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The number of actively trading businesses in Australia in 2023 reached a record 2,589,873 , according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, an increase of 0.8% from 2022.
So it follows that more Australians are leaning on crucial software and hardware tools to sell various products and services. And, increasingly, this includes the use of mobile credit card readers.
In this article, we’ll discuss some of our top mobile reader options, and which customers they could be best for.
Note: the below list represents a selection of our top category picks, as chosen by Forbes Advisor Australia’s editors and journalists. The information provided is purely factual and is not intended to imply any recommendation, opinion, or advice about a financial product. Not every product or provider in the marketplace has been reviewed, and the list below is not intended to be exhaustive nor replace your own research. For more information on how Forbes Advisor ranks and reviews products, including how we identified our top category picks, read the methodology selection below.
We recommended these four mobile card readers based on several key qualities that we thought made these products the best choices. We then scored these contenders across several categories of features with 12 different metrics that were weighted to favour features that small business owners find valuable in a provider.
A mobile card reader’s transaction fees might be low, but if there are hidden fees, it reduces its value. Most mobile payment solutions offer flat fees, making it easy for you to budget each month or quarter. Pricing and processing fees accounted for 25% of our weighted scoring.
It’s helpful to have a mobile card reader with an app that lets you track inventory, offer digital receipts and sync with other apps you may already use. The best mobile card readers include POS features at no added cost. Additional features we looked for include built-in payment processing, offline payment options, software integrations and offered low-cost initial card reader as part of its plan. We weighted features at 50% of our total score.
What actual users thought of each mobile card reader provider was important to our panel of experts. We looked at several metrics, including ease of use and customer support. For ease of use, most mobile card readers use Bluetooth technology which makes it easy to connect to any mobile device. The POS apps included offer user-friendly interfaces, so it’s simple to learn and use to track sales and inventory.
When it comes to customer support, it’s important to be able to connect with customer support when you need help. The best mobile card reader services offer 24/7 support or, at the very least, a solid knowledge base with answers to the most common questions.
Other points of analysis we considered included stand-out or detailed features, popularity and value for the price. Altogether, our experts’ analysis made up 25% of the total score.
Finally, we looked at whether the product or service is available in the Australian market and how relevant it is to local users.
Featured Partners
1
Wix
Starting price
From $15 per month
Drag-and-Drop Editor
Yes
Standout Features
Free plan available, 900+ designer-made templates
2
Shopify POS
Price starts at
Cost of your Shopify plan
Free trial
Yes
Key features
In-person and mobile POS, order management, customer profiles
3
Bluehost
E-Commerce Starting Price
$15 AUD
Drag-and-Drop Interface
Yes
Standout Features
Wishlists, marketplace selling, unlimited products
In addition to the above considerations, merchants should take a few other things into consideration when shopping for the best mobile card reader for their business:
Keeping these features in mind, you should be able to zero in on the card reader that best suits your brand’s needs.
You might not need a credit card reader if you use a digital payment service or if you only sell in-person occasionally. If you have a brick-and-mortar business or sell offline on a semi-regular basis, you will likely need a card reader.
Based on factors that include cost, availability and ease of use, we recommend mobile card readers from Square, Shopify, Zeller and Stripe.
It’s possible to get an affordable mobile card reader, paying between $65 AUD and $1,000 AUD.
Yes. Using a smartphone, you can use a mobile card reader to accept payments. Readers typically require Bluetooth and an internet connection. With the mobile app provided by your chosen provider, you typically can type in credit card numbers without a separate reader, but you will likely have to pay higher transaction fees in exchange.
Besides mobile credit card readers, other types of POS systems that you can use include full-service terminals, cloud-based systems and web-based systems. Full-service terminals are the most expensive type of restaurant POS system. Typically, they’re used by large restaurants with multiple locations. Cloud-based systems are less expensive than full-service terminals, and they’re often used by smaller restaurants.
To accept card payments using a smartphone, you have to download a mobile payment processing app, like Square. When you sign up, they’ll send you a card reader that plugs into your phone’s headphone jack or connects via Bluetooth, so you can accept physical cards and run entire transactions through your phone.
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