Popular POS Systems for Food Trucks: Mobile Payment Solutions Guide
29 September 2026
A POS (Point of sale) system for a food truck lets you take card and contactless payments. The device is small and portable, and often costs less than £60 upfront. This article explains what a food truck needs to take payments, compares popular options, and shows what they cost. It also covers the business bank account your takings land in. It is for new owners who plan to start trading soon.
You should always consult a professional adviser for advice tailored to your business's specific needs and circumstances.
Key takeaways
Most food trucks use a portable card reader linked to a phone or tablet app. Readers often cost £19 to £59 plus VAT.
- Each card payment taken in person usually involves a commission fee. Check each provider for current rates.
- Look for a reader that handles poor signal, has long battery life, and pays out quickly.
- Your takings go into a bank account, so have one ready before you start trading.
- Cash is still common at food trucks, so a bank that accepts cash deposits helps.
What a food truck needs to take card payments
To take card payments from a food truck, you need three things: a card reader or POS device, an app or software to run it, and an account for the money to land in (usually a business account). Most owners also keep a way to take cash. A mobile data or wifi connection links it all together.
POS stands for point of sale. For a food truck, it usually means a small card reader paired with a free app on your phone or tablet. The app records each sale, and the reader takes the payment. You do not need a bulky till.
A card reader pays your takings into a bank account, so set one up before your first shift. If you are starting a food truck business, the account and the card reader are two of the first things to sort.
Mobile POS or full POS: which suits a food truck?
There are two broad types of POS. Knowing the difference helps you avoid paying for more than you need.
- Mobile POS (mPOS): a portable card reader linked to a phone or tablet app. It is cheap, light, and quick to set up. This suits most food trucks.
- Full POS or EPOS (electronic point of sale): a larger touchscreen till with stock control and detailed sales reports. It costs more and suits fixed sites, busy restaurants, or trucks with a big menu.
Most food truck owners start with a mobile POS. Some pick a small all-in-one terminal that prints receipts and runs the app on one device. Both work from a counter with little space.
What to look for in a food truck POS
A food truck moves around, so a few features matter more than they would for a shop. Use this checklist when you compare options.
- Signal: it should work on mobile data, and keep working when signal is weak. Festivals and rural pitches often drop out.
- Battery life: enough for a full service on one charge, or a charging dock you can run from the truck.
- Transaction fees: the percentage taken from each card sale. This is usually your biggest ongoing cost.
- Hardware cost: the one-off price of the reader or terminal.
- Payout speed: how fast money reaches your bank account. Weekly stock buying makes this important.
- Extras: receipt printing, simple stock tracking, tipping, and sales reports, if you want them.
- Contract terms: many readers are pay-as-you-go with no monthly fee. Check before you commit.
Popular POS options for food trucks compared
Here are three options food truck owners often look at. The figures below are a guide and correct as of July 2026. Always check the provider for current prices, because rates and offers change.
Entry hardware (excl VAT)
In-person fee
Monthly fee
Often noted for
Entry hardware (excl VAT)
From about £25
In-person fee
Around 1.69%
Monthly fee
None on pay-as-you-go (optional plan available)
Often noted for
Low-cost readers, simple setup
Entry hardware (excl VAT)
From about £19
In-person fee
Around 1.75%
Monthly fee
None on the basic plan
Often noted for
Free POS app, online tools
Entry hardware (excl VAT)
From about £29
In-person fee
Around 1.75%
Monthly fee
None on the core service
Often noted for
Useful if you already use PayPal
All three take card, contactless, and mobile wallets such as Apple Pay and Google Pay. There is no single best choice. The right fit depends on your turnover, how you trade, and the features you need.
Some of these providers also offer their own business account or wallet, where your takings can land. You do not have to use it. Your reader can pay out to a separate business bank account instead, which many owners prefer for cleaner bookkeeping.
How much does a food truck POS cost?
A food truck POS has two costs: a one-off price for the hardware, and a fee on each card sale. Here is a worked example to show how they add up.
