Accepting card payments without a terminal: taking payments with a smartphone
By Simon Casano · Published on 28/10/2026 · 6 min read
Also available in: Français · Nederlands · Deutsch
In short
- With Tap to Pay, an Android smartphone with NFC accepts contactless cards, phones and watches, with no terminal or card reader. Above €50, the customer types their PIN on the phone’s screen.
- You need Android 13 or later, the Play Store, a security update from the past year and an Internet connection.
- With Stripe, a European card payment with Tap to Pay costs 1.4% + €0.20 in Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. A QR code payment costs €0.35 with Bancontact and €0.29 with iDEAL (prices on 27 October 2026).
- For small amounts, a card costs less than a QR code: Bancontact only becomes cheaper from about €10.70 per sale, iDEAL from about €6.40.
A club bar, a flea market, a Christmas market stall or a plumber on a call-out: more and more customers no longer carry cash. Renting or buying a card terminal for a few hours a week is expensive, and it still has to be charged, set up and handed to volunteers.
A smartphone can now do the same job. This guide explains how it works, which phone you need, what each payment really costs and how to run the till at an event.
What is Tap to Pay?
Tap to Pay (also called SoftPOS) lets an Android smartphone or an iPhone accept contactless payments through its NFC chip, the one already used to pay with the phone. The customer holds their card, phone or watch near the back of the seller’s smartphone, just as they would with a card terminal.
The payment goes through a payment provider, such as Stripe, which checks the card and pays the money into the seller’s account. The till app never sees the full card number.
When the amount is above the contactless limit, €50 in Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands, the customer’s bank may ask for their PIN. With Tap to Pay, they type it straight on the seller’s phone screen, on a keypad that moves each time.
Which phone do you need?
For Tap to Pay on Android, Stripe sets the following requirements:
- a working, built-in NFC chip;
- Android 13 or later, with a security update installed in the past 12 months;
- Google services and the Play Store: phones without Google services are refused;
- a phone that is not rooted, with its original system and developer options turned off;
- a stable Internet connection, over Wi-Fi or mobile data.
Many recent Samsung Galaxy models, including entry-level A series phones, as well as Google Pixel, Motorola, Xiaomi, Oppo and OnePlus phones, are on the list published by Stripe.
At Stripe, Tap to Pay on Android is available in Belgium and the Netherlands. In Luxembourg, it is still in public preview (October 2026).
How much does a payment cost?
A classic terminal is often paid for twice: the device, rented or bought, then a fee on each payment. With Tap to Pay there is no device to pay for, but the fee remains. Here are Stripe’s public card prices, the same in Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands, and its QR code prices:
| Payment method | Fee | €3 sale | €10 sale | €50 sale |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| European card (Tap to Pay) | 1.4% + €0.20 | €0.24 | €0.34 | €0.90 |
| Card from outside the European Economic Area | 2.9% + €0.20 | €0.29 | €0.49 | €1.65 |
| Bancontact QR code (Belgium) | €0.35 | €0.35 | €0.35 | €0.35 |
| iDEAL QR code (Netherlands) | €0.29 | €0.29 | €0.29 | €0.29 |
| Cash | None | €0 | €0 | €0 |
The fixed part weighs heavily on small amounts, so a card stays cheaper than a QR code for small sales. A Bancontact QR code only costs less than a card above about €10.70 per sale, and iDEAL above about €6.40.
On top of these fees comes the till app subscription, if there is one: €5 a month for XeronPay, with no commission from Xeron on sales.
These are Stripe’s prices on 27 October 2026 and they may change. Check them on the Stripe pricing pages listed at the end of this guide.
Terminal, smartphone, QR code or cash?
| Method | Hardware | What the customer uses | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Card terminal | A device to rent or buy, and to charge | Contactless card or phone, inserted chip card | The device costs money even in months without activity |
| Smartphone with Tap to Pay | A compatible Android smartphone | Contactless card, phone or watch | No slot: a card without contactless cannot be used |
| QR code (Bancontact, iDEAL) | A screen to show the QR code | The Bancontact app or their banking app | The customer needs their phone and a signal |
| Cash | A cash box and a float | Notes and coins | Counting, giving change, keeping the money safe |
In practice, a smartphone with Tap to Pay serves the vast majority of customers. The QR code helps those whose card is not contactless, and cash remains handy for the smallest amounts.
Running the till at a club bar or an event
- Make a real payment of a few euros with each phone before opening.
- Charge the phones and bring a power bank: a screen that stays on all day drains the battery.
- Check the mobile signal on site; if it is weak, ask for the venue’s Wi-Fi.
- Sort the products into categories (drinks, snacks, tickets) so that a sale takes a few taps.
- Give each volunteer a seller access, with no access to the figures, refunds or payouts.
- Record cash sales in the till too: the treasurer then finds everything in a single report.
- After the event, export sales by product and by seller for the accounts.
Limits to be aware of
- No Internet connection means no card payment: the phone must reach the provider for each sale.
- A card without contactless cannot be used, as there is no slot to insert it: the QR code or cash takes over.
- The PIN cannot be entered during a screen recording, or when certain accessibility services are active on the phone.
- The money does not reach the bank account instantly: the provider pays it out on its own payout schedule.
- Phones that are too old, rooted or without Google services are refused.
What about XeronPay?
XeronPay is Xeron’s till app, built on Stripe Tap to Pay. It adds Bancontact QR codes in Belgium and iDEAL in the Netherlands, cash, a code for each seller, receipts by email or QR code, invoices for VAT-registered organisations and reports for the treasurer.
The subscription costs €5 a month including VAT, with no commitment, and the money is paid into your organisation’s Stripe account: Xeron never touches it. XeronPay is available in Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands, on Android; an iPhone version is planned.
Xeron, which publishes this guide, makes XeronPay. The requirements and fees above are Stripe’s: they apply to any till app that uses Stripe Tap to Pay.