Over 90% of Swiss consumers prefer to pay contactlessly — if you only accept cash at your food truck, you are losing sales. But which solution is right for your stand? Card terminal, Tap to Pay, TWINT QR code, or a food webshop? Our four guides show you step-by-step how to set up each option, how much they cost, and who they are suitable for.

This overview page summarises the four guides and helps you find the right payment solution for your business model — whether it is walk-in customers at the weekly market, pre-orders via Instagram, or catering jobs via QR bill.

Guide 1: Mobile card terminal for food trucks and market stalls

Hardware · 4G SIM · Receipt printing · Continuous operation

A physical card terminal with an integrated SIM card and battery is the most robust solution for daily use — whether at a weekly market, festival, or corporate site. The guide explains what you need to pay attention to regarding battery life, connectivity, and card acceptance, compares purchasing vs renting (from EUR 39 one-off purchase or EUR 25/month), and shows which payment methods are mandatory in Switzerland: Debit Mastercard, Visa Debit, TWINT, and contactless wallets.

Suitable for: Year-round operations with constant turnover, food trucks with high transaction volumes, businesses that need to print receipts or regularly accept cards without NFC (older Maestro cards with chip).

Key topics: Battery (min. 2500 mAh / 300+ transactions), 4G SIM vs hotspot vs event WiFi, Debit Mastercard/Visa Debit migration, purchasing vs renting, daily settlement and CSV export, practical tips on battery care and hygiene.

→ To the Guide: Mobile card terminal for food trucks and market stalls

Guide 2: Tap to Pay — Card payment with your smartphone

No hardware · NFC · iPhone & Android · SoftPOS

Tap to Pay (SoftPOS) turns your smartphone into a contactless Lector de tarjetas — without any additional device, and with no fixed costs. The guide shows which iPhones and Android devices are compatible, how secure the technology is (CPoC certified, PCI DSS), and when the payment process takes less than 5 seconds. Ideal as an entry-level solution for seasonal businesses or as a backup alongside a terminal.

Suitable for: Beginners with no budget for hardware, seasonal businesses active only a few months a year, existing terminal users looking for a backup during peak hours.

Key topics: How NFC/SoftPOS works, iPhone XS+ and Android 11+, CPoC security standard, practical test under 5 seconds, Tap to Pay vs terminal comparison, provider overview (Payrexx, SumUp, Worldline, Stripe), multi-device usage.

→ To the Guide: Tap to Pay in Switzerland

Guide 3: TWINT QR code for food trucks and market stalls

No internet required · Sticker · Lowest fees · Ready for immediate use

A TWINT QR sticker at the stand enables cashless payment without any terminal and without your own internet — the payment runs via the customer's mobile network. With a 1.3% transaction fee and zero fixed costs, this is the cheapest entry-level solution. The guide explains the difference between static and dynamic QR, shows how to set it up directly through TWINT or via Payrexx, and covers pitfalls such as amount limits and scanning issues.

Suitable for: Micro-businesses with no budget, farm shops, clubs, market stalls at locations with no Wi-Fi, food trucks that only need TWINT (and no card terminal).

Key topics: Static vs dynamic QR, set-up via TWINT direct or Payrexx QR Pay, offline capability, fees for micro-amounts (EUR 0.07 for EUR 5.00), amount limits (max. EUR 5000 variable / EUR 200 fixed), refunds, tourist acceptance via PSP.

→ To the Guide: TWINT QR code for food trucks and market stalls

Guide 4: Food webshop for pre-order, collection, and delivery

Online ordering · Collection time slots · Catering · Central Dashboard

Your own food webshop allows food trucks, takeaways, bakeries, and catering businesses to accept orders online — whether for pre-order with collection, lunch menu subscriptions, or corporate catering. The guide shows how to set up a simple ordering webshop without any programming knowledge, which payment methods you should activate (TWINT, credit card, QR bill), and how to manage online orders alongside on-site payment at the stand using a single Dashboard.

Suitable for: Food trucks with regular customers and recurring locations, catering businesses with pre-orders, takeaways and bakeries that want to process collection orders online, mobile gastro businesses that accept Instagram and Google orders.

Key topics: Three scenarios (pre-order + collection, walk-in customers, catering), comparison of webshop providers (Payrexx Storefront, WooCommerce, Shopify, SumUp), a single Dashboard for online and offline sales, practical example with concrete costs, accounting in accordance with the Swiss SME chart of accounts, social media marketing (Instagram, Google Business).

→ To the Guide: Combining the food webshop with on-site payment

Which solution is right for your stand?

All four options at a glance — sorted by barrier to entry, costs, and typical use.

All prices excl. VAT. Fees apply to Swiss consumer cards (Visa/Mastercard). As of 2026, indicative values.

Accounting and reconciliation for mobile businesses

No matter which payment solution you choose — at the end of the market day, the till must balance. Modern PSPs provide you with an online Dashboard with daily closing, CSV export, and breakdown by payment method. This makes working with your fiduciary significantly easier.

Posting in the Swiss SME chart of accounts: You post PSP transaction fees as bank charges (account 6840) — with no VAT deduction, as payment services are tax-exempt according to Art. 21 para. 2 no. 19 MWSTG. A transit account (e.g. 1090) neatly reflects the time delay between customer payment and payout.

In green Switzerland, there is no general cash register requirement for SMEs, but the ordinary bookkeeping requirement according to Art. 957 CO applies starting at EUR 500,000 in annual turnover. Even below this threshold, a traceable documentation of revenue — cash and cashless — is highly recommended.