Credit card readers for Android phones and tablets make it easy for merchants to process sales and accept credit cards anywhere, from food trucks to trade shows. With point-of-sale (POS) technology and smartphone apps, you can even use Android card readers in your brick-and-mortar store.
With the advancement of Android smartphones, more Android credit card readers have been launched in recent years. Merchants now have a wider range of providers to choose from, however, the best credit card readers for Android should be affordable, easy to use, reliable, and match your business needs.
Based on my evaluation of over 20 options, the best credit card readers for Android are:
- Square: Best overall
- PayPal Zettle: Best for occasional sales
- Helcim: Best for lowest transaction fees
- SumUp: Cheapest 3-in-1 mobile credit card reader
- Shopify: Best for online businesses
- Chase Payment Solutions®: Best if you need free and fast access to funds
- Clover: Best if you have a preferred payment processor
Accept payments anywhere customers are: In-person, Online, Remote, Buy Now Pay Later |
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Best Credit Card Readers for Android Compared
Mobile Card Reader Cost | Monthly Fee | Card-present Rate | Payment Method | Offline Mode | Payment User App review | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | $49; First magstripe reader free | $0 | 2.6% + 10 cents | 2-in-1 (Tap, Dip) | ✓ | |
 | $79; First reader discounted to $29 | $0 | 2.29% + 9 cents | 2-in-1 (Tap, Dip) | ✕ | |
 | $99 | $0 | From Interchange plus 0.15% + 6 cents | 2-in-1 (Tap, Dip) | ✓ | |
 | $39–$129 | $0 | 2.75% | 3-in-1 (Tap, Dip, Swipe) | ✓ | |
 | $49 | $0–$89 | 2.4%–2.7% | 2-in-1 (Tap, Dip) | Limited | |
 | $49.95 | $0–$15 | 2.6% + 10 cents | 3-in-1 (Tap, Dip, Swipe) | ✕ | |
 | $49 | $0–$14.95 | 2.6% + 10 cents* | 3-in-1 (Tap, Dip, Swipe) | ✓ | |
*Based on Fiserv rates, fee will depend on your preferred payment processor
If you prefer a hardware-free mobile payment processing solution, check out our list of top credit card payment apps. On top of a credit card reader option, these apps also allow you to process payments using QR codes, card scanners, and even cryptocurrencies straight from your smartphone.
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Why you can trust Fit Small Business
The Fit Small Business editorial process follows strict standards to ensure that our “best” answers are founded on the basis of accuracy, clarity, authority, objectivity, and accessibility.
Meaghan Brophy and I have more than 10 years of experience reviewing payment processors—and together, we chose over 20 Android credit card readers to evaluate across 22 data points. We also considered our own experience using the processors and interacting with customer support and feedback from real small businesses. Learn how we evaluate the best credit card readers for Android.
Square: Best Overall Credit Card Reader for Android
Pros
- Free powerful POS system
- Affordable 3-in-1 mobile card reader setup with the free magstripe reader
- Free dispute management, active fraud monitoring, and notifications
Cons
- Locked into Square Payments
- Customer service is only available during weekdays
- Common customer complaints on lengthy holding of funds
What We Like:
Square is a terrific card reader for the Android phone—plus, it includes a POS system and other options that can work for a range of businesses. It does not charge monthly fees and has no minimums, making it a great choice for the casual user. Meanwhile, its excellent chargeback policy and full-featured POS program are suitable for full-time businesses, whether a retail store, service business, or restaurant.
The mobile app itself is among the most popular and highest-ranking among our list of providers for this roundup. Users rate it highly for ease of use and features.
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Magstripe Reader First free, additional $10 Available with lightning or audio jack input. Accepts payments via magstripe (swiped). | Chip + Contactless Reader $59 Connects via Bluetooth. Accepts payments via EMV (chip) or NFC (Apple Pay, Google Pay). |
- Payment types: Credit cards, touchless, online, gift cards, and international cards—but not cross-border (i.e., you must be in the country where you activated your Square account). Echecks are possible with an extra charge.
