# POS / TPE / mPOS / SoftPOS

> POS, TPE, mPOS, SoftPOS — card acceptance terminals

The family of in-person acceptance solutions. The traditional terminal (Ingenico, Verifone), mPOS (a Bluetooth reader + smartphone, e.g. SumUp), SoftPOS (Tap to Pay on the merchant's own phone, with no dedicated hardware).

_Category: technique_

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## Definition

The **POS / TPE / mPOS / SoftPOS** family covers the solutions that let a merchant accept a card payment in person:

- **POS** (_Point of Sale_) — the generic "till" term, the whole checkout + payment ecosystem.
- **TPE** (_Terminal de Paiement Électronique_, the French term for an electronic payment terminal) — the dedicated physical terminal (Ingenico, Verifone, Castles): chip reader, NFC, screen, PIN pad.
- **mPOS** (_mobile POS_) — a mini Bluetooth reader driven by a smartphone app (SumUp, Square, Zettle).
- **SoftPOS** (_software POS_, or Tap to Pay) — the merchant's own phone becomes the NFC terminal, with no reader at all.

## Quick comparison

| | Traditional terminal | mPOS | SoftPOS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hardware | Full terminal | Mini reader + smartphone | Smartphone only |
| Upfront cost | €200–500 or €15–30/month | €30–80 | €0 |
| Typical MDR | 0.5–1.5% | 1.5–2.75% | 1.75–2.75% |
| Setup | 1 to 4 weeks | < 1 day | < 30 minutes |
| Acceptance | EMV + NFC + PIN | EMV + NFC + PIN | NFC only |
| Certification | PCI-PTS | PCI-PTS + PCI-DSS | PCI MPoC |
| Players | Ingenico, Verifone, Worldline | SumUp, Square, Zettle | Stripe, Adyen, Worldline |

## The terminal: the historical standard

A terminal combines an EMV chip reader, an NFC antenna (since 2015), a secure PIN pad (PCI-PTS certified), a screen, connectivity (4G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth) and often a printer. Dominant brands: Ingenico (Worldline), Verifone, Castles, PAX, Newland.

## mPOS: the small-merchant revolution

Launched by Square in the US (2010) and iZettle in Europe (2011, acquired by PayPal in 2018), mPOS democratised acceptance for small merchants, tradespeople and freelancers: no commitment or rental, a mobile app driving the Bluetooth reader, integrated management (catalogue, invoices, reporting) and acquiring included. Players in Europe: SumUp (the European leader), Zettle (PayPal), myPOS, Square, Smile&Pay.

## SoftPOS / Tap to Pay: zero hardware

The most recent evolution (Android since 2020, iPhone since 2022): the merchant's phone sends and receives NFC, with no reader. Acceptance is limited to NFC (no chip insertion), with the PIN entered on screen via a software PIN pad certified to PCI MPoC (a PCI-SSC standard launched in 2022). Players in France: Stripe Tap to Pay, Adyen Tap to Pay, Worldline Tap on Mobile, myPOS Glass, SumUp Air Tap.

## SoftPOS on iPhone: the Apple partnership

Long closed off, the iPhone opened up with Tap to Pay: first in the US (2022), then the UK (2023), France (November 2023) and other European countries in 2025. Limited to iPhone XS+ (iOS 16.4+), with certification of merchant apps and mandatory routing through a partner PSP (Stripe, Adyen, Worldline). The result: a delivery rider, a caterer or a market trader can accept a card or Apple Pay with their iPhone alone.

## What these solutions are not

- **Not a business account**: a terminal must be tied to a payment account (with the acquiring PSP or a third party).
- **Not a full till**: the terminal handles only the payment; the till (catalogue, receipt, tax) belongs to POS software (Lightspeed, Tiller, L'Addition).
- **Not universal**: SoftPOS does not read the chip — for a card without NFC, a classic mPOS is needed.
- **Not exempt from France's 2018 finance law**: every merchant must use certified till software (NF525 or a vendor attestation), including for mPOS and SoftPOS.

## Within the PSD2 ecosystem

All these devices apply card SCA: EMV PIN, NFC < €50 with counters, or a biometric wallet. The acquiring PSPs behind them (Stripe, Adyen, Worldline) handle 3DS2 for any associated MOTO or e-commerce payments.

```mermaid
flowchart LR
    PORTEUR["Cardholder"]

    subgraph TPE_FAM["Terminal family"]
        TPE["Traditional terminal<br/>Ingenico, Verifone"]
        MPOS["mPOS<br/>SumUp, Zettle, Square"]
        SOFTPOS["SoftPOS / Tap to Pay<br/>Stripe, Adyen, Worldline"]
    end

    PSP_ACQ["Acquiring PSP"]
    SCHEME["Scheme<br/>(Visa / MC / CB)"]
    EMETTEUR["Issuer"]

    PORTEUR -->|"Card / Apple Pay"| TPE_FAM
    TPE_FAM --> PSP_ACQ
    PSP_ACQ --> SCHEME
    SCHEME --> EMETTEUR
```

## Real-world examples

- **Traditional terminal**: a café, restaurant or bakery uses an Ingenico Move 5000 or a Verifone V200c rented from Worldline (€20–30/month + an MDR of 0.5–1.5%).
- **mPOS**: a freelancer or a food truck uses a SumUp Air (€29) or a Square Reader (€39), at ~1.75% per transaction, with no commitment.
- **SoftPOS**: with Stripe Tap to Pay on iPhone, a merchant turns on the feature from their dashboard and accepts a card over NFC with no hardware — €0 of equipment.
- **Omnichannel**: Adyen offers the same integration for terminals, mPOS, SoftPOS and e-commerce — all transactions in a single dashboard.
- **Market**: ~30 million terminals in Europe; mPOS accounts for 5–10% of the installed base, and SoftPOS still < 1% but growing fast since 2024.
- **Hidden costs**: a traditional terminal often needs a 4G SIM (€5–10/month); mPOS and SoftPOS rely on the smartphone's connectivity.
- **Evolution**: convergence of till + payment + accounting (Square, Lightspeed, Tiller), and SoftPOS that could replace most mPOS among the smallest merchants.

## Sources

- [Apple lance Tap to Pay sur iPhone en France](https://www.apple.com/fr/newsroom/2023/11/apple-introduces-tap-to-pay-on-iphone-in-france/) — Apple, 2023-11-14
- [PCI Mobile Payments on COTS (MPoC) Standard](https://pcisecuritystandards.org/standards/mobile-payments-on-cots-mpoc) — PCI Security Standards Council, 2022
- [Worldline completes acquisition of Ingenico](https://worldline.com/en/home/pressroom/press-releases/2020/pr-2020_10_30_01.html) — Worldline, 2020-10-30

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Source: https://openfinanceguide.com/en/glossary/pos-tpe