kosten.org editorial team
Last updated: 2026-02-15
89/100
Points

SumUp has revolutionised card payments for small businesses: no base fee, no contract term, transparent transaction costs. In our rating, SumUp impresses with the best combination of simplicity, cost and features.

Highlights of our SumUp review

  • No monthly costs
  • 1.39% transaction fee
  • All cards + NFC
  • 4m+ merchants worldwide

1 Costs & fees

24/28
Points
SumUp shines with the simplest fee model: 1.39% per card payment – whether girocard, Visa or Mastercard. No monthly base fee, no set-up costs, no hidden charges. Buying the terminal (SumUp Air from €39, SumUp Solo from €79) is a one-off investment. Payouts reach the linked bank account in 1–2 working days.

2 Payment methods & acceptance

22/24
Points
SumUp accepts all common cards: girocard, Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, UnionPay. Contactless payment via NFC (Apple Pay, Google Pay) is standard. Payment links for online payments and invoices are available. QR code payments are supported.

3 Hardware & usability

18/20
Points
The SumUp Air (Bluetooth, requires a smartphone) and SumUp Solo (standalone with display and Wi-Fi/4G) are compact and well made. Battery life is around 500 transactions. Set-up takes less than 5 minutes. Operation is intuitive – usable straight away without training.

4 Software & integrations

14/16
Points
The SumUp dashboard offers sales overviews, transaction history and export functions. Integration with SumUp POS for till functions. API for developers. Accounting exports (CSV) for DATEV and other tools. Multi-terminal management is possible.

5 Support & contract terms

11/12
Points
No contract, cancel at any time. Support by email and phone, with response times of sometimes 24–48 hours. PCI DSS Level 1 certified. Extensive help centre documentation. 30-day money-back guarantee on hardware.

Pros & cons at a glance

Pros

  • Simplest fee model
  • No fixed costs
  • Ready to go instantly
  • Wide card acceptance

Cons

  • 1.39% is more expensive at high turnover
  • No same-day payout
  • Support could be better

Conclusion: SumUp review

89/100
Very good (1.6)

SumUp is particularly well suited as a mobile card terminal. The combination of zero fixed costs, transparent fees and the simplest operation makes SumUp the best choice for small businesses, market traders and service providers.

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