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SumUp, the quiet European giant: how the card reader became a till

SumUp sells cheap hardware and free till software and earns on the card, charging 2,75 percent in Luxembourg unless the merchant pays 29 euro a month to drop to 1,29 percent, which is the whole business model in one line.

By Thinking Desk 5 min read

Key takeaways

  • In the euro area you contract with SumUp Limited, Block 8 Harcourt Centre, Dublin 2, registration 505893, regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland under reference C195030. In the United Kingdom it is SumUp Payments Limited, company number 07836562, FCA number 900700.
  • The group holding chain runs through Luxembourg: SumUp Holdings Luxembourg S.à r.l., RCS B203072, 6 rue Jean Monnet in Strassen, incorporated on 18 December 2015, with SumUp Holdings Midco Sàrl recorded as its shareholder.
  • SumUp says it started in 2012 and now serves more than 4 million businesses across 38 markets with a 3,000-strong team in 26 offices.
  • The Luxembourg card rate is 2,75 percent in person as standard, dropping to 1,29 percent on debit and credit cards if you take the Paiements Plus plan at 29 euro a month, with premium cards and American Express staying at 2,75 percent.
  • Hardware is the hook, not the product: a Solo Lite with cradle at 22 euro, a Terminal with printer at 99 euro and a dual-screen Register at 249 euro, with the basic till software free and Caisse Plus at 49 euro a month.
On this page
  1. Short answer
  2. Who owns SumUp, and who are you actually contracting with?
  3. How does the hardware route into retail actually work?
  4. Is the card rate actually cheap?
  5. How does the SumUp till compare with its card business?
  6. What should a merchant actually do with this?

Short answer

SumUp makes its money on the card, and everything else it sells exists to put a card through its rail. In Luxembourg the published rate is 2,75 percent for an in-person payment, falling to 1,29 percent on debit and credit cards if you pay 29 euro a month for the Paiements Plus plan. A card reader costs 22 euro, a terminal with a printer 99 euro, and the basic till software is free. That is a complete business model described in five numbers, and it explains why SumUp is in more small European businesses than any till vendor you can name.

Who owns SumUp, and who are you actually contracting with?

Not the company most people picture. SumUp is usually described as Berlin-based, and its own about page names no headquarters at all: it says the company started in 2012, serves more than 4 million businesses across 38 markets, and runs a 3,000-strong team from 26 offices.

The contracting entity is clearer. The German legal notice names SumUp Limited at Block 8, Harcourt Centre, Charlotte Way, Dublin 2, registration 505893, an electronic money institution regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland under reference C195030. The UK legal notice names SumUp Payments Limited in London, company number 07836562, authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority under the Electronic Money Regulations 2011, FCA register number 900700.

Above the operating companies sits a Luxembourg holding chain. The Luxembourg trade register entry for SumUp Holdings Luxembourg S.à r.l. gives RCS number B203072, an address at 6 rue Jean Monnet in Strassen, incorporation on 18 December 2015, a stated purpose of holding company activities and a recorded shareholder, SumUp Holdings Midco Sàrl.

One thing we could not source: funding. SumUp's own newsroom publishes product launches and football sponsorships and no funding announcements at all, so we do not quote a round size or a valuation for it. Any figure you see elsewhere is reported rather than disclosed by the company.

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How does the hardware route into retail actually work?

By removing the first objection, then charging for the consequence.

The Luxembourg price list puts a Solo Lite with cradle at 22 euro, reduced from 44, a Terminal with a printer at 99 euro, reduced from 169, and a dual-screen Register at 249 euro, reduced from 399. There is no installation fee and no monthly software charge on the entry plan. A market trader, a hairdresser or a mobile therapist can be taking cards the week they decide to.

Compare that with the conventional route, where a point of sale vendor quotes a licence, a hardware package and an installation day before the business has taken a euro. SumUp inverted the order. The merchant pays nothing up front and 2,75 percent of everything afterwards.

The company is explicit about where this leads. Announcing its Terminal device, chief hardware officer Tomer Sabag said SumUp sees "countless merchants hit a growth ceiling where a simple card reader is no longer enough, but a traditional POS system feels too expensive and complex. Terminal was built to be that perfect next step." The reader is the acquisition product. The till is the retention product.

Is the card rate actually cheap?

Only if you do the arithmetic, and for a lot of merchants the answer is no.

The 2,75 percent standard rate is high by European standards. Square publishes 1,65 percent for in-person EEA cards in France. Lightspeed's filed figures imply a blended take of roughly two percent across its payments business. Fresha publishes 0,89 percent plus 10 cents. SumUp's headline rate is the most expensive of that group.

What changes the picture is Paiements Plus. At 29 euro a month, the in-person rate on debit and credit cards falls to 1,29 percent, which is competitive with anyone. The break-even is simple: the saving is 1,46 percent, so 29 euro divided by 0,0146 is about 1,990 euro of monthly in-person card turnover. A business doing 5,000 euro a month on card saves about 44 euro by paying 29. A business doing 15,000 euro saves about 190 euro.

