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Best credit card reader for iPhone and iPad in 2024

Mehdi Punjwani

Verified By
Alana Rudder
Alana Rudder

Alana Rudder

Verified by an expert

“Verified by an expert” means that this article has been thoroughly reviewed and evaluated for accuracy.

BLUEPRINT

Updated 7:03 a.m. UTC July 1, 2024

Editorial Note: Blueprint may earn a commission from affiliate partner links featured here on our site. This commission does not influence our editors' opinions or evaluations. Please view our full advertiser disclosure policy.

Accepting credit card payments is critical for modern businesses, and many will work directly with your iPhone or iPad. These mobile credit card readers make it quick and convenient to take card payments on the go, whether it’s through a magstripe, a chip or a tap.

However, finding the best credit card readers for your iOS device means thinking about the cost of the hardware as well as processing the actual payments. You’ll also need to consider the types of payments you’ll be able to accept and whether you’ll get access to any extra features to help with managing your business.

We’ve searched the market and tested dozens of providers to find the five best credit card readers for iPhones.

Featured credit card processing offers

Stax

Learn More

Via Stax’s website

Monthly fee

$99

Swiped transaction fee

7¢ to 10¢ + interchange rate

Merchant One

Learn More

Via Merchant One’s website

Monthly fee

$13.95

Swiped transaction fee

0.29% to 1.55% per transaction

Payment Depot

Learn More

Via Payment Depot’s webiste

Free Trial

No

Offers

$0 Setup & No Cancellation Fees

Pricing

Customized Interchange+ Pricing – Rates as low as 0.2% – 1.95%

Clover

Learn More

Via Clover’s website

Monthly fee

$14.95

Swiped transaction fee

2.6% + 10¢

Best credit card readers for iPhone

  • Square: Best card reader for startups.
  • Clover POS: Best card reader for mobile businesses.
  • Lightspeed: Best card reader for retail businesses.
  • Shopify: Best card reader for online businesses.

Why trust our small business experts

Our team of experts evaluates hundreds of business products and analyzes thousands of data points to help you find the best product for your situation. We use a data-driven methodology to determine each rating. Advertisers do not influence our editorial content. You can read more about our methodology below.

  • 20 companies reviewed.
  • 19 hours of product testing.
  • 760 data points analyzed.

Best card reader for startups

Square

Blueprint Rating
Learn More
Get estimates from participating partners

Monthly fee

$0

Processing fees for card-present transactions

2.6% plus $0.10

Free hardware

Yes

Why it’s the best

Square offers two mobile card readers that are compatible with iPhones, alongside POS software that doesn’t require a monthly fee. The first generation can plug into your iPhone through a headphone jack, and even though you get the first one for free, it only accepts magstripe payments. The second generation connects wirelessly and accepts chip and tap payments, making it a useful upgrade for $59. We’d recommend Square for individual sellers and startups, but since features like payroll and marketing are locked behind subscription tiers, you might find more affordable options as your business scales up.

Pros and cons

Pros
  • Free card reader compatible with headphone jacks and Lightning ports.
  • Point-of-sale (POS) software with no monthly fee.
  • Offline payments acceptance capabilities.
Cons
  • The free card reader only accepts magstripe payments.
  • Extra features for marketing and payroll are paid-only.

Best card reader for mobile businesses

Clover POS

Blueprint Rating
Learn More
Via Clover's website

Monthly fee

$14.95

Processing fees for card-present transactions

2.6% plus $0.10

Free hardware

Yes

Why it’s the best

Clover’s iPhone-compatible mobile card reader is useful for on-the-go entrepreneurs, allowing you to take dip, swipe and tap payments from anywhere. It’s particularly useful for businesses on iOS as the POS software is optimized for iPad screens. iPhone users can also take tap payments directly on their phone with the Clover app. Just bear in mind that you’ll need to be on a paid plan to get hardware with Clover. While you can get a free portable POS when you sign up for a plan, you’ll pay $49.00 for the mobile card reader plus $14.95 per month.

Pros and cons

Pros
  • Accept swiped, dipped and tapped payments with Clover Go.
  • Take payments anywhere, even when offline.
  • Optimized for iPad screens.
Cons
  • Hardware only comes with paid plans.
  • Clover is relatively pricey compared to some other providers.

Best card reader for retail businesses

Lightspeed

Blueprint Rating
Learn More
Via Lightspeed's website

Monthly fee

$89

Processing fees for card-present transactions

2.6% plus $0.10

Free hardware

No

Why it’s the best

Retail businesses can benefit from Lightspeed’s dedicated retail POS and mobile card reader, compatible with iOS devices and costing $99. You’ll be able to accept all payment types, with round-the-clock customer support and an account manager available for help.

There are no free hardware options, however, and the Lean plan is light on features for e-commerce, accounting and reporting. So, we’d recommend this plan for more established retail businesses with software already in place to cover these functions and that will benefit from the bigger investment.

