4 November 2024
By Elaine Murphy
elaine@TheCork.ie
Review
Since COVID we have all taken steps towards a cashless society. Regardless of what you think about this, the reality is if you are running a business you must now move with the times. Even my Dentist – who is very old-school – now accepts cards!
Getting a card terminal from a bank has been a hassle, typically there is a monthly rental fee and your need a business account, so sole traders with small turnovers have avoided these. However, SumUp was originally a German company, but is now also licenced by the Irish Central Bank, and has offices in Dublin just like many tech firms these days. It sells 3 key different types of card terminals. regardless of which you choose, there are no standing charges. You just lose 1.69% per transaction. SumUp is great for occasional use or everyday use in your business. The various terminals accept Chip & Pin, or tap and pay (NFC). You can accept Visa, MasterCard, along with exotic cards such as American Express (which most Irish merchants to not accept) and Diner’s Club, and the Japanese JCB!, all for the same fee.
If a customer is not in your presence you can perform various types of cardholder not present transactions. You can send HTTPS ‘payment links’ to a customer by email or SMS. This is great for accepting deposits. It also pushes the admin onto the customer, so you can minimise the duration of your sales calls. Alternatively, you can accept payment by phone where you type in the card details in a ‘virtual terminal’ but this costs you 2.95% and €0.25, the thinking being this is the riskiest type transaction because the customer is not present and you are the one typing in the card details.
DISCOUNT CODE: Buy your SumUp card reader with this discount link
Option A: SumUp ‘Air Card Reader’
a Bluetooth device that connects to your smartphone, which must be connected to the internet
Pros
- Currently, the cheapest device to buy from SumUp
- Boots quickly, in 5 seconds
- Internet connection comes from your smartphone (or another smart device).
- Amazing battery life. Assuming you turn it off (which is a physical software button) it will last for 2 weeks in your briefcase.
- Makes a reassuring beeping noise when the customer is typing their PIN
- Lightweight and small
Cons
- Looks unprofessional and takes time having to use your smartphone (or another smart device) to begin the transaction. You must first open the SumUp app.
- Sometimes when opening the App it will have forgotten your username and password
- Buttons are capacitive, so there is no feedback so customers often press the ‘accept’ button (it’s the green tick) too lightly, and then press the x button, and we must re-start the transaction.
- Uses the older Android style USB charging plug
- No wireless charging
Option B: SumUp ‘3G’
inbuilt roaming data SIM so it’s a standalone device with its own internet connection
Pros
- A single device to carry in your briefcase or workbag to the customer’s site
- The physical buttons are easy for customers to understand. Most customers appear to prefer buttons with feedback rather than a touchscreen
- Has a physical reset button (paperclip)
- Has a physical data sim (which could be removed, but you are not supposed to)
- Lightweight and small
Cons
- Let’s us down around 3 times each month. When booting it won’t establish a data connection with the phone network. We often have to accept cash or Revolut instead, after making small talk with a customer hoping this device will work
- No wireless charging
Option C: SumUp Solo – fully touchscreen with inbuilt data SIM
Pros
- Looks sleek, like an Apple product in appearance
- No standing fee (so if you don’t use it there is no charge)
- High-quality card reader (well crafted in white plastic. it looks like an Apple product!)
- Lightweight and small
- Wireless charging
Cons
- Takes 1 minute 30 seconds to boot. That is soooooo slow!
- When booted it tries to search for updates! with no ‘skip’ button. Worse still, it prefers to use a wifi connection for this so will insist on displaying a list of found connections. Whereas you might just want to perform a transaction ASAP and there is no clear skip button for the connection list either.
- Touchscreen lag: when typing an email for receipt it misses characters. There is no beep or haptic feedback.
- Physical button lag: when trying to put into sleep mode there is a lag after pressing the button before the screen registers
- Requires two hands to turn off, because holding a physical button is not enough, you must then press the ‘sleep’ or ‘power off’ button on the touch screen