Best card machine for caterers and food trucks

Independent caterers, mobile food trucks, festival traders, event caterers. Mobile or semi-mobile operations with strong seasonal patterns.

Our pick

SumUp Solo or Tap to Pay on iPhone

Acquirer: SumUp

Mobile, no-contract economics, simple flow. SumUp Solo has the receipt printer for festival pitches that need it; Tap to Pay covers smaller operations.

Why this trade matters

Cashflow shape: Strong seasonal peaks (summer events, Christmas markets). Quiet winters for festival-led caterers.
Average transaction: £8 to £25
Contactless share: ~75%

Watch outs

4G connectivity at outdoor pitches.
Battery life over 8-12 hour event days.
Food-hygiene certification not directly relevant to acquirer underwriting but compliance gaps elsewhere can surface.

Alternatives

Square Terminal (event-pitch operators)
Zettle Reader 2

Sign through us, get all of this

Take your trade. We do the rest.

Named UK account team for the life of the agreement. Acquirer pays our commission on completed introductions, so it costs you nothing on top.

24/7 dedicated support
Direct line to a named UK account manager, not a generic acquirer helpline. When your terminal goes down on a Saturday night you call us.
Quarterly rate reviews
As your card volume grows your rate should drop. We renegotiate against the 80+ UK acquirer panel every quarter, so you never overpay because you forgot to ask.
Chargeback and dispute help
UK chargebacks cost £15 to £35 per case and 60-80% are friendly fraud you can win with the right evidence. We draft the response and escalate where the acquirer drags its feet.
Switching support when you outgrow
If a better acquirer fit emerges as you grow we manage the cutover. No exit-fee surprises, no dual-running gap. Same account team across acquirers.

How we work, end to end →

Related on our sister sites

Need finance for your caterers and food trucks business?

Card flow is the security on which most caterers and food trucks businesses borrow. See our sister site BestBusinessLoans by sector for editorial reviews of UK lenders that fund caterers and food trucks.

Last reviewed: 2026-04-26.