Zettle POS Reviews: for all types of businesses

Card Reader with no monthly fees and the lowest minimum commission in the market

👍 Card Reader without permanence or monthly fees that accepts all types of payment methods. Receive the money in your bank account in 2 days. Lower transaction fee than the competition.

👎 A single terminal. No variety of Card Reader. No ticket printer included.

It is clear that it is necessary to offer your customers the option to pay with card, otherwise, we will lose sales opportunities with potential customers who prefer to pay by this method rather than cash.

But if we choose a POS system or card reader with excessive fees that do not allow us to grow comfortably and flexibly, dealing with your payments will be a nightmare.

That’s why POS software companies with flexible payment options such as Zettle by PayPal are alternatives that we should consider when contracting a card reader. Today I bring you a complete analysis of this product, which can help you when choosing a portable card machine for your business.

How does Zettle (ex iZettle) work?

Zettle by PayPal, formerly known as iZettle, is a POS software company that offers its users card payment solutions for their businesses. Its main product is its card reader, or mobile dataphone, which accepts payments through its mobile app.

Zettle differentiates itself from the competition and traditional banks by offering a service with no fixed monthly costs or contractual obligations.

Rather than charging a flat fee for its services, it charges flexibly, applying a variable commission on a transaction basis. The value of this fee will vary depending on the monthly turnover of your business, but that is something we will look at later in this article.

As well as offering a card reader to collect payments in person from your customers, Zettle offers a virtual POS system with easy integration with the main eCommerce platforms, so if you have a digital shop, this could be of interest to you.

Zettle works in a simple way. Your terminal connects via Bluetooth with a smart device, smartphone or tablet, through which it accesses the myPOS app. This app is compatible with Android and iOS.

The application calculates the total amount of the purchase, selecting products from a previously designed catalogue, and activates the card reader.

You will be able to charge your customers in their preferred method, using contactless technology or the chip reader.

Zettle Dataphone: Features

Zettle currently offers only one card reader. This is the Zettle Reader 2, an upgraded model of its previous terminal, which has achieved high user ratings.

The main difference with the previous model is that this new design is more resistant, and includes a rubber layer on the back for greater stability, as it is made of a non-slip material.

Zettle has also improved the design of the charging base, which can be purchased together with the card reader. But we are getting ahead of ourselves.

This device is one of the most up-to-date on the market. As I told you before, it connects to the Zettle mobile app via a smartphone or tablet. This allows you to use this card reader both in a fixed establishment and on the move if you have a mobile business or offer home services to your customers.

The Zettle Reader 2 card reader is available in three different colours: black, white or ocean. You can charge its battery with a simple micro-USB cable, which is included with the purchase.

But if you prefer, you can also buy the Zettle charging base, which will allow you to continue using it comfortably while charging or leave it fixed on the counter if you have a shop.

This card reader does not print receipts or copies, although there are printers compatible with the device. However, you can save a lot of money on paper rolls and ink by offering your customers digital receipts that you can send via SMS or email.

What fees does Zettle charge?

Zettle charges variable transaction fees. Unlike more traditional POS system companies, it does not charge maintenance fees or a fixed monthly fee for its services.

This gives their customers greater freedom and flexibility, making it an option that can be used by both new entrepreneurs and established businesses. As there are no fixed monthly costs and it adapts to your turnover, you will never be faced with the problem of not being able to assume its costs.

This commission is set at 1.75% for card payments, which is at the lower end of the scale for POS systems.

It’s Zettle’s way of encouraging businesses to offer card payments. You no longer need to require a minimum card payment to avoid fees, with Zettle the best thing that can happen is that all your customers will want to pay by card.

Zettle also does not charge rental fees for its card reader, as it is for sale.

Although its real price is £59 (VAT not included), this terminal is currently on sale, and you can get your first card reader for only £29. It is an opportunity not to be missed.

In any case, and taking into account that the average rental price of a card reader in other companies is between 10 and 30 pounds, the price of your card reader will be quickly amortised. If we also take into account that, in the long run, we will be paying much less than with other companies on a monthly basis, the price seems even more affordable and reasonable.

Zettle Highlights

In addition to offering a light, easy to use and highly functional card reader, Zettle offers its customers great service with very attractive features that are worth taking into account when assessing which POS system is best for your business.

These are Zettle’s main highlights:

Manage your business from the Zettle app

The Zettle app is not just the intermediary for receiving Zettle payments. It is much more than that.

This Zettle app will allow you to analyse and manage your business as if it were a specialised management programme.

