On-site payment at the food truck and webshop — how does the combined solution work?

Swiss food trucks, market stalls, and catering businesses can combine a simple online ordering shop with an on-site payment solution without running two separate systems. To do this, you use a Payment Service Provider (PSP) that offers both online payments and card terminals or Tap to Pay — ideally with a shared Dashboard for all revenue in EUR. Transaction fees range between 1.3 % (TWINT) and 2.5 % (credit card) per payment, depending on the payment method.

This guide shows you step by step how to set up an online shop for pre-orders, connect on-site payments, and manage both via Una cuenta — including concrete costs, provider comparisons, and a practical checklist for mobile gastronomy in Switzerland.

1. Why food trucks and market stalls need to sell online and on-site today

Swiss gastronomy is evolving. According to the Swiss Payment Monitor, over 70 % of Swiss consumers regularly use cashless payment methods. For food trucks and mobile stalls, this means: accepting only cash results in lost customers. At the same time, regular customers increasingly expect the option to pre-order online and pick up their food at a designated time.

The combination of an online shop and on-site payment solves several problems at once: queues at the stall become shorter because pre-order customers simply pick up their food. Walk-in customers can pay spontaneously by card, TWINT, or smartphone. And you as the operator can view all revenue — both online and offline — in one single place.

A pre-ordering system provides a competitive advantage, especially for recurring locations (weekly markets, business parks, festivals): you can plan inventory more effectively and reduce food waste. Simultaneously, you establish a digital customer relationship through the online shop that extends beyond the physical counter interaction.

2. Three scenarios: pre-order + pickup, walk-in customers, catering orders

Scenario A: Pre-ordering and pickup

Your customer orders a lunch menu via your online shop the evening before or in the morning, pays online via TWINT or credit card, and picks up the prepared meal at an agreed time at the food truck. You prepare the order efficiently and avoid overproduction. This model is particularly suited for weekly markets with regular customers or food trucks located in business parks.

Scenario B: Walk-in customers on site

A passerby discovers your stall and places a spontaneous order. They pay contactlessly via debit card, credit card, Apple Pay, Google Pay, or TWINT QR code. For this, you need a mobile card terminal or Tap to Pay on your smartphone. Tap to Pay means that your Android device becomes the card reader itself — without requiring extra hardware.

Scenario C: Catering and event orders

A company orders catering for 30 people via your online shop and pays by QR-bill or advance payment. On the day of the event, you deliver the food and, if necessary, collect payment for additional guest orders on-site via terminal. In this scenario, you also need the capability to issue invoices with QR-reference, which many Swiss PSPs offer.

3. Setting up a simple online ordering shop — without programming skills

For most food truck operators, a full-fledged online shop with inventory management is oversized. What you need is a simple product page with a shopping cart where your customers can select a menu or individual dishes, specify a pickup time, and pay online.

Several Swiss providers enable this without requiring programming knowledge. The most common options:

The crucial point for the combined solution for events: choose a provider where the online shop and on-site payment run through the same account. This avoids duplicate billing and provides a single Dashboard for all revenue. If you combine a separate online shop provider (e.g. woocommerce) with a separate terminal provider (e.g. SumUp), you end up with two separate systems and two billing statements.

Regardless of the provider, you should consider the following points when setting up the online shop: limit the product range to a few, clearly described items. Offer pickup time slots so you can schedule preparation. Activate at least TWINT and credit cards as payment methods — this covers the majority of Swiss customers. And link the online shop prominently on your Instagram profile or Google Business page.

4. Seamlessly connect on-site payment: terminal, Tap to Pay, or TWINT QR to the same account

For payments at the stall, you have three common options in Switzerland:

Mobile card terminal

A physical device (e.g. from SumUp, Worldline, or via Payrexx) that accepts debit cards, credit cards, and contactless payments. The devices cost a one-off fee between EUR 49 and EUR 400, depending on the range of functions. A SumUp Solo Lite costs around EUR 49 without a subscription, Payrexx terminals are rented for EUR 25/month, and a Worldline terminal often starts from approx. EUR 25–40/month.

Tap to Pay on the smartphone

Tap to Pay turns your smartphone into a card terminal. The customer holds their card or smartphone against your device, and the payment is processed via NFC (TWINT via QR code on the screen). Various PSPs offer this feature — with Payrexx, Tap to Pay is included in every subscription – without a one-off fee, even in the free InStore plan –, with SumUp via the app. Tap to Pay is particularly suitable for businesses that want to carry as little hardware as possible.

TWINT QR code

A TWINT QR sticker at your stall enables payments directly via the customer's TWINT app. The fee for the basic QR sticker is 1.3 % of the transaction amount — with no monthly fixed costs. Alternatively, TWINT runs via your PSP, in which case their TWINT conditions apply (e.g. 1.25 % + EUR 0.18 with Payrexx Standard or 1.30 % + EUR 0.30 with Payrexx Free).

The key to the combined solution: the on-site payment method should run through the same PSP as your online shop. All transactions then flow into one Dashboard, and you receive a consolidated statement. When choosing, ensure that the PSP supports both online payments and physical payments (terminal or Tap to Pay).

5. One Dashboard, all revenue: centrally manage online and on-site payments

The biggest operational advantage of a combined solution is centralized administration. Instead of reconciling two statements from two providers at the end of the month, you see in a single Dashboard:

All online orders from the webshop, all on-site payments via terminal or Tap to Pay, all TWINT transactions — whether online or at the stall — as well as total daily, weekly, and monthly revenue broken down by payment method.

