What is the best portable POS system for small business?

Whether you’re selling tacos from a food truck, handmade goods at a market, or fixing a leak in a client’s home, a portable POS (point of sale) system gives you the freedom to take payments everywhere.

But not all portable POS tools are created equal. Some are as simple as tapping your phone. Others come with full-blown hardware that prints receipts on the spot.

In this guide, you’ll learn what a portable POS system is, the types available, how much they cost, and how to find the right one for your business.

What is a portable POS (portable POS) system?

A portable POS (point of sale) system is a payment processing setup that allows you to accept credit cards, debit cards, and ACH/EFT on the go. Instead of being stuck next to a fixed POS station, you can now bring your payment system to events, pop-up stores, client homes, job sites, and anywhere else your business takes you.

Portable POS systems are compact, wireless, and designed to handle payments with minimal hardware or directly from your laptop or mobile phone. For example, a food truck at a festival needs to take payments quickly without a bulky setup. That's where a portable POS shines.

What is the best portable POS system for small businesses?

Choosing the right portable POS solution can be complicated because it’s hard to visualize what it looks like. Let's break down the different types of portable POS systems available:

• Tap to Pay on iPhone or Android: Accept payments without a card reader on your portable device.
• Connected card reader: Connect a portable card reader to your phone or tablet and use it with a POS app.
• Payment terminal: Use a payment terminal as a portable POS system.

Tap to Pay on iPhone or Android

With Tap to Pay technology, your mobile device can become a POS terminal. This means you can accept payments without extra hardware. Customers simply tap their credit card or mobile wallet to your phone to pay. However, there are some limitations to consider:

Tap to Pay on Android device requirement: Your phone needs to run on Android 9 or a later OS and have NFC capabilities.

Tap to Pay on iPhone requirementa:

• You'll need an iPhone XS or later running the latest iOS.
• You can only accept tap payments using Tap to Pay on iPhone.
• Your iPhone cannot print a receipt but can email the receipt to customers.

To get started with Tap to Pay on iPhone, you can download the Helcim POS app on Apple App Store, sign up, and enable Tap to Pay on iPhone in Helcim App's setting.

Connected card reader

This type of portable POS system pairs a card reader with your smartphone, tablet, or laptop. You'll need to download a POS app to your device, and the card reader connects wirelessly via Bluetooth or USB cable.

Connecting the card reader to your laptop or desktop gives you access to advanced features, such as invoice customization, or recurring billing setup. However, if you connect the reader to a phone or tablet, some features may be limited on a mobile app.

This setup also expands your payment options. You can accept chip-and-pin payments, where customers insert their card to make a purchase. Keep in mind that you'll need a separate receipt printer if you want to provide paper receipts.

Payment terminal

Payment terminals are mobile devices that combine payment processing, POS software, and receipt printing in a single unit. This means you don't need to connect them to any other device.

Think of it like a mini cash register that you can take anywhere. You can accept tap and chip and PIN payments, and then print a receipt for your customer right on the spot. Need to check your inventory levels or review your sales history? You can do that directly on the payment terminal.

Payment terminals can be expensive, ranging from $300 to $600, making them a bigger investment than a simple card reader. Additionally, their functionality might be limited compared to a full desktop POS system.

How much does a portable POS system cost?

The portable POS system sounds great, but what's the price tag? The cost can vary depending on several factors, such as the type of hardware you choose, the features you need, and the provider you select. Let's break down the potential costs involved so you can budget accordingly.

1. Hardware costs

If you use your iPhone as a portable POS, then you don’t have to pay any upfront cost. However, if you want to accept PIN & chip transactions, a card reader or a payment terminal might be a choice which can cost you somewhere in between $60 - $600.

• Tap to Pay on iPhone or Android: Free feature, but extra transaction costs may apply.
• Connected card reader: From $69
• Payment terminal: From $350

2. Payment processing fees

Depending on your payment processor, you need to pay transaction fees on top of the hardware costs. 

Top POS providers with the lowest payment processing fees for United States businesses:

Top POS providers with the lowest payment processing fees for Canadian businesses:

3. Contract and monthly fees

What are the advantages and disadvantages of a portable POS system?

Like anything else, portable POS systems come with their own set of pros and cons. Here's a quick rundown:

The advantages of the portable POS system

Flexible hardware and payment processing: Take payments on the go. Whether you're at a trade show, a farmer's market, or delivering goods, you're not tied to a counter.

