SumUp Review 2023: Is It Right for Your Business?

If you’re a mobile business owner, you know connectivity is a must when it comes to choosing your card reader. On that note, SumUp is a provider with great 3G connectivity that can boost your venture and scores 4.2/5 in our independent research into the best card readers out there.

We analysed SumUp backed by our nearly 15 years of experience in the market and were impressed with its intuitive software and straightforward pricing. These are particularly helpful for businesses keen on foregoing the rising energy costs associated with brick and mortar shops – especially since the end of the Energy Bill Relief Scheme in April 2023.

That said, one of SumUp's competitors could suit you better depending on your needs. The best way to find out is to use our free comparison tool. Through it, we'll quickly match you with trusted providers. They’ll then be in touch to provide bespoke quotes. However, if you'd like know more SumUp, just head to our research-backed review below.

SumUp: At a glance

• No signup fees
• 1.69% transaction fee
• Three options of hardware (which you can buy outright)
• Comes with an invoicing tool and generates checkout links
• Allows you to create and integrate with an online store for free
• Highly-rated customer support available through phone and email

How much does SumUp cost?

Unlike the range of complex (and often confusing) fees associated with traditional merchant accounts, SumUp’s pricing is refreshingly transparent.

You won’t be charged for any payments that don’t go through. You also won’t be charged for any cash payments you log with SumUp, and no VAT is levied on its transaction fee. No monthly fees apply, nor any for PCI compliance or early termination. If you've been wondering what is PCI compliance, read our in-depth article to learn everything you need to know.

SumUp's pros and cons

✔️ Pro: Low transaction fees and no hidden or monthly costs

SumUp's low fees and lack of hidden or monthly costs make it a suitable payment processor for businesses of all sizes. Whether you're just getting started, or you want to switch to SumUp, affordable and transparent pricing means you won't face any shocking bills.

✔️ Pro: PCI, DSS, and EMV compliant

Using SumUp will protect you from fraud and data breaches. A compliant payment processor doesn't just protect your business, it also protects your customers and their data. A secure payment gateway will also help protect your business's reputation.

SumUp scores a 4.6/5 for compliance in our research, and these compliance and fraud mention measures come at no extra cost to you as a merchant.

❌ Con: Doesn't accept high-risk customers

SumUp doesn't accept high-risk merchant accounts, and it runs credit checks on potential merchants. This can be an issue for your future credit checks, or if you don't currently have great credit.

Payment providers that don't run credit checks on new customers, include Square, Tyl, and Stripe. These might be a better option if your business is considered high-risk.

❌ Con: Lacks live chat support

SumUp scores a 3.5/5 for its help and support. SumUp offers phone and email support, as well as an online knowledge base.  However, its lack of a live chat causes its score to drop.

SumUp is the only provider out of all the mobile payment gateways we looked at that doesn't include a live chat function. Other providers such as Square, Zettle, and Stripe offer live chat. You can read more about Zettle's pros and cons in our in-depth review.

SumUp's key features explained

Connectivity

SumUp is the only payment processor in our research that comes with a built-in SIM card. When taking payments with Square or Zettle, you need to be connected via a mobile phone to take payments via 3G.

The SIM card provides free, unlimited mobile data. To access this, you'll need to purchase the SumUp 3G and Printer (from £129).

Speed

Whether it’s getting through a queue of customers or receiving payouts to your bank account, quicker is almost always better. And that’s what SumUp does best – you can order your card reader now, and have it arrive in your letterbox within five days.

SumUp pays out to your business bank account within three to five working days. This is a longer wait time than when compared with Square, which transfers funds the next working day; or Zettle, which transfers it between one to two working days.

Simplicity

SumUp’s card readers are easy to set up and even easier to use. The bonus here is that it offers straightforward pricing, a 30-day money-back guarantee, no lock-in contracts, and no hidden fees – you’ll know exactly what you’re getting.

Reliability

When you’re doing a day’s business in a remote location, the last thing you need is for your card machine to run out of juice. It’s fortunate, then, that SumUp boasts Mo Farah-like endurance when it comes to the battery – you’ll get up to a whopping 500 transactions on a single charge.