In addition to configuring the catalogue to charge your customers, Zettle allows you to add a stock control, indicating how many units of each product you have in stock. This will help you to know at all times what you can and cannot offer to your customers.

It also allows you to manage employee profiles. In this way you can entrust the card reader to your employees without them having access to sensitive information, nor can they modify the price or descriptions of your products.

It can also help you analyse the performance of your employees or manage commissions or tips if necessary.

But its functionalities don’t end there. The Zettle app analyses your business and generated customised statistics for you, where you can see which products sell best, and even study the buying habits of your customers.

This will allow you to grow your business, increase customer loyalty or create effective marketing campaigns.

How to get paid from the Zettle app

Charging from the Zettle app is very simple. It takes just a few moments to set up and is easy to use.

When you receive your Zettle terminal, you will need to install the Zettle app on your smartphone or tablet. After connecting the device by following the instructions, you will need to configure your catalogue.

In the catalogue you can add features, a description, a name and a price. This catalogue can be viewed and configured from both the app and the Zettle web portal.

You will be able to quickly find any product in your catalogue, as it includes a search engine that will allow you to find items by name and filter by price or characteristics.

This way, no matter how extensive your catalogue is, you will be able to charge your customers in just a few seconds.

Once you have chosen the products in the Zettle app catalogue, all you have to do is choose the bank card as payment method, and indicate to your customers that they can pay by holding the card up to the terminal or inserting it into the chip reader.

Zettle barcode scanner and other products

In addition to the card reader mentioned above, Zettle offers its customers a number of other products that can be combined to form a complete POS system.

Among them, one of the most outstanding is the barcode reader, which will allow you to speed up the purchasing process by assigning a product from the catalogue to each code. This way you will be able to charge your customers much faster.

Another of its extras is a cash register with a cash drawer, perfect in combination with the barcode reader if you have a shop or business where all payments are made at a counter.

To complete the package, for Zettle customers who use a a tablet, they offer a tablet stand, which will allow you to use the application more easily.

In addition, you can buy the Zettle Reader 2 charging base, so you can leave it fixed on the counter while it charges. You can also get the Zettle receipt printer to finish setting up your POS system.

Is Zettle worth it? Opinion

Given its characteristics, the answer to this question seems obvious. But as I always say, the only one who can answer with certainty is you. Only you know the conditions of your business and whether Zettle is the right option.

However, it is clear that compared to other entities, Zettle’s service is of higher quality and better value.

One thing that makes Zettle the preferred option for many card reader users is that its payment is fixed, so you do not have to worry about minimum transactions and the commission of 1.75% is by far one of the lowest in the market.

But this is not the only reason why it is worthwhile. Unlike other similar companies, such as SumUp or myPOS, Zettle offers a comprehensive payment solution, especially for traditional businesses, such as shops, that handle all their payments over the counter.

By combining the Zettle Reader 2 card reader with the other elements of the POS system, you can offer your customers a convenient and secure payment experience at the best possible price.

Zettle Advantages

These are the main advantages of Zettle, which you should take into account when choosing whether or not it is the best dataphone for your business.

• Fixed commision at 1.75%, so you do not have to worry about minimum payments.
• A durable and lightweight dataphone that is easy to use and carry.
• No fixed monthly costs or contractual obligations.
• Complete POS system, with cash register, barcode reader, etc.
• Digital receipts.
• Compatibility with receipt printers.
• Catalogue, stock, employee and statistics management application.
• Quick and easy payments.
• Compatible with a variety of payment methods: Visa, VPay, MasterCard, Maestro, American Express, UnionPay, JCB, Diners Club, Discover.
• Accepts payments with Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay.

Disadvantages Zettle

Despite having great advantages, Zettle also has some disadvantages that you should not forget. Keep them in mind when hiring this service and decide whether it is worth it.

• Zettle only offers one card reader model and does not offer the variety its competitors do
• It does not print tickets, it needs an accessory to do so.
• It does not offer a bank account or card with which to receive immediate payments.
• Payments take 2 to 3 days to be credited to the bank account you have set up in the dataphone.

Frequently asked questions about Zettle

Is Zettle or SumUp better?

Depending on your business, Zettle will be better or worse than SumUp. In particular, I recommend Zettle for those businesses that manage their collections from a counter, as all its accessories will only be useful for this type of business..

Does the Zettle card reader always cost £29?

No, the Zettle dataphone is not always £29. This price is for the first card reader that you buy for a limited time. Its real price is £59 (VAT not included).