Tap to Pay on Android UK
Tap to Pay on Android lets a UK business take contactless card and mobile-wallet payments directly on a compatible Android phone, no separate terminal. Stripe, SumUp, Revolut Business, Tide and myPOS all offer it in the UK in 2026. The Android route is now broader than the iPhone route.
What it is (SoftPOS, in plain English)
SoftPOS is the technical name: software that turns a smartphone's NFC chip into a contactless card reader. The Android version was certified by Visa and Mastercard ahead of the iPhone version (the iPhone equivalent was held back by Apple's NFC restrictions until 2022). Stripe brought Tap to Pay on Android to the UK in 2024, and SumUp, Revolut, Tide and myPOS followed.
For the merchant, the experience is identical to a contactless terminal: open the acquirer's app, type the amount, present the card or device against the back of the phone, and the transaction clears.
UK acquirers offering Tap to Pay on Android (May 2026)
| Acquirer | UK rate | Contract | Min Android |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stripe | Negotiated (Stripe Terminal pricing) | Stripe terms | Android 13+ |
| SumUp | 1.69% | No contract | Android 9+ (11+ recommended) |
| Revolut Business | 0.8% to 1.0% (plan-dependent) | Revolut Business subscription | Recent Android with NFC |
| Tide | 1.5% | No contract | Recent Android with NFC |
| myPOS | Plan-dependent (from 1.1%) | No contract | Android 8+ |
| Square | Not yet on UK Android | , | , |
| PayPal Zettle | SoftPOS in beta in some markets, not yet UK Android | , | , |
Verified against each acquirer's UK developer or product page, May 2026. Square confirmed Tap to Pay on iPhone in the UK but has not announced UK Android availability.
Setup, end to end
- Confirm your Android phone meets the acquirer minimum (Stripe = Android 13+; SumUp = 9+, recommended 11+; others vary).
- Sign up with the acquirer and complete merchant verification (Companies House + ID for Ltd, or sole-trader UTR + ID).
- Install the acquirer's Android app from Google Play.
- Log in. Some acquirers require a one-off SoftPOS attestation (a 30-second device check that confirms the phone is genuine and not rooted).
- Open the app, tap "Take payment", enter the amount.
- Customer presents card or device against the back of the phone (the NFC antenna sits in the upper third of most Android handsets).
- For amounts above the contactless cap, the customer types their PIN on a sandboxed PIN pad on your screen.
The £100 contactless cap, post-19-March-2026
The FCA removed the mandatory £100 contactless cap on 19 March 2026. Banks and payment providers can now set their own limits provided they have strong fraud controls. As of May 2026, the major UK high-street banks (Barclays, HSBC, Lloyds, Nationwide, NatWest, Santander) have all confirmed they are holding the £100 limit voluntarily. So in practice most UK contactless transactions are still capped at £100 unless the customer's card issuer has raised theirs.
For the merchant, nothing changes operationally. Above the issuer's cap, PIN-on-glass authenticates the transaction as before.
Tap to Pay on Android vs Tap to Pay on iPhone
| Feature | Android | iPhone |
|---|---|---|
| UK acquirer count | Wider (Stripe, SumUp, Revolut, Tide, myPOS) | SumUp, Square, Zettle, Stripe, Tide, Revolut |
| Hardware cost | £0 | £0 |
| Minimum device | Android 13+ (Stripe) or older for SumUp / others | iPhone XS+, iOS 16.4+ |
| PIN-on-glass | Yes, sandboxed by Android | Yes, sandboxed by iOS |
| Receipt printer | Pair a Bluetooth printer | Pair a Bluetooth printer |
If you already use Android phones in the business, the Android route is the cheaper, broader option in the UK in 2026. See our iPhone guide for comparison.
Who it suits
- Trades and field operators (plumbers, electricians, mobile mechanics, dog groomers, mobile beauticians).
- Pop-up retail and event traders.
- Single-operator services where dedicated terminal hardware is overkill.
- Businesses already on Android phones for daily ops.
Who it does not suit
- High-volume fixed-location retail (a dedicated countertop terminal is faster).
- Hospitality with table-side ordering or split-bill flows (specialist hardware wins).
- Operators on iPhones only, see the iPhone version.
Frequently asked questions
Is Tap to Pay on Android available in the UK?
Yes. Stripe launched Tap to Pay on Android in the UK in 2024. SumUp, Revolut Business, Tide and myPOS all run SoftPOS on Android in the UK. Square has Tap to Pay on iPhone in the UK but has not yet rolled Tap to Pay on Android to UK sellers as of May 2026.
What Android phone do I need?
Android 13 or newer with NFC. Stripe's minimum is Android 13; SumUp asks for Android 9+ but recommends 11+; Revolut and Tide are pragmatic about anything with NFC and a recent OS. Older flagships (Pixel 7, Samsung Galaxy S22, OnePlus 11) all qualify.
Has the £100 contactless cap actually been removed?
The FCA removed the mandatory £100 cap on 19 March 2026. As of May 2026, Barclays, HSBC, Lloyds, Nationwide, NatWest and Santander have all confirmed they are holding the £100 limit voluntarily. So in practice most UK contactless transactions are still capped at £100 unless your customer's card issuer has raised theirs. PIN-on-glass kicks in above whatever the issuer's cap is.
How does the merchant fee compare to a card terminal?
Most UK acquirers charge the same rate for Tap to Pay on Android as for their physical reader. SumUp 1.69%, Stripe negotiated, Tide 1.5%, Revolut Business 0.8%-1.0% (subscription-tier dependent). The hardware saving is the upfront £49-£329, not the per-transaction cost.
Is it safe? Can the customer's card data be stolen?
Tap to Pay on Android uses certified SoftPOS implementations. The PIN entry is sandboxed by the operating system. The card number is encrypted at the secure element and never reaches the merchant's app. Risk is comparable to a hardware terminal.
Can I print a receipt?
Not directly from the phone. Receipts are emailed or texted from the acquirer app. If you need physical receipts, pair a Bluetooth thermal printer (Star Micronics or Epson). Most acquirer apps support one.
What about Tap to Pay on Android vs SumUp Air or Zettle Reader 2?
A SoftPOS app on Android removes the hardware cost; the SumUp Air and Zettle Reader 2 are still relevant if you want a dedicated reader (longer battery life under heavy load, no phone battery drain, can pass the reader to a customer without handing over your phone).
Does Tap to Pay on Android take Apple Pay?
Yes. The Android phone is the merchant device; the customer can pay with any contactless card or wallet, including Apple Pay on the customer's iPhone, Google Pay, Samsung Pay, Garmin Pay and physical chip-and-pin cards in contactless mode.
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Oliver leads AcceptCard's editorial and comparison research. With a background in UK commercial finance, he oversees provider analysis, rate verification, and industry reporting across all verticals.
Last reviewed: 7 May 2026