Over 90% of Swiss consumers prefer to pay contactlessly — if you only accept cash at your food truck, you are losing out on sales. But which solution is right for your stand? Card terminal, Tap to Pay, TWINT QR code or a food webshop? Our four guides show you step-by-step how to set up each option, what it costs and who it is suitable for.

This overview page summarizes the four guides and helps you to find the right payment solution for your business model — whether walk-in customers at the weekly market, pre-orders via Instagram or catering orders via QR invoice.

Guide 1: Mobile card terminal for food trucks and market stalls

Hardware · 4G SIM · Receipt printing · Continuous operation

A physical card terminal with integrated SIM card and battery is the most robust solution for daily use — whether weekly market, festival or company premises. The guide explains what you need to pay attention to regarding battery life, connectivity and card acceptance, compares purchase vs. rental (from EUR 39 one-off purchase or EUR 25/month) and shows which payment methods are mandatory in Switzerland: Debit Mastercard, Visa Debit, TWINT and contactless wallets.

For whom: Year-round operations with constant turnover, food trucks with high transaction volumes, businesses that need to print receipts or regularly accept cards without NFC (older Maestro cards with chip).

Key topics: Battery (at least 2500 mAh / 300+ transactions), 4G SIM vs. hotspot vs. event WiFi, Debit Mastercard/Visa Debit migration, purchase vs. rental, daily closing and CSV export, practical tips on battery care and hygiene.

→ To the Guide: Mobile card terminal for food trucks and market stalls

Guide 2: Tap to Pay — card payments with a smartphone

No hardware · NFC · iPhone & Android · SoftPOS

Tap to Pay (SoftPOS) turns your smartphone into a contactless Lector de tarjetas — without any additional device, without fixed costs. The guide shows which iPhones and Android devices are compatible, how secure the technology is (CPoC-certified, PCI DSS) and when the payment process takes less than 5 seconds. Ideal as an entry-level solution for seasonal businesses or as a backup alongside a terminal.

For whom: Beginners without a budget for hardware, seasonal businesses that are only active for a few months, existing terminal users looking for a backup during peak times.

Key topics: How NFC/SoftPOS works, iPhone XS+ and Android 11+, CPoC security standard, practical test under 5 seconds, Tap to Pay vs. terminal comparison, provider overview (Payrexx, SumUp, Worldline, Stripe), multi-device usage.

→ To the Guide: Tap to Pay in Switzerland

Guide 3: TWINT QR code for food trucks and market stalls

No internet needed · Stickers · Lowest fees · Ready for immediate use

A TWINT QR sticker at the stand enables cashless payment completely without a terminal and without own internet — the payment runs via the customer's mobile network. With 1.3% transaction fee and zero fixed costs, this is the cheapest entry-level solution. The guide explains the difference between static and dynamic QR, shows the setup directly via TWINT or via Payrexx and covers pitfalls such as amount limits and scanning issues.

For whom: Micro-businesses without a budget, farm shops, clubs, market stalls in locations without WiFi, food trucks that only need TWINT (and no card terminal).

Key topics: Static vs. dynamic QR, setup via TWINT directly or Payrexx QR Pay, offline capability, fees for micro-amounts (EUR 0.07 at EUR 5.00), amount limits (max. EUR 5000 variable / EUR 200 fixed), refunds, tourist acceptance via PSP.

→ To the Guide: TWINT QR code for food trucks and market stalls

Guide 4: Food webshop for pre-orders, pickup and delivery

Online ordering · Pickup time slots · Catering · Central Dashboard

An own food webshop allows food trucks, snack bars, bakeries and catering businesses to accept orders online — whether for pre-order with collection, lunch menu subscriptions or corporate catering. The guide shows how you set up a simple order webshop without programming knowledge, which payment methods you should activate (TWINT, credit card, QR invoice) and how you manage online orders and on-site payments at the stand via a single Dashboard.

For whom: Food trucks with regular customers and recurring locations, catering businesses with pre-orders, snack bars and bakeries that want to process pickup orders online, mobile gastro businesses that accept Instagram and Google orders.

Key topics: Three scenarios (pre-order + pickup, walk-in customers, catering), webshop provider comparison (Payrexx Storefront, WooCommerce, Shopify, SumUp), one Dashboard for online and offline sales, practical example with concrete costs, accounting in the Swiss SME chart of accounts, social media marketing (Instagram, Google Business).

→ To the Guide: Combine food webshop with on-site payment

Which solution is right for your stand?

All four options at a glance — sorted by barrier to entry, costs and typical usage.

All prices excl. VAT. Fees apply to Swiss consumer cards (Visa/Mastercard). As of 2026, benchmark values.

Accounting and billing for mobile businesses

No matter which payment solution you choose — at the end of the market day, the till must be right. Modern PSPs provide you with an online Dashboard with daily closing, CSV export and breakdown by payment method. This makes working with your trustee or accountant much easier.

Booking in the Swiss SME chart of accounts: PSP transaction fees are booked as bank charges (account 6840) — without VAT deduction, as payment services are exempt from tax according to Art. 21 para. 2 no. 19 Swiss VAT Act. A transit account (e.g. 1090) cleanly reflects the time delay between customer payment and payout.

In Switzerland, there is no general cash register requirement for SMEs, but from EUR 500,000 annual turnover, the ordinary bookkeeping requirement according to Art. 957 Swiss Code of Obligations applies. Even below this threshold, comprehensible documentation of income — cash and cashless — is highly recommended.