Money on the Move: The Best Payment Set-Up for Mobile Businesses & Market Stalls

Can you take contactless card payments with just your mobile phone? Yes! Until last year, accepting contactless card payments on your phone required you to have a mobile credit card reader either plugged into your phone or connected via Bluetooth. Now, thanks to the latest smartphone technology, you don’t need any extra hardware, all you need is a mobile app that's enabled with Tap to Pay technology, that allows you to accept card payments directly from your phone. What is it called when you take contactless card payments on your mobile phone? The process of accepting a contactless payment on your phone (using its inbuilt technology, not a mobile card reader) is known as ‘ Tap to Pay ’. This term applies to both iPhone and Android devices that are using a financial services app – such as  Zeller App  – to accept contactless credit and debit cards and digital wallets. Can you use any smartphone as an EFTPOS terminal? Only selected iPhone and Android smartphones, with built-in  NFC technology  will support Tap to Pay. What app lets you take EFTPOS payments on your phone? There are a number of different payment apps that can be downloaded from the  App Store  or  Google Play Store  that support Tap to Pay. Zeller App is a great option for Australian businesses looking for a simple, affordable, and scalable platform to accept EFTPOS payments and manage their finances as they grow. Merchants wishing to take payments on their phone will simply need to download their selected app, and follow the steps to configure their device. Once configured, they can then start accepting EFTPOS payments immediately. Is it safe to take EFTPOS payments on your mobile phone? Taking contactless payments on your mobile phone relies on ‘ Near Field Communication ’, or NFC – the same technology that is used for making payments with a mobile wallet. Account information is transmitted from a customer’s card or mobile wallet to the payment processor via radio waves within a very close range, and once received, the processor uses the information to complete the transaction. By virtue of the fact that NFC only works within a couple of centimetres, it makes it incredibly difficult for a potential fraudster to intercept the transaction and steal sensitive information. Tap to Pay on both Android and iPhone via the Zeller App offers highly secure contactless payments that adhere to global security standards. Both platforms support various card types, regularly verify device security, include secure PIN processes and use advanced technology to ensure every transaction is not only convenient but also protected, maintaining the privacy and safety of user information. Additionally, Tap to Pay on iPhone ensures secure transactions through Apple's unique features, such as issuing decryption keys after thorough validation and leveraging the iPhone's built-in security element. How much does it cost to take contactless card payment on your mobile phone? Tap to Pay technology is facilitated by payment apps, each of which have their own pricing structures. The cost of taking card payments on your phone will therefore depend on which app you choose to process these payments. Zeller, for example, offers one low flat transaction fee of 1.4% for all cards, including American Express. The advantage of Zeller is that it is one of the few payment apps that also lets you pass the transaction fee onto your customer through surcharging . If you choose to surcharge, you will incur no fee whatsoever for accepting contactless payments on your phone. I need to take contactless card payments immediately, what should I do? If you want to be able to use your phone like an EFTPOS terminal within a few hours, it’s important that you choose a payment app that has a simple, online sign-up process. All the payment apps will require you to have an account with them first, and in the case of the banks, this will mean  opening a business bank account  which may take several days and an in-person branch visit. With Zeller, you can open an account online, within a matter of minutes – no paperwork required. Once your Zeller Account is up and running, you simply need to download Zeller App, enable Tap to Pay on your device, and you’re ready to start taking card payments on your smartphone. What are the advantages of accepting contactless card payments on your mobile phone? It’s affordable Not all businesses can justify the upfront cost of an EFTPOS terminal, especially if they are not processing a large volume of in-person payments. Being able to use hardware that you already own is therefore a much more cost-effective solution. It allows new businesses or very small businesses to get up and running without the outlay of having to purchase an EFTPOS terminal. It’s mobile For mobile businesses that take in-person payments, having to carry a bulky EFTPOS machine around with you is inconvenient. Using your mobile phone as a payment terminal means you can keep it in your pocket and enjoy being hands-free. It’s great for emergencies For businesses that use a traditional EFTPOS machine, having an app installed and configured to take payments on your phone means that if there’s ever a day when your terminal lets you down or when you have a surge in customers, you won’t miss a beat. In the case of an outage or damaged EFTPOS machine, rather than having to revert to cash-only payments – which will almost certainly lead to lost sales in this day and age – you can keep trading as per usual by simply using your phone. Are there any other hardware-free payment options? In addition to Tap to Pay, there’s another simple solution for taking card payments instantly with no hardware required: Virtual Terminal. If you need a way to charge customers, but in-person payments aren’t possible, this is a great alternative.  Zeller Virtual Terminal  is a web-based tool that lets you take payments over the phone (as well as mail order, fax, or email) by manually entering a customer’s card details into your browser. Alternatively, merchants have the option of sending customers a secure payment link via email or SMS, where they can enter their card details themselves from their own device. Meet Zeller: an all-in-one financial services provider. When you  sign up for a free Zeller Account  today, not only will you be able to start taking card payments on your phone, you will also gain access to a suite of financial services, from a Zeller Transaction Account to debit cards, invoicing, virtual terminal and more. It only takes a few minutes to sign up, and it’s all done online – no paperwork or branch-visits required.