Speed: Imagine a line snaking around your food truck at a music festival. Instead of customers waiting impatiently to order and pay at a counter, you use a portable POS to take orders and payments directly in line. This keeps things moving, cuts wait times and turns hungry festival-goers into happy, satisfied customers. They grab the food and go.

Convenience: Think about a plumber finishing a job at a client's home. They've already got a van full of tools and equipment. The last thing they need is to lug a bulky laptop to process a payment. A compact portable POS device lets them take payments quickly and professionally, without adding to the clutter.

Customer Experience: Sure, cash is quick, but what about the customer who prefers to tap their card or use their digital wallet? A portable POS ensures you can handle any payment method, making every customer interaction smooth. You're meeting your customers where they are, payment-wise.

The disadvantages of the portable POS system

Connectivity Issues: The POS system relies on Wi-Fi or cellular data to function. A poor signal or lack of internet can limit its functionality. If you use a POS app on your phone, you can use your mobile data to run the app. If you use a modern payment terminal, you can use your phone’s data as an internet hotspot, or you can consider buying a mobile data SIM card for the terminal, which provides internet access directly.

Battery Life: Long shifts can drain your device's battery. If you're using your phone as a POS, a portable power bank can be a lifesaver. Even dedicated terminals can run out of power, so it's best to keep an eye on the battery level.

Limited Functionality: While phone apps are convenient for basic transactions, they might not offer all the features of a full POS system. For example, some POS providers offer advanced tools like invoice design, online store building, and recurring payments, which are typically only available through a web or pc dashboard.

How to choose a portable point of sale provider

Finding the perfect portable POS system isn't just about the hardware. Your POS provider plays a crucial role in your success because they determine the functionality of your portable POS system and the types of payments you can accept.

So, here's a list of key criteria to consider when choosing a portable POS system provider:

• Contract and monthly pricing
• Payment processing fees
• Portable POS software features
• Hardware options and prices
• Secure payment processing

1. Contract and cancellation fees

Most modern POS providers like Helcim, Square, and Stripe don't require contracts. You can get started quickly and easily. However, some traditional providers, like Moneris, Clover or banks, might lock you into contracts for 2 to 5 years. So, before you sign anything, make sure you understand the terms and cancellation fees. This will help you avoid payment hidden fees if you decide to switch providers later on.

Break up with bad rates.

Feeling stuck with your provider? We'll waive $500 of your processing fees when you switch to Helcim.

Learn more

Some providers also require contracts when you negotiate lower credit card fees. If you don't meet their minimum volume requirements, you might end up paying extra fees to keep that lower rate. With Helcim, you can enjoy automatic fee reductions. The more you process, the more you save, without any hidden fees or negotiation hassles.

2. Payment processing fees

Every time a customer pays, your business will incur a small transaction fee. The amount varies depending on the payment method:

• Debit card fees: 1% to 2.5% per transaction.
• Credit card fees: 2% to 3% per transaction.
• ACH fees: 0.5% + $0.25 (Helcim caps our fees at $6 for transactions under $25,000).

Credit card processing fees are higher because credit card networks need to collect more fees to fund those tempting reward and air mile programs. Think of all the cashback or free flights, someone has to pay for that.

Additionally, when a customer uses a credit card, their bank is essentially lending them the money for the purchase. This adds more risk for the bank, so they charge higher fees to cover that risk.

You can reduce credit card fees by working with a POS provider that uses interchange-plus pricing. This is currently the cheapest credit card pricing model. You can also pass credit card fees to customers using Helcim Fee Saver.

3. Portable POS software features

Your portable POS software is more than just a way to take payments. It's a powerful tool that can help you manage your entire business. Here are some key features that you can consider:

Inventory management lets you upload products, keep track of your stock levels, and receive low stock alerts when items are running low. This is a must-have feature for businesses that sell physical products.

Employee management lets you manage employee schedules, track hours worked, and even calculate payroll. This feature is especially useful for restaurants, retail stores, coffee shops, and other businesses with hourly employees. Because of the added complexity, most POS providers offer this feature in their paid monthly plans.

