On-site payment at the food truck and webshop — how does the combined solution work?

Swiss food trucks, market stalls, and catering businesses can combine a simple online ordering shop with an on-site payment solution, without running two separate systems. To do this, you use a Payment Service Provider (PSP) that offers both online payments and card terminals or Tap to Pay — ideally with a single shared Dashboard for all revenue in EUR. Transaction fees range between 1.3 % (TWINT) and 2.5 % (credit card) per payment, depending on the payment method.

This guide shows you step-by-step how to set up an online shop for pre-orders, integrate on-site payment, and manage both via one account — complete with concrete costs, provider comparisons, and a practical checklist for the mobile catering sector in Switzerland.

1. Why food trucks and market stalls must sell online and on-site today

The Swiss catering industry is changing. According to the Swiss Payment Monitor, over 70 % of Swiss consumers regularly use cashless payment methods. For food trucks and mobile stalls, this means that those who only accept cash lose out on customers. At the same time, regular customers increasingly expect the option to pre-order online and pick up their food at a time of their choice.

The combination of online shop and on-site payment solves several problems at once: queues at the stall become shorter because pre-order customers only have to pick up their food. Walk-in customers can pay spontaneously by card, TWINT, or smartphone. And you as the operator can see all sales — both online and offline — in one place.

A pre-ordering system is particularly advantageous for recurring locations (weekly markets, company premises, festivals) as a competitive advantage: you can plan stock levels better and reduce food waste. At the same time, you build a digital relationship with your customers through the online shop that goes beyond physical contact at the stall.

2. Three scenarios: Pre-order + pickup, walk-in customers, catering orders

Scenario A: Pre-order and pickup

Your customer orders a lunch menu via your online shop the evening before or in the morning, pays online via TWINT or credit card, and picks up the prepared food at an agreed time from the food truck. You prepare the order specifically, avoiding overproduction. This model is particularly suitable for weekly markets with regular customers or food trucks on company premises.

Scenario B: On-site walk-in customers

A passer-by discovers your stall and makes a spontaneous order. They pay contactlessly by debit card, credit card, Apple Pay, Google Pay, or via TWINT QR code. For this, you need a mobile card terminal or Tap to Pay on your smartphone. Tap to Pay means that your iPhone or Android device itself becomes a card reader — without any additional hardware.

Scenario C: Catering and event orders

A company orders catering for 30 people via your online shop and pays by QR-bill or in advance. On the day of the event, you deliver the food and, if necessary, collect additional orders from guests on-site using a terminal. In this scenario, you also need the ability to generate invoices with a QR reference, which many Swiss PSPs offer.

3. Setting up a simple online ordering shop — without programming skills

For most food truck operators, a fully-fledged online shop with inventory management is oversized. What you need is a simple product page with a shopping cart, where your customers can select a menu or individual dishes, specify a pickup time, and pay online.

Several Swiss providers make this possible without any programming knowledge. The most common options are:

The crucial point for the combined solution for events: choose a provider where the online shop and the on-site payment run via the same account. This avoids double accounting and gives you a single Dashboard for all revenue. If you combine a separate online shop provider (e.g. WooCommerce) with a separate terminal provider (e.g. SumUp), you have two separate systems and two statements.

Regardless of the provider, you should consider the following points when setting up the online shop: limit the product range to a few clearly described products. Offer pickup time slots so that you can plan the preparation. Activate at least TWINT and credit cards as payment methods — this covers the majority of Swiss customers. And link the online shop prominently on your Instagram profile or your Google Business page.

4. Seamlessly integrating on-site payments: Terminal, Tap to Pay, or TWINT QR to the same account

For payments at the stall, you have three common options in Switzerland:

Mobile card terminal

A physical device (e.g. from SumUp, Worldline, or via Payrexx) that accepts debit cards, credit cards, and contactless payments. The devices cost a one-off fee of between EUR 16 and EUR 400, depending on the range of functions. A SumUp Air costs around EUR 16 with no contract commitment, while a Worldline terminal is often rented (from approx. EUR 25–40/mth.).

Tap to Pay on smartphone

Tap to Pay turns your smartphone into a card terminal. The customer holds their card or smartphone against your device, and the payment is processed via NFC. Various PSPs offer this feature — with Payrexx, for example, Tap to Pay is available for a one-off setup fee of EUR 49, and with SumUp via the app. Tap to Pay is particularly suitable for businesses that want to carry as little hardware as possible.

TWINT QR code

A TWINT QR sticker at your stall enables payments directly via the customer's TWINT app. The fee for the basic QR sticker is 1.3 % of the transaction amount — with no monthly fixed costs. Alternatively, TWINT runs via your PSP, in which case their TWINT conditions apply (e.g. 1.25 % + EUR 0.18 under Payrexx Standard or 1.30 % + EUR 0.30 with Payrexx Free).

The key to the combined solution: the on-site payment method should run via the same PSP as your online shop. Then all transactions flow into one Dashboard, and you receive a consolidated statement. When choosing, make sure that the PSP supports both online payments and physical payments (terminal or Tap to Pay).

5. One Dashboard, all revenue: managing online and on-site payments centrally

The biggest operational advantage of a combined solution is central management. Instead of reconciling two statements from two different providers at the end of the month, you can see in a single Dashboard:

All online orders from the webshop, all on-site payments via terminal or Tap to Pay, all TWINT transactions — whether online or at the stall — as well as total daily, weekly, and monthly revenues broken down by payment method.