Starting your own business is a daunting undertaking for anyone, but arguably more so when you’re doing it solo, in a foreign country, at just 24 years of age. But Sebastian Fernández Mackenzie has done just that, launching a mobile car washing venture after noticing a gap in the market. Turning to Instagram, Airtasker and Zeller to market his business, find customers, take payments and manage his finances, this digital native is setting the tone for a new generation of app-wielding entrepreneurs. Where others may have seen red tape, prohibitive overheads and an unknown market, Sebastian Fernández Mackenzie saw an opportunity. The young car enthusiast moved to Melbourne from his native Chile in 2021, following his partner who was relocating there to study. “I wanted the time that I have here in Australia to be spent doing something I really like,” he explains. “I love cars. When I was younger, my dad was always restoring cars, I used to help him clean them and polish all the parts,” he explains. Having learnt how to detail his own car from YouTube videos, he began offering the service to his family. It wasn’t until he arrived in Australia, that the hobby evolved into a business idea: “I realised that there were a lot of mobile car detailing businesses, but very few that also provide water and power. That's where I saw there was an opportunity. So I thought, “I’ll just go for it.” Shoulder to the wheel. And go for it he did, at full throttle. He worked for two years as a food delivery driver and a labourer on construction sites and unloading shipping containers to finance the business, then bought a car and sourced all the materials, “I had to buy the hoses, the air compressor, the generator, the water tanks, the cleaning products… all that came to about $3000.” Eventually he registered his ABN under the new name, Seb’s Mobile Car Wash . Then he started building his network, through word of mouth and by applying for jobs on Airtasker – an online platform that connects people who need tasks done with skilled workers. But he wasn’t in a hurry to recoup his costs just yet, he was prepared to work for free simply to help him build up his content, “I just wanted the opportunity to take photos that I could post to Instagram,” he explains. Rather than a website, he plans to use Instagram to build his following and drive new business to his online booking system. “I want there to be a lot of communication with clients through social media,” he explains, “Eventually I’d like to start sharing car detailing tutorials as well”. Premium service down to the last detail. While Seb is still growing his social media presence, his dedication to premium quality service is what has already gained him a steady stream of loyal clients, including a team of Albert Park real estate agents. When they entrusted him with a 2023 Porsche Cayenne GTS, Seb couldn’t pass up the opportunity to give it the full detailing service, for the price of a regular wash. “They were stoked with the service,” he says, “They knew I’d given it the attention it deserves and cleaned it the proper way.” For those less automotively informed, the “proper way” to wash a car is to use cleaning products specifically fit for purpose. “You have to use a pre-wash to remove the dirt, then a soap, a special cleaner for the wheels, for the glass, for the seats,” says Seb, “When you go to bigger commercial hand car washes, they buy their products in bulk, and most of the time, they’re made with strong chemicals that can be really harmful for the paint,” he explains. For Seb, attention to detail also extends beyond just the car; he leaves his customers small gifts such as bottles of water, mints and lollies, and ensures his clients never receive the same gift twice. Driving positive cash flow. To complement the seamless customer service, Seb adopted Tap to Pay with Zeller App as soon as it was released in Australia. He knew that this technology – that lets you use your smartphone like an EFTPOS machine – had been available in the US for a while, so when Zeller announced its launch in October, 2023, Seb signed up immediately. “I’d already spent thousands of dollars on setting up my business, I didn’t want to have to pay for an EFTPOS terminal . I’d rather spend that money on cleaning products, plus it’s not convenient for a mobile business” he explains. Before using Tap to Pay, Seb was receiving payments in cash, via bank transfer and via invoice, but none of them gave him the security or the convenience he was looking for, “Back then I didn’t have my regular clients, I was sending invoices to people I’d just met. I’d have to send reminders, and one person took three days to pay me,” he explains. “I don’t like to carry cash, and I don’t want to have to send people to an ATM.” Now his clients simply tap their