Customer relationship management (CRM) lets you track your customers' transaction history, purchases, payment details, and contact information. This allows you to create targeted discount codes to boost repeat sales. You can also retrieve saved payment details to process due invoices or payments over the phone using a virtual terminal.

Reporting and analytics provide detailed reports on your sales, inventory, and most profitable products. These reports help you identify trends, forecast sales, evaluate your business strategies, and track your business performance.

Integrations let you connect your portable POS system to third-party online stores (Shopify, WooCommerce) or accounting software (QuickBooks). This helps reduce manual processes for payroll and syncing sales numbers.

4. Customer Support

Payment processing isn't always smooth sailing. Unexpected issues can pop up and disrupt your business. For example, you might encounter a customer disputing a significant charge, potentially costing you a lot of money.

When evaluating POS providers, consider their customer support options:

• Do they have an in-house support team? In-house teams often have a deeper understanding of the system and can offer more effective solutions.
• Can you easily reach a real person? Navigating phone trees and automated responses can be frustrating when you need help urgently.
• Do they offer multiple channels like phone, email, and chat? This gives you flexibility in how you contact them.
• Do they have a reputation for being responsive and helpful? Check online reviews on Trust Pilot and testimonials to get a sense of their customer service quality.

5. Secure payment processing

When you're dealing with sensitive customer data like credit card numbers, security is non-negotiable. All payment processors need to be compliant with PCI standards which ensure that credit card information is captured, retained, and transmitted securely.

Not only does your processor need to be PCI compliant, but your business does too. Many POS providers charge hundreds or even thousands of dollars per year for a PCI compliance assessment. However, Helcim provides this for free, helping you stay compliant at no extra cost.

Beyond PCI compliance, look for POS providers that have robust security measures in place, such as:

• Firewalls: These act like a barrier between your POS system and potential hackers.
• Daily backups: Regular backups protect your business against lost, corrupted, stolen or destroyed data.
• Multi-factor authentication: This adds an extra layer of security by requiring multiple forms of verification to access your merchant account.
• Encryption: Encryption makes sensitive customer data such as name, card numbers, card expiry dates and address unreadable to hackers.

Save 25% on payment processing fees with Helcim portable POS system.

Ready to take your business on the go and ditch those hefty processing fees? Here's how Helcim can help you save:

• Interchange-plus pricing: Helcim uses interchange-plus pricing, the most cost-effective payment processing model for your business.
• Automatic volume discounts: The more you process with Helcim, the lower your rates become.
• No hidden fees or contract: Get started with Helcim with no monthly fees, contract or surprise fees in your contract.

But Helcim offers more than just savings. You'll also get:

• Free Tap to Pay on iPhone: Turn your iPhone into a POS terminal and accept contactless mobile payments anywhere. We charge extra $0.60 per processed transaction using this feature.
• Advanced POS features: Manage inventory, track sales, and generate reports with Helcim's intuitive software.
• Human customer support: Helcim's in-house support team is available to answer your questions and help you troubleshoot any issues.

If you get stuck in a contract, we'll waive up to $500 of your processing fees to cover your contract cancellation and hardware costs when you switch to Helcim.

FAQ

What types of businesses benefit most from portable POS systems?

Portable POS systems are a great fit for businesses that need to accept payments on the go, at the job site, or at client houses, such as market vendors, food trucks, or service providers. 

Can I use my phone as a portable POS system?

Yes, you can use your phone as a portable POS system. The Tap to Pay on iPhone allows you to accept contactless payments directly on your phone. You can also connect card readers to your phone via Bluetooth to accept payments.

Can I use a tablet as a POS system?

Yes, tablets can also function as portable POS systems. Many POS apps are designed to work on both smartphones and tablets. You can also connect card readers to your tablet via Bluetooth to accept payments.

What is the portable payment method?

A portable payment method lets customers pay using their smartphones or tablets instead of cash or physical cards. This can include digital wallets like Apple Pay, Google Pay, or apps that store card details securely. Customers simply tap their phone or scan a QR code to complete the purchase. It's fast, convenient, and widely used for both in-person and online transactions.

Are portable card readers safe to use?

Yes, portable card readers are safe as long as they meet PCI compliance standards and use encryption. This ensures that card data is protected during the transaction. Most reputable providers also add extra layers of security like tokenization and fraud monitoring. Just make sure you’re using a trusted provider and keeping your software up to date.