- Monthly processing fee: $0
- Transaction fees:
- Card present: 2.6% + 10 cents
- Keyed-in: 3.5% + 15 cents
- Online, Recurring, and Invoicing: 2.9% + 30 cents
- Chargeback fee: Waived up to $250 per month
- Free POS software
- Next-day funding, same-day with fee
- Card reader: $0–$49 for chip and tap (one free swipe reader)
- Accepts tap, dip, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and other NFC payments
- Offline payment processing
When you choose to use Square’s POS software, you are also locked into Square’s native payment processor, Square Payments. And, while it offers very competitive transaction rates, some businesses might prefer an alternative such as Clover, where merchants can program the hardware with their preferred payment processor.
Square received a score of 4.8 stars on Google Play, with over 200,000 reviews. The few one-star reviews were mostly about customer service issues or closed accounts.
| Users Like | Users Don’t Like |
|---|---|
| Feature rich | Offline mode not working |
| Easy and convenient to use | Disconnected card reader |
- Best feature: Square’s free online POS system is great for sellers that do the occasional weekend fair. It is also powerful enough for restaurants or brick-and-mortar stores. If you need scheduling, appointment booking, and customer management, you can get these features at an additional price
- Fraud protection: Square offers free dispute management, active fraud prevention, and notification of suspicious activity. You can add risk management for 6 cents per transaction.
PayPal Zettle: Best for Occasional Sellers & PayPal Users
Pros
- Free POS with no minimum use
- Very easy-to-use interface
- Pays immediately into PayPal
Cons
- No offline mode
- No free mobile card reader
- Does not integrate with PayPal’s online store and virtual terminal
What We Like:
PayPal Zettle’s mobile card reader offers more functions compared to other readers on our list—even Square. It features a PIN pad for processing chip or tap transactions at a discounted price of $29 for your first device. Zettle’s simple POS solution and zero monthly fees make it the perfect solution for occasional sellers, such as crafters who participate in trade fairs and sell in farmers markets.
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Zettle Reader 2 $79 (first one $29) Accepts payments via magstripe (swipe), EMV (chip) and NFC contactless payments (Apple Pay, Android Pay). | Zettle Dock 2 $49 Charging and holding dock for countertop use |
- Payment types: Aside from the unique position that allows Zettle to accept PayPal payments, merchants can also track cash receipts, gift cards, bitcoin, and QR codes. Zettle’s mobile POS app also allows customers to include tips, print receipts, and issue full or partial refunds.
- Monthly fee: $0
- Transaction fees:
- Card present: 2.29% + 9 cents
- Keyed-in: 3.49% + 9 cents
- Chargeback fee: $20
- Free POS Software
- Next-day funding, same-day with fee
- Card reader: $79 (first one, $29)
- One-year limited warranty
- Accepts debit and credit EMV cards, NFC payments, gift cards, and Venmo payments
Zettle user review score decreased from 3.8 to 3.3 out of 5 stars on Google Play store from more than 42,000 reviews. Some customers say that the platform is easy to use, while complaints include problems using the reader after a mobile app update and unscheduled updates during business operations.
| Users Like | Users Don’t Like |
|---|---|
| Accepts PayPal and Venmo in-person | Delayed card reader delivery |
| Straightforward and easy to use | Occasionally disconnects from app |
- Best feature: Zettle gives you same-day deposit options either to your PayPal balance (without fee) or your bank (1.5% fee) so you get the fastest access to your funds. Note that you can only get a same-day deposit to your bank account with Square for a 1.5% additional fee to your deposited amount.
- Fraud protection: Zettle comes with tokenization and data encryption tools for processing in-person transactions. It also has a built-in analytics and machine learning system that monitors your transactions against evolving cyber threats.
Unfortunately, PayPal Zettle does not support offline payment processing, which can slow down your business if you sell in remote locations for trade shows and fairs. Consider Square as an alternative if you need this feature.
Helcim: Best for Lowest Transaction Fees
Pros
- Zero monthly fees
- Automated volume discount
- No additional cost for payment tools
Cons
- Expensive card reader
- Low mobile app user rating
- Limited third-party integration
What We Like:
The Helcim credit card reader is not the most affordable. However, it is one of two Android card readers in our list that’s equipped with a PIN pad to process debit/prepaid cards such as EBT, HSA, and FSA payments.