This not only simplifies accounting but also planning: you can quickly identify what proportion of your revenue comes from pre-orders and what comes from walk-in customers. If you work with a fiduciary, you can use the consolidated statement directly as a basis for booking.

Payouts to your Swiss bank account (IBAN) are made daily, weekly, or monthly, depending on the PSP. For correct booking in the Swiss SME chart of accounts, a transit account (e.g. account 1090) is recommended to reflect the time delay between customer payment and payout. You book the PSP transaction fees as bank charges (account 6840), with no VAT deduction, as payment services are exempt from tax under Art. 21 para. 2 no. 19 of the Swiss VAT Act (MWSTG).

6. Practical example: How a food truck uses Payrexx for weekly markets and Instagram orders

Lisa runs a poke bowl food truck in the Zurich Region. On Saturdays she stands at the Bülach weekly market, and during the week on company premises in Wallisellen. This is how she set up her combined solution:

Online shop for pre-orders: Lisa created a one-page shop using Payrexx Storefront, listing her five poke bowls (at EUR 18.50 each) and three drinks. Customers select a pickup window (e.g. 11:30–12:00) and pay via TWINT or credit card. She shares the shop link in her Instagram story every Wednesday evening.

On-site payment at the market: At the weekly market, Lisa uses Tap to Pay on her iPhone. Walk-in customers hold their debit card or smartphone against Lisa's phone and pay contactlessly. She also has a TWINT QR sticker on the counter for customers who prefer to pay using the TWINT app.

Central settlement: All payments — the Instagram pre-orders and the spontaneous purchases at the market — run through the same Payrexx account. Lisa can see in the Dashboard that around 35 % of her revenue now comes from pre-orders. She exports her weekly statement as a CSV for her fiduciary.

Monthly costs: Lisa uses the Payrexx Standard plan for EUR 15/mth. With a monthly turnover of around EUR 8’000 (of which approx. EUR 5’000 is card/TWINT), she pays between EUR 65 and EUR 115 in transaction fees, depending on the payment mix — plus the EUR 15 subscription fee.

7. Keeping costs under control: What the combined solution costs for small businesses

The costs of a combined online and on-site payment solution consist of three components: monthly fixed costs (subscription), transaction fees per payment, and potential hardware costs for a terminal. The following table compares the relevant providers for a typical food truck with EUR 5’000 in monthly card sales:

All prices exclude VAT. The specified credit card fees apply to Swiss consumer cards (Visa/Mastercard). Business cards and foreign cards may incur higher fees.

A concrete example calculation: With a monthly turnover of EUR 5’000, consisting of 60 % credit card/debit card and 40 % TWINT, the total monthly cost with Payrexx Standard is around EUR 90–100 (EUR 15 subscription + approx. EUR 50 card fees + approx. EUR 25–35 TWINT fees). With SumUp without a subscription (card payments only, no TWINT), your pure transaction fees would be around EUR 75–125 — but without an online shop feature with integrated TWINT.

Keep in mind: The lowest transaction fees are of little use if you have to manually reconcile two separate systems. The time spent on double accounting, manual reconciliation, and separate exports can quickly eat up any cost advantage. Calculate for your specific turnover whether an individual solution or a combined solution makes more sense.

8. Checklist: Setting up an online shop + on-site payment for your food truck

• Check legal structure: As a sole proprietorship or GmbH, you can register directly with most Swiss PSPs. A commercial register entry speeds up the activation process.

• Select a PSP that offers online and on-site payments from a single source. Make sure that TWINT, Visa/Mastercard, and debit cards are covered.

• Set up online shop: Enter products, prices in EUR, pickup time slots, and contact details. Less is more — keep the product range clear.

• Activate payment methods in the online shop: At least TWINT and credit card. Check whether QR-bill is useful for catering orders.

• Set up on-site payment method: Order terminal, activate Tap to Pay, or request TWINT QR sticker.

• Run a test order: Place an order yourself in your online shop, check the payment process, and test the terminal or Tap to Pay before using it for the first time.

• Enter payout account: Enter Swiss IBAN and set payout frequency (weekly is recommended for food trucks with ongoing stock purchases).

• Promote online shop link: Instagram bio, Google Business Profile, flyers at the stall, QR code on the menu.

• Prepare accounting: Set up transit account 1090, book fees to account 6840. For small volumes, a monthly bulk booking is sufficient.

• Evaluate after the first month: How much revenue comes online, how much on-site? Is the payment mix correct? Adjust the subscription or payment methods if necessary.

How you combine webshop and on-site payment for your food truck with Payrexx

As a Swiss PSP, Payrexx offers a combined solution for exactly this scenario: using Payrexx Storefront, you can set up an online ordering webshop with no programming skills, activate TWINT, credit cards, and other payment methods, and at the same time accept on-site payments via Tap to Pay or terminal.

All transactions — online and at the stall — run through one account with consolidated statement and payout to your Swiss IBAN account. The Free-Plan is ideal for trying it out, while the Standard plan from EUR 15/mth. offers lower transaction fees and API access for advanced integrations.

You can test Payrexx for 30 days free of charge, with no credit card or commitment required.