card or mobile wallet to his phone, and the payment is processed instantly. Meticulous money management. Having signed up for Zeller on his phone while on a lunch break, he knew that managing his finances through the platform was going to be simple: “I just followed the link and started signing up. It was really easy. It wasn’t a headache with lots of details and IDs and stuff, it was really quick.” Now he manages all his business finances from his phone using the Zeller App . “I settle funds into the Zeller Transaction Account , it means I don’t have to wait for them to be transferred to another account. It’s really convenient,” he says. Being a foreigner, he’s extra cautious about declaring his income, and ensuring his finances are in order: “I don’t want to have any issues with taxes. I want to keep a clear record of all my transactions,” he says. As such, his Zeller Debit Card is loaded into his mobile wallet, which he uses for all business-related expenses and to which he can upload notes and receipts to help his monthly reconciliation. For sole traders and entrepreneurs like Seb, modern apps are removing the barrier to entry to launching a business. Where once it would have been near impossible to open a business bank account without extensive paperwork and branch visits, Zeller now lets you do it from your phone in a matter of minutes. And while it would have once been inconceivable not to have a website, online platforms like Instagram and Airtasker are proving more than sufficient at driving awareness and finding new clients. As is the case with Tap to Pay, more tech tools are still emerging that are changing the way we approach doing business, paving a new frontier for entrepreneurs and business owners of the future.

Mobile wallets are quickly gaining traction in Australia — but do you understand how the technology actually works? These days, Australians are using their mobile phones to make money, save money and invest money. You’re probably familiar with how apps like eBay, Gumtree, and Raiz work, and comfortable using at least a couple of them. But what about the technology that lets your customers spend money at your business using their mobile phones? Many of the major tech players have built their own mobile wallets that allow for contactless payment, such as Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Samsung Pay. These mobile wallets make it possible for a customer to pay for goods or services through their phone, smartwatch, or other device, no physical contact required. It’s a convenient, quick, and sanitary way to take payment. Take a peek inside your customers’ wallets A mobile wallet  gives your customers the ability to pay via a trusted device. Also known as digital wallets or eWallets, mobile wallets are a driving force behind the “cashless” fintech trend . There are a couple of key players you should know about. What is Apple Pay? Apple Pay is Apple’s own mobile wallet. The Apple Pay mobile wallet works on Apple devices, including the iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Mac. When Apple Pay launched back in 2014, it was described as “ revolutionary ”; Apple Pay promised (and delivered) a secure, simple way to pay via a mobile device. What is Google Pay? Google’s mobile wallet, developed shortly after Apple Pay, works on most Android phones. Google Pay was originally known as Android Pay, and is almost an identical offering to its Apple counterpart. What is Samsung Pay? Samsung eventually caught up with the pack in 2016, when it released its own mobile wallet: Samsung Pay. As a relatively recent newcomer, Samsung Pay isn’t available in as many countries as Apple Pay or Google Pay. However, it is supported in Australia. There are a number of other mobile wallets available on the App Store and Google Play Store, including Fitbit Pay and Garmin Pay which work on wearable devices (i.e. smart watches). While there are some minor differences between mobile wallets, the main purpose remains the same: to allow a customer pay contactlessly. It’s all possible thanks to Near Field Communication (NFC) technology, and if you’re going to accept contactless payments in your business, you should really know how it all works. What is “contactless payment”? Contactless payment is exactly what it sounds like: a way of paying without human contact. It’s often described as “tap-and-go” payment. To pay contactlessly, a customer taps their card or trusted device to an EFTPOS terminal. The EFTPOS terminal then reads the credit or debit card information and charges the customer’s account. Australians use contactless payment more often than any other country in the world; four in five pay contactlessly at least once a week. In fact, Australians are so used to being able to pay contactless that when a business doesn’t