Helcim is the best choice for minimizing transaction fees for growing businesses. Aside from interchange plus rates, it is also designed to apply automatic discounts based on volume. There are no monthly fees and all payment processing tools are free to use.
Card Reader | Smart Terminal |
|---|---|
 |  |
$99 | $329 |
Tap, Chip & PIN transactions | Tap, Chip & PIN transactions |
Email receipts, batch history, inventory tracking | Email & print receipts, batch history, inventory tracking, built-in POS, employee logins |
- Payment types: Helcim’s credit card reader can accept EMV chip and contactless payments. It can also process digital wallet payments, such as Apple Pay. The card reader also features a PIN pad that allows Helcim merchants to also accept debit card and prepaid card payments, such as EBT, FSA, and HSA.
- Monthly fee: $0
- Card reader cost: From $99
- Transaction fee:
- Card-present fee: Interchange plus 0.15% + 6 cents to 0.4% + 8 cents
- Card-not-present fee: Interchange plus 0.15% + 15 cents to 0.50% + 25 cents
- American Express transactions: 0.10% + 10 cents
- Chargeback fee: $15 (reimbursable)
Helcim’s mobile POS app received a score of 2.9 out of 5 on Google Play, from nearly 80 reviews. The system still has a long way to go when it comes to card reader and mobile app popularity.
| Users Like | Users Don’t Like |
|---|---|
| Great rates for large-volume sales | Mobile app bugs and crashes |
| Barcode scanner integration | Poor customer support |
- Best feature: Helcim’s best feature is its automated processing fee discounts. With this feature, merchants are not restricted to a processing volume. Users also no longer need to apply for cheaper transaction rates as their business grows. Additionally, merchants who also accept card-not-present payments can qualify for free credit card processing automatically if they also have ACH payments.
- Fraud protection: Helcim’s fraud protection feature called Fraud Defender is comparable to Stripe. The system can estimate transaction risk based on several criteria such as IP address, shipping and billing location, and card security code.
SumUp: Cheapest 3-in-1 Mobile Credit Card Reader
Pros
- No monthly fees
- Free payment processing app and virtual terminal
- Proprietary card readers with built-in payment processing features
Cons
- Limited multichannel sales/ecommerce integration
- Account stability issues with holds, freezes, and closures
- Does not support high-risk merchants
What We Like:
SumUp is an end-to-end mobile payment processing solution, with invoicing, virtual terminal, and basic point-of-sale tools. There are no monthly fees or long-term contracts—only flat-rate transaction fees.
SumUp also offers the cheapest mobile credit card reader for Android on our list.
You can accept credit and debit card payments, gift cards, and invoice payments in person and on the go, which works great for home cleaning, pet grooming, gardening, and other service-type businesses. It’s also great for retailers that sell in person with or without a storefront.
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SumUp Plus $39 ($49 with dock) Bluetooth connectivity and comes with charging dock, LED screen, tipping function | SumUp Solo $129 Standalone card reader, touch-screen panel, refund and dynamic tipping tools, invoicing |
- Payment types: Accepts EMV chip, contactless (NFC), Apple and Android Pay
- Monthly fee: $0
- Card reader:
- $39–$129
- 1-year warranty
- Transaction fees:
- In-person transaction: 2.75%
- Online transaction: 3.25% + 15 cents
- Virtual terminal processing: 3.25% + 15 cents
- Chargeback fee: $0
- Funding: 1–2 business days
SumUp’s Android payment app received a score of 3.2 out of 5, from around 82,000 reviews. While there are a number of satisfied users that praise SumUp for its ease of use, the majority of user feedback from this year are complaints of persistent disconnection of card readers, slow transfer of funds, and other unresolved technical issues.
| Users Like | Users Don’t Like |
|---|---|
| Easy to upload items from the dashboard | Inaccessible payment app |
| POS app is reliable | Slow payment processing |
- Best feature: SumUp stands out as a mobile-first payment processing provider in the market. Like Clover, the POS software features available are based on the type of SumUp card reader being used, so you only pay for tools you actually need.
- Fraud protection: SumUp implements payment processing security measures that follow Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI-DSS), as well as 256-bit encryption. It also uses Secure Socket Layer (SSI) and Transport Layer Security (TLS) encryption protocols for protecting data transmitted over the internet.
