Tap to Pay in Switzerland: card payments with your smartphone for food trucks and market stalls

Tap to Pay (also known as SoftPOS) turns a standard smartphone into a contactless card terminal. Swiss food truck operators and market traders can use it to accept credit and debit cards, TWINT, as well as mobile wallets such as Apple Pay or Google Pay directly on their mobile phone – without additional hardware. All that is needed is an NFC-enabled Android or iOS device and the app of a supported payment service provider (Payrexx: Android).

This guide shows you step-by-step how Tap to Pay works, which smartphones and providers are supported in Switzerland, how much the solution costs, and when a traditional mobile terminal is the better choice after all.

1. What is Tap to Pay and why is it made for food trucks and market stalls?

Tap to Pay – also known in the industry as SoftPOS (Software Point of Sale) – refers to a technology where the NFC antenna of a smartphone is used to accept contactless payments. The smartphone completely replaces the traditional card terminal. The payer holds their card or their own mobile phone against the merchant's device, and the transaction is processed via a certified app and a Payment Service Provider (PSP).

For food trucks, market stalls, and pop-up businesses, Tap to Pay solves several practical problems at once: there are no hardware purchase costs for a terminal, the smartphone is always with you anyway, and setup usually takes less than an hour. Seasonal businesses operating for only a few months a year benefit particularly, as there are no fixed costs or minimum contract terms. Tap to Pay is also a reliable addition as a backup solution – for instance, if the conventional terminal fails.

In Switzerland, the technology has been widely available since spring 2025. Apple enabled Tap to Pay on the iPhone in March 2025 for Switzerland; Android devices have supported the function for longer via apps from various providers. Swiss PSPs offering Tap to Pay include Payrexx, SumUp, Worldline, Stripe, and Nexi, among others.

2. How it works: Smartphone instead of Lector de tarjetas – step-by-step

The process is almost identical for most providers and is completed in a few steps:

Create and verify an account: You register with the chosen payment provider, submit your company details, and complete the regulatory check (Know Your Customer, KYC). For most providers, verification takes one to five working days – some, like Payrexx, offer same-day verification if documents are submitted by 16:00.

Download the app: You install the provider's Tap to Pay app from the Google Play Store (Android) or the Apple App Store (iPhone) and sign in with your account.

Initiate payment: You enter the amount in the app, select the payment method (card or e.g. TWINT), and start the checkout process.

Customer pays: Your customer holds their contactless card or smartphone (with Apple Pay, Google Pay, etc.) against the back of your device. For amounts over EUR 80, PIN entry is displayed directly on the smartphone screen.

Confirmation and receipt: The transaction is confirmed. Depending on the provider, you can send the receipt via SMS, email, or QR code.

The payout to your bank account takes place within 48 hours to five working days, depending on the provider.

3. Requirements: Which smartphones, operating systems, and apps are supported?

Tap to Pay requires a smartphone with NFC (Near Field Communication) functionality. The exact requirements differ between iPhone and Android.

iPhone

For Tap to Pay on the iPhone, at least an iPhone XS (2018) or newer is required. The device must have the current iOS version installed and have an internet connection. In Switzerland, providers such as SumUp, Worldline, Stripe, Adyen, Mollie, myPOS, and Nexi currently support the Apple feature.

Android

For Android devices, an NFC-enabled smartphone or tablet with at least Android 8.1 is required. Google Play Services must be installed and up to date. Devices with root access or enabled developer options are usually blocked for security reasons. Most current models from Samsung, Google Pixel, OnePlus, and Huawei are compatible.

4. Security and certification: Is Tap to Pay on a smartphone secure enough?

Yes. Tap to Pay is subject to the same security standards as a conventional card terminal. The technology is certified according to the CPoC standard (Contactless Payments on Commercial Off-the-Shelf Devices) of the PCI Security Standards Council (PCI SSC) and complies with the requirements of the PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard).

On iPhones, card data is processed in the so-called Secure Element – a dedicated security chip physically isolated from the rest of the operating system. Apple does not store card numbers on the device or on its own servers. On Android devices, encryption and tokenisation ensure that sensitive card data is never stored or transmitted in plain text on the device. A temporary token is used instead of the actual card number.