Integrations and invoicing

SumUp includes over 11 integrations including Quickbooks and Xero. It also allows you to send invoices to customers, which cost 2.5% per transaction.

This is less integration than competitors such as Square which offers countless integration and Zettle which has over 21 integrations. However, it is more than Stripe and Tyl which only offer a few integrations.

What kind of business is SumUp best for?

SumUp offers relatively low fees, plus a range of tangible benefits for businesses. But it’s not a ‘one size fits all’ solution, we think SumUp is best for start-ups, small businesses, and mobile businesses.

Start-ups and small businesses

With no monthly fees and low transaction fees, SumUp is a good fit for small businesses because you'll only need to pay a percentage (1.69%) of what you actually take in card sales.

You will need to purchase a card reader, but with costs starting from £39, it’s not the cheapest card reader available. Square’s card reader starts from £16, Zettle’s from £29, and Tyl offers an unbeatable price of £6.99.

Mobile businesses

Whether your business is fully mobile or has a mobile aspect, SumUp's 3G card reader is a great choice. The battery life covers up to 500 transactions and the hardware itself is sleek and small enough to carry around.

If your business doesn't always require you to make face-to-face sales, SumUp’s app will allow you to send payment links to your customer’s mobile device, or they can be shared via text or on a messaging app. The link takes just a few clicks to send, and all your customer has to do is follow it to  make a payment via a secure webpage.

Most mobile card reader providers offer payment links, so this isn't a unique feature. However, the payment links, in addition to the 3G connection, make SumUp a great choice for a mobile business.

How does SumUp compare to its competitors?

Price

SumUp isn't the cheapest provider, however, it's still fairly affordable. If you process a lot of card transactions, it would be wise to opt for a provider with a lower transaction fee. Our research points to Revolut as having the lowest transaction fees, from only 0.8$ + 2p for in-person transactions.

It's tough to beat this price, however, SumUp's transaction fees, starting from 1.69% won't break the bank for startups or small businesses.SumUp’s transaction fees are lower than Square and Zettle’s 1.75%.

SumUp's hardware starts from £39, but its main attraction, the 3G card reader, starts from £129. This is fairly pricey, especially when compared to Tyl's pocket reader, which starts from £6.99 per month and includes 3G/4G connectivity.

Features

SumUp includes over 11 integrations, but not quite as many as Square, Zettle, or Revolut. The integration it does have includes QuickBooks and Xero.

SumUp doesn't include multi-currency, which is limiting if your business aims to expand its global reach. Zettle, Stripe, and Revolut are alternatives that all accept multiple currencies.

SumUp's reigning feature is that it provides a card reader with a built-in SIM card to sustain connection, even when in remote locations. Its only true competitor in this market is Tyl. However, Tyl does lack a large number of integrations. Starting from £6.99 per month and 1.5% transaction fees, it's much more affordable than SumUp but is less compliant.

Does SumUp have good customer reviews?

SumUp receives a customer score of 4.8/5 in our independent research, which makes it the top scorer in this category. Many of its customers found the readers easy to use and the customer service super helpful. Others did run into issues, such as the hardware not working as it should, and authorisation issues that crop up once you hit £5,000 transactions.

SumUp says it has this limit in place to allow merchants to onboard as quickly and smoothly as possible while they carry out relevant checks. When customers aren't aware of this, they can face snags when it comes to making sales after hitting the limit.

Our methodology

Our research team carried out interviews with 12 business owners to find out what was most important in their merchant account provider. This research helped us identify the most important factors for businesses. We focused on scoring each provider in the following areas:

• Price –  hardware fees, transaction fees, account fees, flexibility, and early termination fees were all taken into account to determine how affordable the provider was.
• Payment options –  the team assessed whether the provider offered a physical machine, online payments, virtual orders, and payment links.
• Features –  the features we focused on were invoicing, integrations, reporting, and multi-currency.
• Compliance –  this area looks at how compliant each provider is based on fund transfer times, PCI compliance, and fraud prevention measures.
• Help and support –  our team identified how much help and support each provider offered. This includes email, phone, and live chat support.
• Customer score –  this score is based on customer reviews and comments.

The average of all of these scores is combined to make up an overall score for each provider and find the best mobile card reader.