One downside of SumUp is its limited ecommerce integration options. you can readily find a wider range and flexibility from other providers in our list. If you require multichannel sales, look for alternatives offering built-in ecommerce tools, like Square or Shopify.
Shopify: Best When Starting an Online Businesses
Pros
- Industry-leading omnichannel features
- Customizable mobile checkout
- Easy-to-use mobile app
Cons
- Needs a Shopify ecommerce account subscription
- Requires Shopify Payments to use the mobile card reader
- Limited offline functionality
What We Like:
Shopify is a leading ecommerce platform with plans that start at just $39/month. It comes with omnichannel features and a free mobile POS system, so if you are just starting a small online business this provider can give you lots of room to grow.
There are a variety of mobile card readers that can be used with Shopify. However, only the proprietary 2-in-1 Shopify card reader is compatible with Android devices. All online and in-person sales sync to your Shopify dashboard—perfect for brick-and-mortar retailers that also sell online.
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Shopify Tap & Chip Card Reader $49 Bluetooth-enabled, 2-in-1 EMV certified mobile card reader | Shopify Go $399 All-in-one mobile POS device that can accept chip, swipe, and contactless payments. Connects to Wi-Fi or cellular data. Built-in barcode scanner. |
- Payment types: Shopify accepts credit cards (via EMV chip), contactless (via NFC and QR), digital wallets ( Apple Pay, Google Pay), online, gift card, international, and bitcoin. Shopify can also be programmed to accept local payment methods for different countries for a fee.
- Monthly fee: $0–$89 (plus Shopify ecommerce plan*)
- Transaction fees:
- In-person: 2.4%–2.7%
- Online: 2.4%–2.9% + 30 cents
- Chargeback fee: $15
- Card reader: $29–$49 One-year limited warranty (minimum)
*Will require a subscription to a Shopify ecommerce account ($39–$399 per month) to access the free POS
Shopify’s Android payment app score further decreased from 3.0 to 2.9 stars with just over 2,000 reviews. Users loved the convenience, but some complained it looked more dated on Android than on iPhone and had connection issues.
| Users Like | Users Don’t Like |
|---|---|
| Easy to set up w/ the card reader | Slow interface |
| Scalable features | Failed transactions, connectivity issues |
- Best feature: Shopify is our choice for the best ecommerce platform. In addition to a fully featured POS system, it offers other sales avenues and processes payments from cash to Bitcoin. Even though Shopify is known for ecommerce, it has a robust POS platform for mobile and in-store sales, making it an ideal solution for multichannel sellers. Shopify integrates with over 2,000 different apps and programs.
- Fraud protection: EMV- and PCI-certified readers, fraud analysis, and fraud prevention recommendations.
If your business regularly accepts credit card payments on the go, not having access to a reliable internet connection can become a problem. Aside from the lack of a swipe payment method for its Android-compatible card reader, Shopify can only process cash and digital wallet transactions while offline. If you need full offline payment functionality, consider Square or SumUp.
Chase Payment Solutions®: Best for Free & Fast Access to Funds
Pros
- Free traditional merchant account
- Comes with a proprietary mobile POS app but also works with some POS systems
- Free same-day funding
Cons
- Imposes chargeback fee
- Lacks offline credit card processing
- Low mobile app user review
What We Like:
It’s rare to find large financial institutions like Chase that can offer affordable pricing plans for small merchants. Using Chase’s merchant services is free regardless if you own a Chase bank account, but you’ll need one if you want a free same-day deposit of your funds.
Chase offers a 3-in-1 mobile card reader with the same transaction rates as Square. The mobile app is simple but easy to use and comes with an image-based catalog ideal for retailers selling on the go.
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Chase Blue Mobile 3-in-1 Card Reader ($49.95) Bluetooth mobile card reader that accepts swiped, EMV chip, and tap payments. |
- Payment types: Chase supports in-person and remote credit card payments, as well as debit card transactions through the stand-alone payment terminal. It can also process mobile/digital wallet payments.
