With the rise of cashless transactions in Ireland, it is now a requirement for local businesses to accept card payment.

While many terminal providers have long commitments and complex fee structures, solutions like SumUp or Yavin are making it easier than ever before to get a payment terminal with no-commitment.

SumUp and Yavin's card reader offerings are quite unique because of the flexibility and convenience they offer to merchants:

• Both SumUp and Yavin are no-contract payment solutions with 0 commitment. You can stop using your terminal at any time.
• SumUp and Yavin follow a pay as you go model: you only pay when you use your terminal. SumUp charges a blended transaction fee, while Yavin applies in addition a monthly fee when the terminal is used.
• SumUp and Yavin offer the latest technology, with modern card readers and complete monitoring tools, to stay in control of your payments.

Bluetooth terminals	N/A	SumUp Air bluetooth, pinpad
Standalone terminals	Yavin Terminal 4G/Wi-Fi, touchscreen, printer	SumUp Solo 3G/Wi-Fi, touchscreen SumUp 3G Printer 3G/Wi-Fi, touchscreen, printer
Transaction fees	~0.5%	1.69%
Monthly fees	€29 pause/resume at any time	N/A
Accepted cards	Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Maestro, Visa Electron, Vpay	Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Maestro, Visa Electron, Vpay, Discover, JCB, or Union Pay
Contactless	Cards, Google Pay, Apple Pay	Cards, Google Pay, Apple Pay
Funds transfer	1-2 days	1-2 days
Live support	Monday-Friday: 8am - 7pm	Monday-Friday: 8am - 7pm Saturday and Sunday: 8am - 5pm
Link to website	Start with Yavin	Start with SumUp

As an entrepreneur, it can be hard to find the perfect in-store payment solution for your business. We compared the offers of Yavin and SumUp in terms of fees, features and conditions, to help you find the best card reader.

Transaction Fees: 2 Pricing Models for Different Needs

Your monthly income is probably the simplest indicator for deciding whether SumUp or Yavin has the best offer for you. As a rule of thumb:

• If your monthly income is below €5k SumUp is probably the most relevant solution for your company.
• If you are a more established business with revenue of €5k or above, Yavin will help you save on transaction fees.

SumUp’s commissions are the best for micro-merchants

If you make a couple sales per month or are unsure about your monthly sales volume, SumUp is arguably the safest choice for your business.

Regardless of your terminal or of the payment card used, SumUp will charge 1.69% for each transaction. This way, you only pay when money is coming in: there are no fixed fees.

Thanks to this transparent and simple pricing, it is very easy to monitor and forecast how much SumUp will be taking on each transaction.

Yavin’s fee structure are more suitable for established businesses

Yavin’s more competitive transaction rates enable established merchants to pay about the half of SumUp’s transaction fees on average.

For each month when the terminal is used, Yavin charges a fixed service fee, giving access to all Yavin features and to their commissions fee of around 0.5%.

It is worth noting that Yavin’s commissions are based on interchange, i.e. the real processing cost of a transaction. Therefore, most common local credit and debit cards will have minimal transaction fees. On the other hand, foreign cards and American Express will be more expensive.

Comparing Each Card Reader: SumUp vs. Yavin

While SumUp offers 3 different readers in Ireland, Yavin proposes a single complete terminal. When deciding between SumUp and Yavin, you will have the choice between the following readers:

• SumUp’s Air, Solo and 3G Printer: a complete suite of terminals, ranging from a compact PIN pad, to a complete 3G mobile terminal with printer.
• The Yavin Terminal: a sleek 4G touchscreen Android terminal with an integrated printer.

If you want a compact device with basic options, the SumUp Air or Solo will be ideal to get you equipped at a lower cost. If you need a more traditional terminal, the choice will be between SumUp’s 3G Printer and the Yavin Terminal.

Compact Readers: SumUp Air and SumUp Solo

SumUp offers two compact card readers in Ireland: the SumUp Air and the SumUp Solo.

The Air device is SumUp's entry-level terminal, available for €48. To operate, it requires a tablet or smartphone with the SumUp app connected via Bluetooth. Despite its minimalistic design, it can accept most card types via PIN or contactless, and offers all standard payment functions like collection, cancellation, and e-receipts.

