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 shared Dashboard for all sales 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, connect on-site payment and manage both via one account — with concrete costs, provider comparisons and a practical checklist for the Swiss mobile catering industry.

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: those who only accept cash lose customers. At the same time, regular customers increasingly expect the option to pre-order online and pick up their food at the desired time.

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

Particularly for recurring locations (weekly markets, company sites, festivals), a pre-order system is a competitive advantage: you can plan stock quantities better and reduce food waste. At the same time, you build a digital customer relationship via the online shop that goes beyond the physical contact at the stall.

2. Three scenarios: pre-order + pickup, passing trade, 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 at the food truck. You prepare the order specifically and avoid overproduction. This model is particularly suitable for weekly markets with regular customers or food trucks on company sites.

Scenario B: On-site passing trade

A passer-by discovers your stall and orders spontaneously. 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 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 prepayment. On the day of the event, you deliver the food and, if necessary, collect additional orders from guests on-site via terminal. In this scenario, you also need the option to create 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 programming skills. The most common options:

The crucial point for the combined solution for events: choose a provider where the online shop and on-site payment run via the same account. This way, you avoid double billing and have a single Dashboard for all sales. 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 windows 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 visibly on your Instagram profile or your Google Business page.

4. Connect on-site payment seamlessly: terminal, Tap to Pay or TWINT QR to the same account

For payment 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 between EUR 16 and EUR 400, depending on the range of functions. A SumUp Air costs around EUR 16 without contractual commitment, 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 to your device, and the payment is processed via NFC. Various PSPs offer this function — with Payrexx, Tap to Pay is available, for example, from a one-off verification 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 with 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 sales: manage online and on-site payments centrally

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

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

This not only makes accounting easier, but also planning: you quickly see what proportion of your sales comes from pre-orders and what from passing trade. If you work with a fiduciary, you can use the consolidated statement directly as a basis for booking.

Payout to your Swiss bank account (IBAN) takes place daily, weekly or monthly, depending on the PSP. For correct booking in the Swiss KMU chart of accounts, a transit account (e.g. account 1090) is recommended, which reflects the time delay between customer payment and payout. You book the PSP's transaction fees as bank charges (account 6840), without VAT deduction, as payment services are exempt from tax according to Art. 21 para. 2 no. 19 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 is at the Bülach weekly market, and during the week on a company site in Wallisellen. This is how she set up her combined solution:

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

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

Central billing: All payments — the Instagram pre-orders and the spontaneous purchases at the market — run via the same Payrexx account. Lisa sees in the Dashboard that around 35 % of her sales now come 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 effectively 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, if applicable, 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 are exclusive of value-added tax. The stated credit card fees apply to Swiss consumer cards (Visa/Mastercard). Business cards and foreign cards can trigger higher fees.

A concrete example calculation: with EUR 5,000 monthly turnover, of which 60 % is credit card/debit card and 40 % is 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 payment only, no TWINT), you are at around EUR 75–125 in pure transaction fees — but without an online shop function 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 billing, manual reconciliations and separate exports can quickly eat up the cost advantage. Calculate for your specific turnover whether an individual solution or a combined solution makes more sense.

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

• Check business structure: As a sole proprietorship or GmbH, you can register directly with most Swiss PSPs. Entry in the commercial register speeds up activation.

• 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 windows 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 the QR-bill is useful for catering orders.

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

• Perform test order: order in your own online shop, check the payment process and test the terminal or Tap to Pay before first use.

• Add 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 collective booking is sufficient.

• Evaluate after the first month: how much sales come online, how much on-site? Is the payment mix right? Adjust subscription or payment methods if necessary.

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

As a Swiss PSP, Payrexx offers a combined solution for exactly this scenario: using the Payrexx Storefront, you create an ordering online shop without programming skills, activate TWINT, credit card 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 via one account with a consolidated statement and payout to your Swiss IBAN account. The Free-Plan is suitable for trying out, 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.