Your Phone Is Already a Card Machine: Meet Payment Terminal Mode
"No card reader. No monthly terminal rental. No Bluetooth that drops when you need it most. Whizzly's Payment Terminal Mode turns your phone into a complete point-of-sale system for markets, pop-ups, and walk-in customers."
Every Saturday, thousands of small business owners across the UK set up at markets, craft fairs, and pop-up events. They pack their products, their display equipment, their change float — and often their card reader, with its charging cable and its tendency to lose Bluetooth connection at the worst possible moment.
Card readers have served independent businesses well. But they come with friction: device cost, monthly rental fees, per-transaction charges on top of processing fees, and the inevitable hardware problem that strikes mid-queue.
Whizzly's Phone-to-Card Machine Mode — or Payment Terminal — is a different approach. Your phone is already in your pocket. It already connects to the internet. It's already running Whizzly. It can be your till.
How Payment Terminal Works
Open the Payment Terminal section of your Whizzly dashboard on your phone. You'll see a simple point-of-sale interface:
- Add items to the customer's basket: Tap product cards from your catalogue to build their order — or search by name if you have a large stock list
- Apply discounts or custom prices: Override the price on any item for negotiated deals, market specials, or bundle offers
- Select payment method:
- - QR Code Payment: A QR code appears on your phone screen. The customer scans it with their own phone and pays via Apple Pay, Google Pay, or card in their browser — no app needed
- - Send to WhatsApp: A payment link goes directly to the customer's WhatsApp; they tap and pay
- - Cash: Mark the order as paid by cash — it's logged in your dashboard for accounting
- Confirmation: When payment clears, both you and the customer receive confirmation — you on your Whizzly dashboard, them via WhatsApp receipt
Real Scenarios Where This Shines
Market stalls: No hardware to carry. No Bluetooth to manage. Queue forms, payments flow, everyone moves quickly.
Salon walk-ins: A client arrives without a booking. You take their payment through Payment Terminal rather than hunting for the card reader.
Pop-up events: Set up in a new venue every week with zero setup overhead.
Charity events and fundraisers: Accept donations with a single QR code displayed at your stand.
Food trucks: The customer scans, pays, and moves — no card reader handover, no PIN delay in the queue.
Does the Customer Need to Download Anything?
No. The QR code opens a mobile-optimised payment page in the customer's browser. They use Apple Pay or Google Pay (which is already set up on most smartphones) or enter their card details. There's no app to download, no account to create.
The Cost Comparison
| Card Readers (e.g. SumUp/Zettle) | Whizzly Payment Terminal | |
|---|---|---|
| Hardware cost | £39–£79 per device | £0 (uses your phone) |
| Monthly fees | £0–£29 depending on plan | Free in Pro (£24.99/mo) or £9.99/mo Starter add-on |
| Per-transaction fee | 1.69%–2.5% | Standard Stripe rates only (1.5% + 20p UK cards) |
| WhatsApp receipt | No | Yes, automatic |
| Order dashboard | Basic | Full Whizzly dashboard |
Activation
Dashboard → Powerups → Phone-to-Card Machine Mode. The terminal is ready to use immediately — no additional setup required beyond having Stripe connected.
Included free in Pro. Available as a modular add-on on Starter (£9.99/mo).
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