How to Accept Your First Card Payment With SumUp

For a freelancer, market trader, tutor, or small shop, the barrier to taking card payments used to be a bank merchant account and a monthly contract. SumUp removed it: a reader, a free account, and a per-transaction fee. This is the step-by-step guide to accepting your first payment, aimed at anyone taking cards for the first time. For where card acceptance sits in a wider self-employed setup, see our best money tools for freelancers guide.

What You Need to Start

• A SumUp account (free to open).
• Identity and payout details — a bank account to receive your money.
• A card reader, or a phone that supports reader-free tap-to-pay where available.

SumUp operates across the EEA and UK, and in many regions sole traders and freelancers can sign up without a limited company. You can begin at SumUp.

Step 1: Create the Free SumUp Account

Sign up with your email and business details, then complete identity verification and add the bank account where you want to be paid out. There is no monthly fee on the standard pay-as-you-go plan — the cost is a percentage taken from each transaction, so you pay only when you actually get paid. That is what makes it suitable for occasional or seasonal takings.

Step 2: Choose Your Reader (or Go Reader-Free)

Two paths:

• A card reader. SumUp sells a small Bluetooth card reader for a one-off cost. It pairs with the SumUp app on your phone or tablet and takes chip, contactless, and mobile-wallet payments. This is the reliable choice for regular in-person takings.
• Reader-free tap-to-pay. In some regions and on supported phones, you can accept contactless payments directly on the phone with no separate reader at all — useful if you want to start today with nothing to buy.

Pick the reader if you will take payments often; go reader-free to test the waters with zero upfront cost.

Step 3: Take the First Payment

Open the SumUp app, enter the amount, and present the reader (or phone) to the customer. They tap, insert, or swipe their card, or use a mobile wallet. The app confirms the payment on screen, and you can send the customer a digital receipt by email or text. That is the entire flow — no terminal contract, no separate merchant ID to chase.

Step 4: Get Paid Out — and Where to Hold It

SumUp settles your takings to your linked bank account, typically within a few business days depending on your country. If you take payments in more than one currency — say you serve tourists or online customers abroad — consider routing or holding funds in a multi-currency account like Airwallex before converting, so you are not losing margin on every payout conversion. We cover that account in our Airwallex multi-currency review. For the wider business toolkit, our best business credit cards guide covers the cards and accounts around it.

Fees to Expect

• A one-off cost for the card reader (nothing if you go reader-free where supported).
• A per-transaction percentage on each payment, with no monthly fee on the standard plan.
• Possible currency-conversion costs if you accept and settle across currencies — reduced by holding funds in a multi-currency account.

The absence of a monthly fee is the key point: your cost scales with your takings rather than being a fixed overhead.

The Bottom Line

SumUp turns "we only take cash" into taking cards within a week, with no monthly commitment — create the free account, choose a reader or go reader-free, take the payment, and get paid out. Hold multi-currency takings in an account like Airwallex to protect your margin on payouts. For how card acceptance fits alongside the accounts and cards a small business needs, our sibling sites https://banktopp.com and https://yieldnav.com go deeper on business banking and managing what you earn.

This is information, not financial advice. Fees, features, and availability vary by country and change — confirm current terms with each provider before relying on them.