Pros and cons

Pros
  • Mobile tap card reader accepts swiped, dipped and tapped payments.
  • Dedicated point-of-sale system for retail businesses.
  • 24/7 customer support and access to an account manager.
Cons
  • No free hardware options.
  • Lean plan comes without e-commerce, accounting and reporting features.
  • You’ll need to talk to sales to cancel your plan.

Best card reader for online businesses

Shopify

Blueprint Rating
Learn More
Via Shopify's website

Monthly fee

$5

Processing fees for card-present transactions

2.7% plus $0

Free hardware

Yes

Why it’s the best

Shopify is already well-known for its e-commerce platform, so if you’re primarily selling online and want to start accepting in-person payments, it’s a strong start. Shopify offers a chip and tap mobile card reader that connects wirelessly to your iOS device. You’ll even be able to accept payments directly to your iPhone using Shopify’s POS app and the iPhone tap to pay feature. However, you won’t be able to accept offline card payments, so it’s better for businesses already fully online and connected. It’s not the cheapest provider either, so if you don’t need to focus on selling online and in-person, you’ll find better choices elsewhere.

Pros and cons

Pros
  • Offers a tap and chip reader that connects wirelessly to iPhones and iPads.
  • All plans come with a custom online store with Shopify.
  • Accept payments directly on your iPhone without hardware using tap to pay.
Cons
  • Credit card processing fees are 5% on the starter plan.
  • Free card reader is only available for eligible merchants.
  • Can’t accept offline card payments or swiped payments.

Featured credit card processing offers

Stax

Learn More

Via Stax’s website

Monthly fee

$99

Swiped transaction fee

7¢ to 10¢ + interchange rate

Merchant One

Learn More

Via Merchant One’s website

Monthly fee

$13.95

Swiped transaction fee

0.29% to 1.55% per transaction

Payment Depot

Learn More

Via Payment Depot’s webiste

Free Trial

No

Offers

$0 Setup & No Cancellation Fees

Pricing

Customized Interchange+ Pricing – Rates as low as 0.2% – 1.95%

Clover

Learn More

Via Clover’s website

Monthly fee

$14.95

Swiped transaction fee

2.6% + 10¢

Best credit card readers for iPhone comparison

FREE HARDWAREACCEPT ALL PAYMENT TYPESPOS FREE TRIALACCEPT OFFLINE PAYMENTS
Square
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
Clover POS
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
Lightspeed
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Shopify
Yes
No
Yes
No

Methodology

We extensively research the key competitors within an industry to determine the best products and services for your business. Our experts identify the factors that matter most to business owners, including pricing, features and customer support, to ensure that our recommendations offer well-rounded products that will meet the needs of various small businesses.

We collect extensive data to narrow our best list to reputable, easy-to-use products with stand-out features at a reasonable price point. And we look at user reviews to ensure that business owners like you are satisfied with our top picks’ services. We use the same rubric to assess companies within a particular space so you can confidently follow our blueprint to the best credit card readers for iPhone and iPad.

The best iPhone credit card readers have positive user reviews on customer review sites and the Apple App Store. iPhone credit card reader providers should provide customers with fast and reliable support. Using a combination of phone support, live chat and knowledge bases, customers should be able to quickly resolve issues 24/7.

iPhone credit card readers should allow companies to accept mobile and contactless payments as well as offer self-service capabilities for customers to check themselves out. Hardware should integrate with robust software and Apple apps that allow users to manage numerous aspects of their business, including inventory management, reports and analytics, loyalty programs and gift card management.

And the best iPhone and iPad credit card reader providers should offer affordable or free equipment to help businesses begin accepting payments quickly and easily.

What are mobile credit card readers and how do they work?

Mobile card readers let you accept card payments while on the go using your iPhone or other smartphone, usually alongside a payment processing app installed on the phone. Unlike other card readers, which often need to be plugged into a terminal or POS system, a mobile card reader is more suited to businesses that need flexible ways to accept payments.

Mobile card readers work by attaching to your smartphone through either a headphone jack, USB port or wirelessly through Bluetooth. Then you can accept magstripe, chip and contactless card payments, depending on the type of card reader you have. 

The payment processing app on your phone will collect the data and process the payment the way a standard card reader would:

  1. First, the customer pays by card by swiping, inserting or tapping it on the card reader plugged into your phone.
  2. Then, the payment processing app collects data from the card, including the card number, account number, cardholder’s name and card expiry date.
  3. The data is sent to the payment processor, which sends it to the merchant’s bank.
  4. The merchant’s bank communicates with the customer’s bank — the card issuing bank — to verify payment details and availability of funds.
  5. The customer’s bank approves the payment and communicates this with the mobile card reader.
  6. The money is moved from the cardholder’s account to the merchant’s account.

Some payment processor apps also have extra features that let you track and update inventory or issue electronic receipts.