- Monthly fee:
- Mobile Checkout (without a Chase bank account): $0
- Quick Accept (with a Chase bank account): $0 or $15 if your bank balance falls below $2,000 for the month
- Transaction fees:
- In-person transaction fee: 2.6% plus 10 cents
- Online transaction fee: 2.9% plus 25 cents
- Keyed-in transaction fee: 3.5% + 10 cents
- Chargeback fee: $25
- Card reader: $49.95
The Chase Mobile Checkout app on Google Play earned a score of 3.5 out of 5 with about 4,200 reviews. After the recent software updates, users are unanimously struggling with login issues and app crashes (likely) due to software security updates.
| Users Like | Users Don’t Like |
|---|---|
| Fast fund transfers | Slow customer support response |
| Helpful customer service | Software update causing issues |
- Best feature: Chase offers a free same-day deposit of your sales proceeds with a Chase bank account. This means faster access to funds and better control of finances. This feature is not often seen in other traditional merchant account providers, and if it is, it will most likely require an additional fee.
- Fraud protection: Chase comes with several fraud protection features, such as data encryption and tokenization, check monitoring and protection services, and an ACH debit block service.
Chase does a great job of providing a simple mobile payment solution for small merchants. It also works with other POS systems that have a partnership with Chase—an advantage over Square. But if you need a more robust POS feature set, Square’s free industry-specific native POS tools will still be the best option.
Clover: Best for Merchants With A Preferred Payment Processor
Pros
- Can be programmed to work with most popular payment processors
- Can accept payments while offline
- Highly rated mobile app
Cons
- Cannot be reprogrammed
- User complaints over app upgrades
- Limited POS features using the mobile credit card reader
What We Like:
Clover is the best choice if you want reliable POS software and hardware while still keeping your preferred payment processor.
What’s also interesting is that the range of Clover’s POS features and subscription plans depends on the type of Clover hardware you purchase.
This may be good or bad depending on who you talk to, but for small merchants and startups, this setup allows them to start running a business with a simple mobile card reader. And as the business grows, it can upgrade the hardware to access more POS features.
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Clover Go ($49) 3-in-1 Bluetooth-enabled mobile card reader |
- Payment types: Clover accepts swipe, dip, or tap payments using credit and debit cards, as well as contactless payments like Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal, and Venmo.
- Monthly fee: For Clover POS available to the mobile credit card reader
- Starter: $0
- Standard: $14.95
- Transaction fees:
- In-person transaction fee: 2.6% plus 10 cents
- Keyed-in transaction fee: 3.5% + 10 cents
- Chargeback fee: $25
- Card reader: $49
The Clover GO Dashboard and POS app is rated 4.6 out of 5 by over 4,900 users. While a popular app, merchants using Clover GO, like Chase Mobile Checkout users, have recently been struggling with login issues, crashes, and freezing apps.
| Users Like | Users Don’t Like |
|---|---|
| Includes modifiers for delivery riders | Login issues after software update |
| Useful app once set up properly | Crashes and frozen apps |
- Best feature: Flexibility is Clover’s biggest selling point. Unlike Square, merchants can program Clover POS and hardware to work with a payment processor of their choice. Clover also offers scalability as merchants only have to pay for (or even get for free) features they need based on their business size.
- Fraud protection: Clover provides PCI-compliant data security filters and customizable fraud management tools such as velocity, CVV, GEO IP tracking, and address verification filters.
Clover is considered one of the best alternatives to Square for those who want more freedom with their payment processor. However, not all merchants with growing businesses might appreciate how Clover payments and POS functions are limited to the hardware option. If this is the case, consider Chase Mobile Checkout or Chase Quick Accept for better POS hardware and software flexibility.
Compare Your Fees
Enter your monthly card-present sales information and your total monthly sales (card-present and card-not-present) to get an estimate of your credit card processing fees for accepting in-person payments with our recommended Android credit card readers.
Don’t have an Android? Check out our recommended credit card readers for iPhones.
How to Choose the Best Android Credit Card Reader
When choosing the best Android credit card reader for your business, your first priority should be the reliability and durability of your device. It needs to be constantly connected to your mobile payment app to minimize failed transactions while on the go. Android card readers should also be compatible with most versions of the operating software.
Afterwards, the next consideration is to ensure that the tools and features available from both the mobile card reader and the payment app are useful to your business type. Value-for-money is also a priority, making sure that you are only paying for card reader functions that your business needs.