Solo was recently added to SumUp’s terminal series. Available for €98, it has the compact size of the SumUp Air, but can be operated in full autonomy as it has an integrated touchscreen and a 3G SIM card.

Both the Air and Solo are great card readers for merchants looking for smart and compact terminals. The absence of large screen and integrated printer can nonetheless impact the customer experience and operating rate for larger businesses.

Complete Mobile Terminals: Yavin Terminal vs. SumUp 3G

The Yavin Terminal and SumUp 3G are two mobile standalone terminals, for merchants wiling to offer a more professional payment experience to their customers.

The Yavin Terminal benefits from the latest payment technology: large touchscreen, integrated 4G SIM card, Android OS, and high-speed printer, making payment fast and secure. The device is both elegant and robust (waterproof and drop-resistant), with a battery that lasts for over 8 hours. It can be bought for €199.

The €159 3G Printer is SumUp’s most advanced mobile card reader. As its name suggests, it can connect via 3G or Wi-Fi, and has an integrated printer for receipts, taking the SumUp experience to a fully professional level.

Merchants looking for a complete payment terminal can either go for the Yavin Terminal, slightly more expensive but more advanced, or with SumUp’s 3G to benefit from SumUp’s simple and integrated experience.

Two Complete Payment Solutions for Your Company

Beyond their distinctive pricing and card readers, Yavin and SumUp offer a wide range of solutions for your business. Based on your existing toolkit and preferences, SumUp and Yavin will answer your needs differently:

• If you need an all-in-one platform to manage your business (invoicing, PoS, online shop, business account, etc.), SumUp’s complete suite of tools will be the easiest way to go.
• If you want an advanced and robust payment solution that can integrate to your existing workflow, Yavin will give you the flexibility required to integrate with your favourite tools.

The SumUp Ecosystem: Complete but Closed

When starting a business from a clean slate, you will have to get equipped with a variety of tools to manage your business: bank account, invoicing platform, PoS, website, etc.

SumUp provides all these tools in an integrated and simple way. With an easy and transparent pay-as-you-earn pricing, SumUp’s stack of tools enables you to be in full control of your operations and payments.

SumUp’s platform is therefore the way to go if you want to get fully equipped rapidly, with very limited upfront investment.

Yavin Terminal: Open and Connected

As your business becomes more successful, you might want to start using best-of-breed tools for your company, with more advanced capabilities. This can include accounting software, specialist PoS, loyalty programs, etc.

Yavin was designed as an open solution, helping you manage all things relating to payment. Rather than aiming at replacing your other favourite tools, it can integrate seamlessly with your existing workflow.

If you want to keep using your existing workflow, Yavin’s open architecture and integrations will help you eliminate frictions and automate tasks for your business

Conclusion: Start with SumUp, Grow with Yavin

The great thing about SumUp and Yavin is that there are no contract obligations. In both cases, you will get a trustworthy payment solution for your business, with no string attached and no hidden fees. If you change your mind for any reason, you can switch providers very easily.

SumUp is an ideal payment solution for a starting business

Starting a business often means dealing with uncertainty, unpredictable cash-flows and evolving needs. SumUp will help you overcome many obstacles for your company:

• Their affordable terminals will make it very easy for you to get equipped with a robust and modern payment solution, with very little money invested upfront.
• The pay-as-you-earn model, based on a percentage rate, means you will only pay when you make money, and reduce risks for your business.
• Finally, SumUp’s complete business solution will help you manage your company with advanced tools from day one. No need to spend time looking for costly or committing solutions.

⭐️ Get started with SumUp now

Yavin is the logical continuation to SumUp

As your business grows and your revenue becomes more significant, Yavin’s payment solution will be a logical progression after SumUp:

• As with SumUp, Yavin’s will help you keep total freedom with no commitment or string attached.
• Yavin’s pay-as-you-go model, with a monthly service fee giving you access to lower rates, will provide you with a complete and affordable solution.
• Last, Yavin’s open architecture and integrations will help you make the payment brick part of your existing workflow, to make your operations seamless.

⭐️ Get started with Yavin now

📺 Watch our SumUp vs. Yavin video review