How to choose the best iPhone credit card reader for your business

Finding the best iPhone credit card reader for your business means considering a few different factors to ensure you make the right choice. We recommend you keep the following in mind:

What payment methods you’ll accept

Card payments are usually conducted in one of three ways — swiping the magstripe, inserting the EMV chip or tapping the NFC chip on the card reader:

  • Magstripe payments: The magnetic stripe that runs alongside credit cards is known as a magstripe, and swiping it through a credit card reader is one way to make a payment. It’s the least secure of the three options listed and is being phased out in favor of EMV and NFC payments.
  • EMV chip payments: Mastercard, Visa and Europay credit cards have an EMV chip that is inserted into the card reader before the customer’s PIN is entered. These payments are more secure than magstripe payments, and between July 2022 and June 2023, over 93% of global card-present transactions were made through EMV chip payments.
  • NFC chip payments: The newest and fastest form of credit card payment is contactless using an NFC chip. These are found in modern credit cards as well as smartphones.

Not all iPhone credit card readers accept every single payment type. If you know your customers will likely use a particular payment method, you should ensure you pick an iPhone credit card reader that will accommodate their preferences.

Whether you need extra features

While a mobile card reader that’s compatible with your iPhone can help you take credit card payments on the go, some providers offer extra features such as:

  • Offline payments: It’s helpful when iPhone card readers can accept offline payments as it’s a key part of the flexibility that mobile businesses require.
  • Inventory management: Inventory management features allow you to track your inventory, add products and categories and even manage shipping.
  • Customer tools: With customer-related features, you can reach customers and offer discounts, vouchers and other marketing tools to grow your business. 
  • Business analytics: Some payment processor providers offer business reporting tools to give better insights into your sales and profits. 

The total amount you pay

Consider what iPhone credit card readers fit within your business’s budget. Basic card readers are unlikely to cost more than $100 or $200 — particularly those that plug into your smartphone. But you’ll also need to consider payment processing costs and any other monthly fees you might face. Also evaluate whether the plan you choose is scalable for when your business and customer base grow.

How much do iPhone credit card readers cost?

MOBILE CARD READER COSTPAYMENT PROCESSING FEEMONTHLY FEE
Square
$0
2.6% plus $0.10
$0
Clover POS
$49
2.6% plus $0.10
$14.95
Lightspeed
$99
2.6% plus $0.10
$89
Shopify
$49
2.7% plus $0.00
$5

The total cost of an iPhone credit card reader can be broken down into two key parts:

  • Hardware costs: This is the total cost of the actual card reader itself, and you’ll usually have to pay upfront or through a monthly payment plan. You might even get a mobile card reader for free when signing up for a payment processor plan.
  • Payment processing fees: This is the cost of processing credit card payments, and they’re usually charged as a percentage fee plus a fixed amount per transaction.

Featured credit card processing offers

Stax

Learn More

Via Stax’s website

Monthly fee

$99

Swiped transaction fee

7¢ to 10¢ + interchange rate

Merchant One

Learn More

Via Merchant One’s website

Monthly fee

$13.95

Swiped transaction fee

0.29% to 1.55% per transaction

Payment Depot

Learn More

Via Payment Depot’s webiste

Free Trial

No

Offers

$0 Setup & No Cancellation Fees

Pricing

Customized Interchange+ Pricing – Rates as low as 0.2% – 1.95%

Clover

Learn More

Via Clover’s website

Monthly fee

$14.95

Swiped transaction fee

2.6% + 10¢

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

The best iPhone credit card reader for you depends on the nature of your business and its needs. If you’re primarily an online shop with a limited physical presence you might benefit from Shopify’s focus on e-commerce. Clover Go’s handy portable card reader is a great option for those who are constantly on the move.

Yes, you can use NFC payments on your iPhone or iPad. You can accept contactless payments directly on your iPhone using tap to pay. You’ll just need a payment processing app installed on your phone.

Blueprint is an independent publisher and comparison service, not an investment advisor. The information provided is for educational purposes only and we encourage you to seek personalized advice from qualified professionals regarding specific financial decisions. Past performance is not indicative of future results.

Blueprint has an advertiser disclosure policy. The opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the Blueprint editorial staff alone. Blueprint adheres to strict editorial integrity standards. The information is accurate as of the publish date, but always check the provider’s website for the most current information.

Mehdi Punjwani

BLUEPRINT

Mehdi is a writer and editor with many years of personal finance expertise under his belt. He's a spirited money-saver, with a passion for making personal finance accessible and manageable. When he isn't writing, Mehdi likes to read about history and travel, hike along coastlines and in forests, and watch his beloved team Manchester United underperform.

Alana Rudder

BLUEPRINT

Alana is the deputy editor for USA Today Blueprint's small business team. She has served as a technology and marketing SME for countless businesses, from startups to leading tech firms — including Adobe and Workfusion. She has zealously shared her expertise with small businesses — including via Forbes Advisor and Fit Small Business — to help them compete for market share. She covers technologies pertaining to payroll and payment processing, online security, customer relationship management, accounting, human resources, marketing, project management, resource planning, customer data management and how small businesses can use process automation, AI and ML to more easily meet their goals. Alana has an MBA from Excelsior University.

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