Guides & advice for every stage of business
Practical, plain-English guidance on starting, growing and managing the cost of your business — with mobile payments as part of the plan, not the whole story.
Get your first payment setup right from day one
Starting a successful business takes careful planning, the right structure, and a strategy for growth. Before you take your first payment, decide how you'll register (sole trader vs limited company), open a dedicated business account so your finances stay separate from day one, and choose a card reader or payment app with no monthly fee so you're not paying for capacity you don't need yet.
Leveraging mobile payments early lets you streamline operations, keep clean records for your tax return, and reach customers who don't carry cash.
See solutions for sole traders
Mobile payments that keep pace with growth
Mobile payments increase the speed, efficiency and convenience of transactions as your customer base grows — offering a flexible, secure way to accept payments both in person and online. As footfall or order volume increases, it's worth revisiting your setup: a card reader that suited your first month may not offer the reporting, staff logins or multi-location support you need a year later.
Growing businesses typically move from a standalone card reader to a full POS system, and from a personal account to a dedicated business banking product with expense cards for staff.
See solutions for small businessGet more visibility over what you're actually paying
With the right mobile payment options, businesses can expand their customer base, improve customer satisfaction, reduce operational costs, and get better insight into sales and customer behaviour. The biggest lever most businesses overlook is simply comparing: card processing fees, bank charges and hardware costs vary significantly between providers for functionally similar services.
Review your provider's pricing at least once a year, keep an eye on your average transaction value (it changes which pricing model is cheapest), and use our fee estimator on the homepage as a starting point before you request a formal quote.
Try the fee estimator
Comparison & pricing guides
By business type
Best for Sole Traders
Full fee breakdown and worked example.
Read more →Best for Small Business
Rental vs pay-as-you-go compared.
Read more →Cheapest for Low Volume
What actually costs least below £1,000/month.
Read more →Best for Tradespeople
On-site reliability and invoicing tools.
Read more →Best for Market Stalls
Why fixed per-transaction fees matter here.
Read more →Best for Cafés & Restaurants
Counter service vs full POS systems.
Read more →Head-to-head
SumUp vs Zettle
Head-to-head fee and feature comparison.
Read more →SumUp vs Square
Which scales better into a full POS?
Read more →Dojo vs Square
Contract vs no-contract, compared.
Read more →Pricing & volume
Ready to compare providers?
Jump straight to the category that matches what you need.