Android credit card reader features to consider should therefore include:
- Reliable and compatible connectivity: Bluetooth is the most commonly used connectivity feature but make sure the card reader specs match that of your Android phone.
- Variety of payment methods: If you are looking to use a mobile credit card reader, you likely intend to accept a wide variety of credit card payment methods. EMV (chip) and NFC (contactless) payments are the most popular way of accepting card payments and you want to make sure that your choice of Android credit card reader supports these methods.
- Useful mobile payment app features: Most mobile credit card readers are linked to your payment processor’s mobile payment app. Be sure to evaluate the payment app features (you can download them for free) for functions that your business needs before purchasing the mobile credit card reader.
- Affordable hardware pricing: Most mobile credit card readers for Android and iOS are very affordable. You can find top payment processors that offer their mobile card readers for less than $50 while others can go as high as $130 with more sophisticated functions. Make sure that you invest in a mobile credit card reader and app that’s most useful to your business type.
On top of these Android mobile credit card reader-specific criteria, you also need to consider your overall choice for a payment processor. Monthly account fees and credit card processing rates will make up most of your cost of accepting payments. Contract terms will determine how easy it will be for your business type and size to work with a provider.
How We Evaluated Credit Card Readers for Android
For this update I evaluated more reputable payment processors with mobile payment apps that rank highly in the Google Play store for consideration. I compared each payment processor’s transaction rates, card reader cost, and reliability, as well as security measures in place to protect merchants from failed payments and fraud. I also evaluated for overall pricing structure, flexible and scalable features, and how quickly you could get your payments to determine the best options.
As with the best card readers for iOS, Square ranked as our No. 1 for Android systems. Square’s credit and debit card reader performed well on all the criteria we set, providing the best overall value-for-money features.
Click through the box below for our full evaluation criteria:
25% of Overall Score
For pricing, we looked into the fees associated with the use of credit card readers. This includes the cost of the hardware, card-present transaction rates, and other incidental costs such as chargeback and cancellation fees. We also gave points for payment processors that do not charge a monthly account fee.
30% of Overall Score
This evaluates both the card reader hardware and mobile app which includes the variety of payment types, reliability and real-life user reviews, digital receipts, and availability of offline transactions.
25% of Overall Score
This criteria looks into the payment processor’s features such as contract terms, deposit times, customer support quality, payment processing features, as well as range and flexibility of omnichannel features.
20% of Overall Score
This score combines our overall judgment of price, value-for-money, and ease-of-use, with ratings from real-world users on trusted third-party review sites.
Credit Card Readers for Android Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Popular payment service providers often support both iOS and Android credit card readers. Square, for example, can work for both and offers the most reliable payment processing—meaning you don’t have to worry too much about failed transactions while accepting payments with your mobile device. Read our Square POS review.
There are a number of options available for an affordable magstripe credit card reader:
- Square: Offers a free card swipe/magstripe reader for every Square account. Additional magstripe readers cost $10 each.
- PayPal Zettle: Offers the first purchase of its pin pad-enabled 3-in-1 credit card reader discounted at $29. Additional readers cost $79 each.
- SumUp: Also offers a pin pad-enabled 3-in-1 card reader at $35 each.
Browse our list of top mobile card readers for more card swipe/magstripe card reader options.
Square, PayPal Zettle, and SumUp are the most affordable hardware for merchants with low-volume sales. For larger, more established businesses, Payment Depot offers the cheapest card reader at $49. To help you decide, you also need to consider reliable mobile payment apps and the most affordable transaction fees.
Mobile credit card readers are generally secure. It employs encryption features such as EMV (chip) and PIN pad security, which means hackers will only get random letters and numbers instead of your customer’s actual credit card information.
Bottom Line
Most people think of iPads when they think of mobile POS systems, but many payment processors offer great options for Android too. Some also have their own merchant accounts.
Each provider in our list has features and pricing structures that make it better for specific business types and sizes. However, with the wide variety of Android devices, it’s also important to make sure that the credit card reader you prefer is compatible with your smartphone.
Lastly, consider user reviews to get a concrete idea from merchants with actual experience running their businesses with the mobile app.
All things considered, Square topped our evaluation as the best credit card reader for Android, earning the best scores for pricing and features, including outstanding user reviews. Sign up for a free Square POS account.