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SumUp

SumUp was founded in 2012 and has a lot of experience. SumUp currently processes transactions for over three million businesses and is gaining popularity in the United States. With SumUp, merchants can process payments in person using a mobile point-of-sale system.

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Written by:Casey Newton

Company Profile

SumUp offers merchants a way to process payments in person through a mobile POS system. This means that you will receive a portable device along with an app to make your job easier. The company has a lot of experience and has been created back in 2012. At the moment, over three million businesses use SumUp for processing transactions and the company has recently become more popular in the US too. In this review, we will be talking about the most important things that SumUp offers to its clients including its features, prices, reasons to choose it, etc.

 

Why Choose SumUp

You should choose to work with SumUp if you own a small business that is only now just starting to grow and which needs to be able to process payments on the go. This is also a good option if you wish to also accept international card payments such as Visa, Mastercard, Discover, V Pay, American Express, or Maestro. It’s important to know that if they own a card that has been issued outside the United States and wish to pay with it, the cardholder needs to pay a fee for the currency conversion at the bank.

SumUp is also a good alternative if your business makes transactions that are less than $150,000 per year. In case you own a business that transacts more than this and you still want to be a SumUp client, the best idea would be to contact the company directly for a custom package. This POS system is a nice option if you don’t want to deal with features that you may not use for your business, if you want an easy-to-use system, and if you do not want to pay a fortune for it.

 

What SumUp Offers - Features and Functionality

SumUp, while not having as many features as some of its competitors, at least in the US, still presents an attractive offer that should be enough for small businesses that are only now beginning to develop. It’s worth noting that the eCommerce and Discounts features are, for the time being, only available outside the United States. The app also does not offer features such as inventory counts, recurring invoicing, and bulk product import and export. Here is what it does offer.

Features and uses

  • Virtual terminal: thanks to the virtual terminal from SumUp merchants can process transactions when the customer doesn’t have their physical card without the need for a card reader. For example, transactions can be processed over the phone. However, it’s important to know that using the virtual terminal means that you should apply for permission on the website. From what we could gather, established businesses have a better chance of getting that approval. If you get accepted, you can access the virtual terminal from the mobile app or online dashboard;
  • Mobile payments: businesses can also accept mobile payments thanks to SumUp. You have a special payment link that you can send via e-mail, text, or even social media and therefore accept payments from a customer who is not present;
  • Mobile invoicing: another interesting feature of SumUp is mobile invoicing which allows merchants to send invoices to their clients via e-mail through their computers, tablets, or smartphones. You won’t have to pay anything for this feature. However, when the client pays their invoices, you will have to pay a processing fee. In case the invoices are paid via check or cash, there won’t be any fees;
  • International transactions: SumUp is special for another reason too which is its availability in 31 countries of the world. So, if your business needs to be able to perform international transactions, this is one of the best choices around. However, keep in mind that the transaction fees that you will have to pay will usually vary from country to country;
  • Credit card readers: SumUp offers three credit card reader models which are the Plus, Pro, and Solo, all of them compatible with most smartphones and tablets, regardless if they’re iOS or Android-based. The SumUp Plus card reader is an entry-level one that connects via Bluetooth and accepts all kinds of payments including magstripe, contactless, and chip/EMV cards. It also comes with a PIN pad. The SumUp Pro is a reader that works by itself without the need to link it to a mobile device. Apart from taking payments, this one can also manage your tips, sales history, taxes, refunds, and employee accounts. You can add a charging dock with a built-in receipt printer to it too. Last but not least, the SumUp Solo is the latest addition to the offer. It is a standalone terminal with a charging stand, a color touch screen, and unlimited mobile data.

 

Plans & Pricing

It’s important to mention that you won’t have to pay a monthly subscription to use SumUp. You will only need to purchase the hardware option that suits your business and then pay the transaction fees. The SumUp Plus costs only $35, the SumUp Pro costs $69, and the new SumUp Solo costs $99. You will have to pay 2.75% for in-person transactions, 2.9% plus 15 cents for online invoices, and 3.25% plus 15 cents for payment links and remote transactions. As you can see, SumUp is a lot more affordable than most of its competitors but this small price is correct for the overall capabilities of the POS system which are basic but definitely useful for a small business.

Ease of Use

One of the best things about the SumUp POS system is that it’s extremely easy to use even for inexperienced people. Two of the hardware devices are standalone and very intuitive which makes them perfect for small businesses that don’t require a lot of functions and intricate processes to work. The first one needs to be connected to a mobile device and works through the mobile app which is compatible with most types of smartphones and tablets, regardless if they are iOS or Android-based. One of the best things about them is that they are flexible and can be moved wherever your business moves.

The overall feel of the SumUp POS system is that it’s minimalist in both design and capabilities. However, this is not a bad thing at all because a small business that is developing doesn’t need complex features. After all, it will not use all of them, at least yet.

 

Customer Support

In case you need any type of support, SumUp has a comprehensive help center that is likely to offer you a lot of useful information and the answers you might seek when it comes to the POS system. In case you want to contact the company, you can do so by phone at 1-888-250-2164, Monday to Friday, from 9 AM to7 PM EST. Sadly, phone support is not available during weekends. You can also send the company e-mails and wait for a representative to contact you back with an answer as soon as possible.

 

Contract Terms

SumUp does not work with long-term contracts when it comes to its POS system and has no early termination fees. As previously mentioned, you will only need to pay for your desired hardware and the transaction fees. However, after two years of inactivity, the company will suspend it and return to you any funds that remain, if the situation calls for it. Our advice would be to read the Terms & Conditions on the website before diving in just to make sure that you are aware of every important detail and that you know what you are getting yourself into. SumUp is a professional company that respects its clients and does everything it can to help them with their businesses. There is also a free 30-day trial and money-back guarantee that you can take advantage of when using SumUp for the first time.

 

Conclusion

All in all, SumUp offers a useful and user-friendly POS system along with three types of hardware that are sure to make accepting card payments a lot easier. While it may not be the most complex system out there, it doesn’t need to be. It is aimed at small businesses that need to move around a lot and do not need super-advanced features to function. So, for what it does, SumUp is an excellent choice that will help you greatly.