This simplifies not only accounting but also planning: you quickly identify what proportion of your revenue comes from pre-orders and what comes from walk-in customers. If you work with a fiduciary, you can use the consolidated statement directly as the basis for bookkeeping entries.

Payouts to your Swiss bank account (IBAN) take place daily, weekly, or monthly, depending on the PSP. For proper bookkeeping in the Swiss SME chart of accounts, a transit account (e.g. account 1090) is recommended to reflect the time delay between customer payment and payout. The PSP transaction fees are recorded as bank charges (account 6840), without VAT deduction, as payment services are exempt from tax in accordance with Art. 21 para. 2 no. 19 MWSTG.

6. Practical example: How a food truck uses Payrexx for weekly markets and Instagram orders

Lisa operates a poke bowl food truck in the Zurich Region. On Saturdays, she is at the Bülach weekly market; during the week, at a business park in Wallisellen. Here is how she set up her combined solution:

Online shop for pre-orders: Using Payrexx Pages, Lisa created a one-page shop listing her five poke bowls (EUR 18.50 each) and three drinks. Customers select a pickup time slot (e.g. 11:30–12:00) and pay via TWINT or credit card. She shares the shop link every Wednesday evening in her Instagram story.

On-site payment at the market: At the weekly market, Lisa uses Tap to Pay on her Android smartphone. Walk-in customers hold their debit card or smartphone against Lisa's phone and pay contactlessly. Additionally, she has a TWINT QR sticker on the counter for customers who prefer paying via the TWINT app.

Centralized billing: All payments — Instagram pre-orders and spontaneous purchases at the market — run through the same Payrexx account. Lisa sees in the Dashboard that around 35 % of her revenue now originates from pre-orders. She exports her weekly statement as a CSV for her fiduciary.

Monthly costs: Lisa uses the Payrexx Standard plan (Omnichannel) for EUR 19/month. With a monthly revenue of around EUR 8’000 (of which approx. EUR 5’000 is card/TWINT), she pays effectively between EUR 65 and EUR 115 in transaction fees, depending on the payment mix — plus the EUR 19 subscription fee.

7. Keeping costs under control: What the combined solution costs for small businesses

The costs of a combined online and on-site payment solution consist of three components: monthly fixed costs (subscription), transaction fees per payment, and potentially hardware costs for a terminal. The following table compares the relevant providers for a typical food truck with EUR 5’000 in monthly card revenue:

All prices exclude VAT. The stated credit card fees apply to Swiss consumer cards (Visa/Mastercard). Business cards and international cards may incur higher fees.

A concrete sample calculation: With EUR 5’000 monthly revenue, of which 60 % is credit card/debit card and 40 % TWINT, Payrexx Standard results in a total monthly cost of around EUR 95–105 (EUR 19 subscription + approx. EUR 50 card fees + approx. EUR 25–35 TWINT fees). With SumUp without a subscription (card payments only, no TWINT), you are at around EUR 75–125 in pure transaction fees — albeit without an online shop feature with integrated TWINT.

Keep in mind: The lowest transaction fees are of little use if you have to reconcile two separate systems manually. The time required for duplicate statements, manual reconciliations, and separate exports can quickly offset the cost advantage. Calculate based on your actual turnover whether an individual solution or a combined solution is more cost-effective.

8. Checklist: Setting up an online shop + on-site payment for your food truck

• Verify legal entity structure: As a sole proprietorship or GmbH, you can register directly with most Swiss PSPs. An entry in the commercial register speeds up activation.

• Choose a PSP that offers online and on-site payments from a single source. Make sure that TWINT, Visa/Mastercard, and debit cards are supported.

• Set up the online shop: Enter products, prices in EUR, pickup time slots, and contact details. Less is more — keep the range clear and straightforward.

• Enable payment methods in the online shop: At least TWINT and credit card. Check whether QR-bill is useful for catering orders.

• Set up the on-site payment method: Order a terminal, activate Tap to Pay, or request a TWINT QR sticker.

• Perform a test order: Place an order yourself in your online shop, verify the checkout flow, and test the terminal or Tap to Pay before initial live use.

• Add a payout account: Enter a Swiss IBAN and define the payout frequency (weekly is recommended for food trucks with ongoing inventory purchases).

• Promote the online shop link: Instagram bio, Google Business Profile, flyers at the stall, QR code on the menu.

• Prepare accounting: Set up transit account 1090, record fees to account 6840. For small volumes, a monthly consolidated entry is sufficient.

• Evaluate after the first month: How much turnover originates online, how much on-site? Is the payment mix optimal? Adjust the subscription or payment methods if necessary.

How you combine an online shop and on-site payment for your food truck with Payrexx

As a Swiss PSP, Payrexx offers a combined solution for precisely this scenario: With Payrexx Pages, you create an online ordering shop without programming skills, enable TWINT, credit card, and other payment methods, and simultaneously accept on-site payments via Tap to Pay or terminal.

All transactions — online and at the stall — run through Una cuenta with consolidated billing and payouts to your Swiss IBAN account. The Free plan is ideal for trying things out, while the Standard plan from EUR 19/month offers lower transaction fees and API access for advanced integrations.

You can test Payrexx free of charge for 30 days, without a credit card or commitment.