Card machine alternatives: how small businesses can take card payments without a POS terminal
By SendPay Business · · 2 min read
- 1Your card appears in your app
- 2Tap it to pay in a shop
- 3See every payment as it happens
Not every business needs a card machine. Market traders, mobile trades, tutors and anyone who is paid a few times a day can take cards without buying or renting a terminal. Here are the options, and when a card machine is still the right call.
Payment links
Send a link by text, email or WhatsApp, or show it on your phone, and the customer pays with their own card on their own phone. Nothing to buy or rent, and it works in person, over the phone and online.
Try it
Name your platform and watch it come to life
Type a name, tap a colour and pick what it does. The phone changes as you go.
Colour
What it does
Design and preview your whole platform free, then launch when you are ready.
Tap to pay on a phone
Some card providers let you take contactless payments on your own smartphone with their app. Check what your provider offers in your country.
When a card machine is still worth it
If you serve a queue of customers all day, like a busy cafe, a card machine or POS terminal is faster at the counter. For everyone else, links and invoices often do the job without the monthly rental.
Run your own payments app
SendPay Business does not sell card machines. Its platforms include payment links and invoicing, so you can launch your own payments app for traders in your area, under your brand, and earn a fee on what they take.
How it works
Your own money app- 1Name it and pick your colours
- 2Choose what it does
- 3Launch when you are ready
Why sign up
Create your free SendPay account
It's all about creating your own financial platform with ease. Start with a free account today.
- 🪪A free business accountOpen it in about a minute with your business name, email, password and mobile. No card and no documents to start.
- 💳Get paid from day oneTake card payments, and share your own payment link and invoices so customers pay in a click.
- 🌐A free business websiteFree to build, free to publish and free to keep, with unlimited visits.
- 🚀Your own financial platformDesign and preview your whole platform free, then launch when you are ready.
SendPay Business is a technology company, not a bank. Accounts, cards and payments are powered by licensed partners.
Questions people ask
How much do card payments cost?
The free card fee calculator shows what you keep from each sale after the fee.
Card fee calculator →What about virtual terminals?
The virtual terminal guide compares keying in card numbers with sending payment links.
Virtual terminal vs payment links →How do I start my own payments app?
Pick a template, name it and preview every page before you launch.
Build my platform →Read next
Spotted a mistake or something out of date? and we'll fix it. How our guides are made
This guide is general information, not legal or financial advice. SendPay Business is a technology company, not a bank, and does not take deposits; regulated services on the platforms are provided by licensed partners. Other companies named in this guide are reference points only and are not affiliated with SendPay Business.