How to take card payments on your phone
Your phone can be your card terminal. Here is what you need, which setup fits how you work, and when it makes sense to carry a separate terminal instead.
Short answer: with the Elavon Mobile app, a recent iPhone takes tap payments with no extra hardware. Any other phone takes tap, chip, and swipe through a small Bluetooth reader. You also need a merchant account and a business bank account for the money to land in.
What you need to take cards on a phone
- A merchant account. This is the account that lets you accept cards. You apply, and a bank approves it. Sole proprietors can usually apply with an SSN instead of an EIN.
- The Elavon Mobile app on the phone you already carry. It turns the phone into your terminal.
- A way to read the card. Tap to Pay on a recent iPhone reads contactless cards and phone wallets with no reader. On other phones, pair the Link/2500 reader.
- A business bank account where your card sales settle.
Phone, pocket reader, or mobile terminal?
Start with the lightest setup that covers how you work. Step up only when you need something the lighter option can’t do.
| Setup | Takes | Connection | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| iPhone with Tap to Pay | Contactless cards and phone wallets | Your phone’s WiFi or cellular data | Occasional payments, no extra gear to carry |
| Phone + Link/2500 reader | Tap, chip, and swipe | Bluetooth to your phone | Phones without Tap to Pay, or customers paying by chip |
| Ingenico Move 5000 terminal | Tap, chip, swipe, Apple Pay, and Google Pay | WiFi, or WiFi plus 4G LTE | All-day work, or a device that isn’t anyone’s personal phone |
When a phone isn’t the right tool
- Someone else takes payments. If an employee collects on a job, a Move 5000 belongs to the business, not to whoever’s phone the app is on.
- You take payments all day. The Move 5000 has a full-day battery, so your phone stays free for calls and maps.
- The customer pays by chip. Tap to Pay only reads contactless. A reader or terminal covers chip and swipe too.
- The job site has no WiFi you trust. Your phone uses its own data. A Move 5000 can switch to 4G LTE on a cellular data line.
What phone payments cost
Card-present processing starts at 2.19% + 9¢ per transaction, month-to-month with no long-term contract and no monthly platform fee. The app tier and any reader are priced on your quote, separate from your rate. Terminal and cellular line prices are listed on the mobile businesses page.
Want a number before you talk to anyone? Estimate your monthly card costs.
How to get set up
Tell us how you get paid: on jobs, at markets, or now and then. We recommend the lightest setup, fill out the merchant application with you, and you review it before anything is signed. The bank makes the approval decision. Next-day funding is available on approved accounts.