Tradespeople & mobile businesses
Card machines for tradespeople and mobile businesses
Chasing invoices is unpaid work. Taking payment before you pack the van turns a 30-day wait into money in the account the next morning.
What gets in the way
The payment problems we hear most
Late-paying customers
Invoices sent after the job get paid when the customer gets round to it. Card payment on completion does not.
No signal on site
A reader that only works on Wi-Fi is useless in a half-built extension.
Cash-only looks unprofessional
Customers increasingly expect to tap a card, even for a call-out.
Our recommendation
Solo Lite for tradespeople & mobile businesses
Solo Lite is the cheapest way into card payments and fits in a pocket. If you often work where phone signal is thin, Solo's built-in SIM and free mobile data is the safer choice.
From £25 + VAT
- Pocket-sized — lives in the van or the toolbag
- Battery lasts a full working day
- Contactless, Chip & PIN and mobile wallets
- Digital receipts emailed or texted to the customer
- Payment links and invoices for remote jobs
The range
Compare the options
Our pick is highlighted, but every reader takes payments at the same rate — choose the hardware that suits your day.
Solo Lite
Best for getting started
From £25 + VAT
The affordable entry point into card payments. Solo Lite pairs with the SumUp Business App on your smartphone, so you can start taking contactless, Chip & PIN and mobile wallet payments without a large upfront outlay.
- Pairs with your smartphone
- Contactless, Chip & PIN and mobile wallets
- Pocket-sized and genuinely portable
- Long battery life for a full working day
Solo
Best all-round card reader
From £79 + VAT
A standalone card reader that works entirely on its own. Solo has its own touchscreen, a built-in SIM with free mobile data plus Wi-Fi, so it keeps taking payments even when your phone is flat or out of range.
- Works without a smartphone
- Built-in SIM with free mobile data, plus Wi-Fi
- Touchscreen with product catalogue and sales history
- Charging station and optional printer solutions
Terminal
Best for busy businesses
From £135 + VAT
The premium all-in-one. Terminal combines card payments, an integrated receipt printer and point-of-sale functionality in a single handheld device — ideal if you are replacing a traditional rented terminal.
- Integrated receipt printer
- Point-of-sale and order taking built in
- Item and product management
- Wi-Fi plus built-in mobile connectivity
Tap to Pay
No card reader required
No hardware to buy
Turn a compatible smartphone into a contactless card machine. Tap to Pay uses the SumUp Business App to accept contactless cards and mobile wallets with no separate reader.
- Uses a compatible smartphone you already own
- Accepts contactless cards and mobile wallets
- Nothing extra to carry or charge
- A useful backup alongside a physical reader
Savings calculator
See what you'd save
Enter your monthly card turnover and current rate for an instant estimate.
Your current setup
Three numbers from your last statement is all it takes.
Estimates are for illustration only. Actual fees depend on card type, transaction type, existing provider charges and SumUp's applicable pricing.
Estimated result
£802a year
Around £66.80 a month lower than your current costs, on Payments Plus.
- Your current monthly cost
- £165.00
- SumUp Pay As You Go (1.69%)
- £135.20
- Payments Plus (0.99% + £19)
- £98.20
Payments Plus overtakes Pay As You Go at roughly £2,714 of monthly card turnover on eligible domestic consumer cards.
FAQs
Tradespeople & mobile businesses: common questions
The reader needs a connection — either through your phone, Wi-Fi, or a built-in SIM on Solo and Terminal. Solo's free mobile data is the most reliable option for site work.
Get a quote for your trades & mobile setup
Two minutes, no obligation. Tell us what you take in card payments and we'll show you the setup and rate that actually fits.