SumUp Air – Review, Test, and Presentation

SumUp has achieved great success with its small and lightweight terminal: the SumUp Air.

SumUp Air
	Transaction fee: 1.69% Price: £34 + VAT £25 + VAT To SumUp
SumUp Solo
	Transaction fee: 1.69% Price: £79 + VAT £69 + VAT To SumUp

 

SumUp: the Ideal Solution for Entrepreneurs

 

SumUp offers a low-cost payment terminal without any commitment or subscription. You buy your reader, and as soon as you receive it, you are ready to process your customers’ payments. This is a simple-to-use solution, ideal for small businesses. If you process less than £5,000 in credit card payments per month, then SumUp is likely a good solution for your business.

SumUp offers two readers:

• The Air
• The Solo

Here, we present the SumUp Air, which is arguably the best-selling mobile POS (MPOS) in the UK. A terminal that works via Bluetooth with a smartphone or tablet. Therefore, you need a smartphone with a Wifi or 3G connection.

Read our review of the Solo reader.

Design and Features of the SumUp Air

With its square shape of 3.3 inch on each side and a thickness of 0.9 inch, the SumUp Air is small. It can easily fit in a pocket. Capacitive glass makes up its surface. So the customer can simply use the keypad by touching the buttons.

Although small, the OLED screen remains clear. The reader has the micro-USB port located at the bottom. The card slot is on the upper edge.

Pricing of the SumUp Air

The SumUp Air is at a competitive price of £39 with no commitments or subscriptions. You simply pay a commission of 1.69% per transaction. This rate is unique, regardless of the card you accept.

Cards Accepted by the SumUp Air

Both SumUp readers accept the same cards. Among this wide choice of cards are the common Visa, Mastercard, Maestro, VPay, and American Express. They also accept Discover, Diners, and Chinese Union Pay cards.

The contactless functionality (for amounts below £100) is obviously possible. The reader also accepts payments via Google Pay and Apple Pay.

SumUp also allows for remote payments. Once you verify your account, you can bill remotely via the Virtual Terminal. The merchant obtains the customer’s credit card information over the phone and enters it.

The SumUp App

The payment application is available for free on iOS (Apple) and Android (Google).

Connecting to the Smartphone and Processing Payments

The SumUp Air works via Bluetooth with a smartphone. You need the SumUp app on your smartphone, available on the Play Store and Apple Store.

To process a payment, open the app. You input the amount to charge and confirm.

You then have the option, at the time of sale, to choose between the card reader and cash. The app simply records the sale if you choose cash.

If you choose the card reader, your device will automatically connect to the terminal via Bluetooth. You don’t need to turn on the terminal; it will power on automatically. The terminal is then ready to process the payment. We notice that the connection is quick.

Note, the SumUp app cannot serve as a cash register software. The advanced mode of the app only provides a detailed receipt. You have to enter the amount again in your certified cash register. If needed, SumUp offers a certified cash register software: the SumUp Point of Sale.

The customer pays by inserting their card into the slot and entering their PIN. They can use the contactless function for amounts under £100.

The screen below appears on your smartphone. It allows you to send a receipt via email or SMS to the customer. They just have to enter their details.

You can send a receipt by going to the sales history. Find the transaction in question. Finally, press the 3 dots and “send a receipt”.

To print receipts, you need a compatible printer. The terminal does not include this. The compatible mobile printers are:

• Bluetooth Bixolon SPP-R210iK/BEGE
• Bluetooth Bixolon SPP-R200lliK/BEGE
• Bluetooth Star Micronics SM-L200

Cancelling a Payment

If you make a mistake in the amount charged or in the payment method, you can choose to cancel a transaction. To do this, before the customer pays, press the power button on the right edge of the card reader.

Managing Items

By switching to advanced mode (main menu option) you can “manage your items”. There, you can add products you sell. You can associate a price, a VAT rate and link a photo.

This allows quicker payments by selecting items. Additionally, the receipt you provide is more detailed. You can then group these items into catalogues.

Adding Employees

The SumUp app allows you to register your employees in the “employee” section. Your employees can then log in to their own SumUp account and carry out transactions. You can also give special permissions to some of your employees.

Security

They encrypt the data and never store it. If you lose the reader, your data is protected. The terminal complies with PCI-DSS and EMVCo standards.

Is SumUp Air the Ideal Solution for Entrepreneurs?

The SumUp Air is one of the best mobile payment terminals.

Simple to carry and easy to use, the SumUp Air has the features to efficiently process a wide choice of bank cards. This is the ideal reader for small retailers and entrepreneurs.

The SumUp app and its connection with the reader are efficient. Your reader will accompany you to trade fairs, markets, and all your travels.