So the honest summary is that SumUp is expensive by default and inexpensive on purpose. The merchants who never notice the plan are the ones funding the model. Check your own monthly card volume against 2,000 euro before you accept the default, and note that premium cards and American Express stay at 2,75 percent on either plan.

Payout timing is genuinely good: the Luxembourg page promises funds before 7am the next day, including weekends and holidays.

How does the SumUp till compare with its card business?

They are not the same quality of product, and SumUp does not really pretend otherwise.

The payments side is mature, regulated in two jurisdictions, priced transparently and available in 38 markets. The till side is an entry product that has been growing upward. In Luxembourg the basic till is free and Caisse Plus is 49 euro a month for a floor plan, split payments, stock and barcode reading. The Irish price list adds a POS Pro tier at 55 euro per till with a hospitality module at 19 euro per till.

For a shop with one counter, that is enough software, and the free tier plus a 99 euro terminal is one of the cheapest honest ways to start trading in Europe. For a restaurant with a floor, a kitchen, course timing, meal vouchers and three staff languages, it is not the same category of product as a dedicated hospitality system, which is why our restaurant comparison at /en/best/best-restaurant-pos-benelux-2026 treats them separately. The feature-level profile is at /en/software/sumup-pos.

What should a merchant actually do with this?

Four steps, in order.

Work out your monthly in-person card turnover. If it is above about 2,000 euro, take the 29 euro plan on day one and stop paying 2,75 percent.

Buy the cheapest device that fits the job. The hardware is discounted and disposable by design, and nothing about a 249 euro register locks you in the way a four-year lease would.

Separate the two decisions. Your card acceptance and your till software do not have to come from the same company, and SumUp is much stronger at one than the other. A shop can run SumUp payments under a better till, or a better acquirer under the free SumUp till, depending on which side is holding you back.

Then re-read the rate card annually. SumUp's prices are published and clear, which is a real virtue, but the standard rate is the one that quietly applies to anyone who never looks. Our wider category view for this region is at /en/best/best-pos-systems-luxembourg.

Questions and answers

Is SumUp a German company?
It is usually described as Berlin-based, but its own about page names no headquarters, only 26 offices across 38 markets. The entity on a euro-area merchant contract is SumUp Limited in Dublin, regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland, and the group holding chain includes SumUp Holdings Luxembourg S.à r.l. in Strassen.
What does SumUp charge per card payment?
In Luxembourg the published standard rate is 2,75 percent for an in-person payment and 2,75 percent online. On the Paiements Plus plan at 29 euro a month, in-person debit and credit cards drop to 1,29 percent, while premium cards and American Express stay at 2,75 percent.
At what turnover does the 29 euro plan pay for itself?
The gap between 2,75 and 1,29 percent is 1,46 percent. Dividing 29 euro by 0,0146 gives roughly 1,990 euro of monthly in-person card turnover. Above that, the monthly plan is cheaper. Below it, you are better off on the standard rate.
Is the SumUp till a real point of sale system?
It is a real till and an honest entry product. SumUp describes the Terminal launch as the step for merchants who "hit a growth ceiling where a simple card reader is no longer enough, but a traditional POS system feels too expensive and complex". That is the company describing its own position: above a reader, below a full hospitality system.

Sources

Every price and fact above was checked against these pages on the date shown.

  1. [1] SumUp Luxembourg pricing: 2,75 percent standard in-person rate, Paiements Plus 29 EUR a month for 1,29 percent, Solo Lite 22 EUR, Terminal 99 EUR, Register 249 EUR, Caisse Plus 49 EUR a month, payouts before 7am the next day accessed 2026-11-11
  2. [2] SumUp about page: started in 2012, over 4 million businesses, 38 markets, 26 offices, a 3000-strong global team accessed 2026-11-11
  3. [3] SumUp German legal notice naming SumUp Limited, Block 8 Harcourt Centre, Dublin 2, registration 505893, regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland under reference C195030 accessed 2026-11-11
  4. [4] SumUp UK legal notice naming SumUp Payments Limited, London, company number 07836562, FCA register number 900700 accessed 2026-11-11
  5. [5] SumUp press release, "SumUp Launches Terminal: An All-in-One POS for Growing Businesses", with the Terminal priced at 169 pounds in the United Kingdom and a quote from chief hardware officer Tomer Sabag accessed 2026-11-11
  6. [6] SumUp newsroom index accessed 2026-11-11
  7. [7] North Data entry for SumUp Holdings Luxembourg S.à r.l., RCS B203072, 6 rue Jean Monnet, L-2180 Luxembourg, incorporated 18 December 2015, shareholder SumUp Holdings Midco Sàrl accessed 2026-11-11
  8. [8] SumUp Ireland POS Pro pricing accessed 2026-11-11
Topics sumuppaymentsposhardwarecompany-analysis