• Three ways to take a payment on a phone
  • What it costs: one processor's US rates

Mobile payments let you take a customer's payment on a phone or tablet instead of a fixed checkout counter. There are three common setups: a portable card reader paired with your phone, Tap to Pay, which uses the phone itself to accept contactless cards and wallets, and a payment link or invoice the customer pays on their own phone. Choose based on where you sell, then set up security, receipts and an end-of-day check that your deposits match your sales.

Billed publishes this page. Vendor details are quoted from each company's own pages, and fees from Stripe's US pricing page, all opened on October 30, 2026. For figures on how people pay, see mobile payment statistics.

Three ways to take a payment on a phone

  • A portable card reader. A small reader connects to your phone or tablet and takes chip, tap or swipe payments through the provider's app. It suits markets, events and job sites where you take a lot of in-person payments.
  • Tap to Pay on the phone. Apple's Tap to Pay on iPhone page says that with it, "no extra terminals or hardware are needed." Square's payments page offers to "Take contactless payments with just your phone." Apple adds: "Tap to Pay on iPhone requires a supported payment app and the latest version of iOS."
  • A payment link or invoice. You send a link or invoice, and the customer pays on their own phone by card or wallet. It suits field services and deliveries where the job is done before the customer pays.

What it costs: one processor's US rates

Fees depend on the processor, the country and how the card is taken. As an example, Stripe's US pricing page lists:

  • In person: "2.7% + 5¢" "per successful transaction for domestic cards", plus "$0.10" "per authorization for Tap to Pay".
  • Online: "2.9% + 30¢" "per successful transaction for domestic cards", with "+ 0.5%" "for manually entered cards" and "+ 1.5%" "for international cards".

Check your own processor's pricing page for your country before you choose. For figures on processing costs across the market, see payment processing statistics.

Security

The PCI Security Standards Council describes itself as "a global forum for the ongoing development, enhancement, storage, dissemination and implementation of security standards for account data protection." For accepting payments on phones and tablets, its document library lists the "Mobile Payments on COTS Security and Test Requirements" (v1.1, November 2024). COTS means commercial off-the-shelf devices, such as ordinary phones. Ask your processor how its app meets the standards that apply to you.

On your own devices:

  • Lock each device with a passcode or biometrics.
  • Keep the phone's software and the payment app updated.
  • Don't write card numbers down in notes or messages. Take every payment through the payment app or link.

Receipts

Send a receipt by email or text for every payment. Include your business name, what was bought, the amount, the date and how to reach you. For invoices, the receipt should carry the invoice number so the customer can match it.

Worked example: closing out a market day

The figures here are a sample, and the fee rate is invented for this example. At a weekend market, a stall takes 42 card payments totaling $1,260.00 on a reader, plus $340.00 in cash. Its processor charges an invented 2.5% + $0.10 per card payment.

  1. Total sales: $1,260.00 + $340.00 = $1,600.00.
  2. Percentage fee: 2.5% × $1,260.00 = $31.50.
  3. Per-payment fee: 42 × $0.10 = $4.20.
  4. Total card fees: $31.50 + $4.20 = $35.70.
  5. Card deposit to expect: $1,260.00 − $35.70 = $1,224.30.

At the end of the day, check that the app shows 42 card payments and $1,260.00, count the $340.00 in cash, and later check that the deposit matches $1,224.30. If it doesn't, look for refunds, payments still waiting to upload, or tips added afterward.

Where Billed fits

Billed's mobile app page says you can "Create invoices and estimates" and "accept Stripe/PayPal payments from your phone," and that "The app supports current versions of iPhone, iPad, and Android devices." Its accept payments page says: "Billed charges you nothing to accept online payments with Stripe." Billed's mobile app, accept payments and Stripe integration pages don't describe card readers or Tap to Pay for in-person payments.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What do I need to accept mobile payments?

A phone or tablet and a payment app from a processor. Add a portable card reader, use Tap to Pay on a supported phone, or send payment links or invoices that customers pay on their own phones.

What is Tap to Pay?

It lets a supported phone accept contactless cards and digital wallets with no separate card reader. Apple's Tap to Pay on iPhone page says "no extra terminals or hardware are needed," and that "Tap to Pay on iPhone requires a supported payment app and the latest version of iOS."

How much do mobile payments cost?

It depends on the processor and the country. As one example, on October 30, 2026, Stripe's US pricing page listed 2.7% + 5¢ per successful in-person transaction for domestic cards, plus "$0.10 per authorization for Tap to Pay". Check your own processor's pricing page.

How do I check that my card deposits are right?

Compare the number and total of card payments in the app with your sales, subtract the fees, and match the result to the deposit. In this page's sample, $1,260.00 of card payments less $35.70 of invented fees means a $1,224.30 deposit.

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