Say you buy a card reader for £39 plus VAT. You take £8,000 a month in card payments at a fee of 1.75%. That works out at £140 a month in fees, or £1,680 over a year, plus the one-off cost of the reader.
Some providers offer a monthly plan that lowers the rate, for example to around 0.99% for a fixed fee of about £19 a month. On the same £8,000 of takings, that is roughly £79 in fees plus the £19 plan, so about £98 a month. A plan like this tends to pay off once your card takings pass a few thousand pounds a month.
These numbers are examples, not quotes. Work out your own figures based on your expected takings, and check each provider for current rates before you choose.
Costs correct at time of writing, July 2026. Make sure to check for the most up to date costs per provider websites.
Taking cash as well as card
Most customers now expect to pay by card, but plenty of food truck customers still use cash. It is worth being set up for both, so you never turn away a sale.
Cash takings need somewhere to go. Some digital accounts make cash deposits hard, or charge for them, so check this before you sign up. An account that lets you pay in cash over the counter or at a Post Office can save you time and fees.
Where your card takings land: your business bank account
Card readers pay out to a bank account. For a food truck, a business current account keeps your trading money separate from your personal money. That makes your bookkeeping and tax return simpler. For advice on your own set-up, speak to a qualified accountant.
One option is Zempler Bank. It offers a UK business current account. You can apply in minutes online, which is handy when you want to set up fast. You can pay in cash at Post Offices across the UK, which helps if you take cash on the road. It is generally open to applicants who have limited or poor credit history. The FSCS protects eligible deposits up to £120,000 per person. Some Zempler accounts also offer cashback on your card spending. That adds up if you buy stock and supplies on the card.
👉 Learn more about our bank accounts for hospitality.
If you are also setting up a limited company, you can register it and open your account at the same time with Zempler's company formation service.
Before you start trading, it also helps to budget for the wider costs of a food truck, and to compare business bank accounts for food trucks so you pick one that fits how you trade.
Take contactless payments without a card reader
If you want a simple way to take card payments without buying extra hardware, Zempler's Tap to Pay feature could be worth considering. Available to Zempler business account customers through the Zempler app, it lets you accept contactless payments directly on your compatible smartphone.
Powered by Stripe, customers can pay with contactless cards or digital wallets such as Apple Pay and Google Pay, while you receive your takings into your connected account.
Frequently asked questions
You do not have to have one, but most customers expect to pay by card. A simple card reader linked to a phone lets you take card and contactless payments. It also gives you sales records, which help with bookkeeping and your tax return later.
Entry card readers often start at around £19 to £39 plus VAT, with pay-as-you-go fees and no monthly cost. The lowest-cost setup is usually a basic reader plus a free app on your phone. Prices and offers change often, so check each provider before you buy.
Some readers keep working in poor signal and sync sales once a connection returns, but this varies by provider and setup. Patchy signal is common at festivals and rural pitches. Check the provider rules on offline payments before you rely on it for a busy shift.
Your card reader pays your takings into a bank account, so you need one ready before you trade. A business account is the usual choice because it keeps trading money separate from personal money. Sole traders aren't legally required to have a separate business bank account, although having one can make bookkeeping and managing finances easier. Limited companies, however, are separate legal entities and must have a bank account that's separate from the owner's personal account.
Not sure which one is best for you? Check out our article on Sole trader vs Limited company.
Many providers pay out the next working day, though timings vary by provider and account type. Some offer faster payouts to their own account. Check payout speed before you choose, because cash flow matters when you are buying stock each week.
This article has been generated with the assistance of AI tools, then reviewed and edited by our team. It is provided for general information only and should not be relied upon. Nothing in this article constitutes financial, investment, legal or tax advice, nor it is a personal recommendation within the meaning of the FCA rules. While we take reasonable care in preparing our content, Zempler Bank makes no representations or warranties as to its accuracy or completeness and accepts no responsibility to the fullest extent permitted by law for any loss arising from reliance on it. You should seek independent financial advice before making any financial decisions.