Zettle by PayPal good-looking card readers
Zettle sells two card machines from its website: Zettle Reader 2 (previously ‘iZettle Reader 2’) and standalone Zettle Terminal.
There’s no setup or shipping charge, monthly fees or contractual commitment, so all you’re paying is the upfront card machine price and a fixed rate of 1.75% per transaction. Refunds are free to process, and there’s no monthly minimum charge.
The tamper-proof Zettle Reader comes in black or white, with a simple push-button keypad and display asking the customer to add a tip (if relevant) or enter their PIN. You have to keep the card payment machine connected, via Bluetooth, to a smartphone or tablet with the Zettle Go POS app to take payments.
The Zettle app is user-friendly with important POS features for most businesses. We found it extremely efficient for straightforward payments when testing it, but it is likewise too basic for complicated product ranges.
Alternatively, you can opt for the latest card machine that feels like a smartphone: Zettle Terminal (£149 + VAT). It works without a phone or tablet, and features a touchscreen with Zettle’s free POS app installed. The built-in SIM card connects directly to 3G or 4G if not using WiFi, and you can get it with a built-in barcode scanner (£199 + VAT) or receipt printer attachment.
If you need to charge clients remotely, you can send payment links so the customer can pay on their phone. These key-in transactions cost 2.5%.
Zettle accepts many card brands – whether contactless or chip and PIN – for the same fixed percentage even for foreign and premium cards. Payments are credited to your bank account within 1-2 working days, minus the transaction fee.
Signing up is straightforward: on Zettle’s website, you just fill in some details about your business and bank account. They will verify your identity and perform a credit check to ensure everything is in order. In most cases, you are accepted straight away and can order the contactless payment machine immediately.
While Zettle used to be the leading card reader company in the UK, it has had to give way to Square and SumUp competing in the same segments. The two latter has added more functionality in recent years, and SumUp’s transaction fee is the best in market for new businesses.
We’ve also noticed a clear rebrand towards PayPal (Zettle’s owner), with features removed and terms shared between the brands. In other words, Zettle might eventually be just ‘PayPal’ with a far less attractive product than Zettle was in its heyday.