since the turn of the year. As the tenth anniversary of Barclaycard introducing contactless technology to the UK approaches in
The post Contactless now the favoured way to pay for British shoppers appeared first on Small Business.

Read more...