In addition, the same security mechanisms apply as with contactless payment on traditional terminals: amounts over EUR 80 require a PIN entry (which takes place directly on the smartphone screen), and the payment networks (Visa, Mastercard) monitor transactions in real time for irregularities.

5. Service speed: Checkout under 5 seconds – field test

In the daily routine of a food truck, every second counts, especially during the lunch rush. Tap to Pay performs well here: in field tests, the pure payment process (from the moment the customer taps the card) takes between two and four seconds for contactless payments under EUR 80. For amounts over EUR 80, PIN entry is added, extending the process to around eight to twelve seconds.

By comparison: a classic mobile terminal like the SumUp Solo or a Worldline device takes a similar amount of time for a contactless payment – the difference is in the range of one to two seconds and is hardly noticeable in practice. The real time advantage of Tap to Pay lies elsewhere: you don't have to charge, switch on, or connect a separate device via Bluetooth. You type in the amount, the customer pays, done.

A relevant note for daily food truck operations: a stable mobile connection (4G/5G) is a prerequisite for the checkout process. In areas with poor reception – such as festival grounds in rural areas – delays may occur. Some providers allow limited offline transactions that are synchronised later, but that is the exception.

6. Tap to Pay vs. mobile terminal: When is the smartphone enough, when do you need more?

Tap to Pay is not the right solution for every use case. The decision between a smartphone solution and a mobile terminal depends on the business model, transaction volume, and accepted payment methods.

Comparison: Tap to Pay vs. mobile terminal

Tap to Pay is especially suitable if you are just starting out, only operating seasonally, or need an additional device for peak times. If you turn over more than EUR 1,000 per day, need to print receipts, or regularly want to accept cards without NFC (such as older Maestro cards with chip), a mobile terminal is the more robust choice. Many merchants combine both: terminal as the main system, smartphone as backup.

7. Costs: No hardware, only transaction fees – what you really pay

The biggest cost advantage of Tap to Pay compared to a classic terminal is the elimination of hardware costs. You pay no acquisition cost, no rent, no maintenance contract. Costs are limited to transaction fees incurred per accepted payment and – depending on the provider – a monthly subscription.

Cost comparison of selected providers (Switzerland, as of 2026)

* Stripe fees apply to in-person payments in Switzerland (domestic). All information provided without guarantee, as of 2026.

A sample calculation illustrates the cost structure: A food truck turns over EUR 800 via card payment on a market day, spread over 50 transactions with an average amount of EUR 16. At 1.65% + EUR 0.15 per transaction (Payrexx InStore subscription), this results in total costs of around EUR 20.70 for the day, with Better Fees (0.95% + EUR 0.15) around EUR 15.10. With SumUp at 1.5% (debit), it would be EUR 12 – but without TWINT acceptance, which is a relevant revenue factor in Switzerland.

For Swiss SMEs looking to accept TWINT and PostFinance directly via smartphone in addition to cards, Payrexx Tap to Pay is one of the few solutions combining all relevant Swiss payment methods in a single app. Registration is possible via the free InStore subscription, with same-day verification for complete documents. In addition, Payrexx Tap to Pay can be used on multiple devices with a single account – convenient if you work with two tills at the market stall (first device free, each additional EUR 4/month).

8. Checklist: Setting up Tap to Pay for your food truck or market stall

• Check if your smartphone supports NFC (iPhone XS or newer, or Android with NFC and at least Android 8.1).

• Update your operating system to the latest version (iOS or Android).

• Choose a payment provider that supports Tap to Pay in Switzerland and covers the payment methods your customers use (especially TWINT and debit cards).

• Create an account with the selected provider and submit your company data for the KYC check (commercial register excerpt, ID card, IBAN).

• Download the Tap to Pay app from the official app store and link it to your account.

• Test the payment process with your own card or a test purchase before going live.

• Ensure you have a stable mobile connection (4G/5G) at the location – test reception beforehand.

• Determine how you want to issue receipts (digitally via SMS, email, or QR code).

• Decide whether you need a backup (second smartphone, mobile terminal, cash).

• Find out about your provider's payout schedule (daily, weekly, monthly) and make sure the payout IBAN is stored correctly.