accept contactless payments, one third feel inconvenienced (and some will even avoid those businesses altogether). There are a number of benefits for both the paying customer and the business accepting payment contactlessly. Transactions are faster This innovative payment method makes in-store transactions even faster, because customers can simply tap their device instead of inserting it. That means a quicker customer turnover, positioning merchants to make more money in a shorter period of time, and a better customer experience. The technology behind contactless payments also makes the transaction fast from a technical perspective. We’ll dive deeper into this in just a moment. Customer information is less visible Contactless payment is also designed to be safer than traditional payment methods, as a customer’s physical card is never handed over to the person taking payment. Tapping a card only takes a second or two, meaning the card number is much less visible to strangers. When accepting contactless payment through a mobile device, the card number isn’t visible at all. A customer simply has to tap their device to the EFTPOS terminal. Mobile wallets are more secure There’s an extra element of security protecting payments through mobile wallets: tokenization. This is the technology that keeps a customer's bank details safe in their mobile wallet. Put simply, tokenization is the process of replacing sensitive card data with a series of randomly generated numbers: a “token”. Even if a fraudster managed to get around the protective measures already in place on a mobile device (such as a fingerprint scanner, password or facial recognition technology), they would not be able to access card data. Want more details? Here’s how it usually works: A customer takes a picture of their credit or debit card, and loads it into their mobile wallet. Their mobile wallet provider sends the details to the card’s issuing bank or network, where the details are then replaced with a random token. This token is then sent back to the mobile wallet provider, and from there the token is programmed into the mobile wallet – effectively rendering the mobile wallet useless to fraudsters. Contactless payments are safer On top of being faster and safer, accepting payments contactlessly is a more sanitary option. The COVID-19 pandemic has made many people realise just how often they come into close contact with strangers every day, and passing money back and forth is one of the ways they do that. The average banknote lasts about eight years before it deteriorates and becomes unfit for use — consider how many hands may touch a banknote throughout its lifespan. By using contactless payment options, customers can pay for your products or services without direct contact, keeping themselves and your business safe. Now you know the benefits of contactless payment, it’s important to explain how NFC technology makes it possible. What is NFC technology, and how does it work? Do you have your Alexa or Google device connected to your smartphone via Bluetooth, or your computer connected to your printer wirelessly over Wi-Fi? These devices recognise each other, and communicate over radio waves. NFC technology works in a similar way. When a customer makes a purchase using NFC technology, their card or device transmits account information via radio waves to the payment processor. Once received, the processor uses the information to complete the transaction. You may be wondering how the payment processor is able to charge the customer’s card without ever physically touching it. The answer is in the name of the technology: “near field.” The device transmitting payment information (i.e. the customer’s card or mobile device) has to be within a few centimetres of the device on the receiving end (i.e. your EFTPOS terminal). It’s this requirement for close proximity that makes contactless payments a secure option. If the transaction could be completed from further away, that could lead to the payment processor charging the wrong customer’s card. An advantage of NFC technology is that it processes payments incredibly quickly. The payment processor has inductive coupling capabilities, which means it can automatically recognise an appropriate device without a manual connection. When a customer pays for something with NFC technology, it takes a few seconds or less — allowing for a frictionless, speedy exchange. Accept payments the way your customers expect Now that you understand how NFC technology works, you can feel more comfortable accepting contactless payments from your customers. At Zeller, we're reimagining business banking. Our next-gen EFTPOS Terminal accepts tapped, dipped, and swiped payments, as well as mobile wallets, so you can accept payment however it is most convenient for your customer.