More and more self-employed entrepreneurs are declaring themselves under this status in France. It is a legal status that offers multiple benefits. New companies with innovative concepts are increasingly being done on the Internet in physics.
Creators can use their imaginations, with new ideas to revolutionize certain markets or put their paws on existing concepts.
To cash in, several solutions exist: transfer, payment by cheque (at your peril), online payment via adapted platforms(Paypal, Stripe, Payplug),cash and payment by credit card.
Unfortunately, the banks do not really support the companies that are starting out. Electronic payment terminals are relatively expensive and not always accessible.
With actors like iZettle, SumUp, myPOS and Smile and Pay,it's now history. Explanations.
Why does the self-employed contractor have to have a payment terminal?
A business leader expects only one thing (in addition to customer satisfaction): to be paid. Sometimes customers take a long time to pay their bills (cuckoo unpaid bills), and others don't have the right amount on them.
The credit card has become in the space of a few years, un preferred means of payment, pleasant and easy to use. The emergence of contactless payment is also not trivial. This greatly facilitates exchanges.
The microentrepreneur does not have the funds to have a professional bank account and all the services that go with it like the payment terminal. It should be noted that traditional banks charge high commission rates in addition to a commitment period and a subscription (monthly fees). It is sometimes difficult to get a salary out with such economic constraints.
Online banks have understood this and have launched. Boursorama Pro, N26, Qonto, Manager.one are online banks that do not charge a lot of monthly fees and allow businesses to have a bank at a lower cost.
The other side of the coin is that the services offered by these banks are smart, but do not include a payment terminal to cash in from its customers.
Independent companies got the message and launched good products.
Mobile payment terminals for micro-enterprises
We selected four companies: myPOS, Smile and Pay, iZettle and SumUp. These four structures will offer payment terminals (for mobile and autonomous) for businesses.
Why these four companies? For several reasons:
- There is no commitment time. When you buy the case, it is yours and you will only pay the commission rate. This way, you will save a lot of money and focus on your own business.
- There is no monthly fee or subscription fee. You will be able to invest in tools and equipment essential to your business to enable its growth and development.
- Commission rates remain relatively low and accessible, even for self-employed entrepreneurs starting his or her entrepreneurial career.
- The cases sold by these companies are beautiful and small. Some TPEs such as the iZettle Reader 2, SumUp Air, PocketSmile and myPOS Mini are items that can fit into a pocket without a problem. The size is small and this makes it a partner of choice for cashing in.
- With the exception of the myPOS Mini from the previous list, everyone needs a smartphone to work. But the latter is an indispensable tool to undertake today… Is this really a problem for a self-employed entrepreneur?
- Attractive costs, especially when there are attractive promotional offers.
What is the best electronic payment terminal for self-businesses?
It's all going to depend on your needs. Each product has its pros and cons.
Let's look at this in more detail.
Pros and cons of SumUp
Benefits
- Two payment terminals: SumUp Air (which requires a smartphone) and SumUp 3G which is autonomous,
- A complete mobile application, which can be used as a cash register with a tablet for example
- A fixed commission rate of 1.75% per transaction that SumUp recovers with each payment to your pro bank account,
- Choosing the frequency of payment,
- All cards (or almost!) are accepted, contactless payment supported.
Disadvantages
- It is not possible to cash in a foreign country,
- The mobile app is not as complete as the web interface.
Pros and cons of iZettle
Benefits
- One of the best applications on the market,
- A fixed commission rate of 1.75%,
- Easy-to-use TPE,
- All classic cards are accepted, even some foreign bank cards (little used in France that said), contactless payment supported.
Disadvantages
- A single TPE and it requires the presence of the smartphone,
- It is not possible to cash in a foreign country.
Pros and cons of Smile and Pay
Benefits
- French company,
- Many cards accepted, contactless payment supported,
- Declining commission rate,
- Two offers,
- Two payment terminals.
Disadvantages
- It is not possible to cash in abroad,
- Prices of relatively expensive products.
Pros and cons of myPOS
Benefits
- Bank account included with a bank card,
- Non-existent payment period since everything is cashed in this bank account,
- Many TPEs available,
- Multiple bank cards accepted, contactless payment supported,
- Cash receipts abroad accepted.
Disadvantages
- Mandatory bank account,
- Foreign IBAN,
- Payment and other fees, very high…
As you can see, all solutions have pros and cons. For a micro-entrepreneur who starts, one would tend to advise iZettle or SumUp which are reliable structures with interesting promotional offers (price of the case at only 19 euros).
After that, an evolution to Smile and Pay is possible, especially if you have a big monthly CA. But you may have to change your status… And that's all we want from you!
