For a low-volume stall, take cards on your phone with Tap to Pay, or add a small Bluetooth card reader. For a busy food stall, a 4G EFTPOS terminal is worth the monthly fee. Lazygrid is our top pick: it's a Kiwi system whose card reader you can rent by the week or buy outright, and it also integrates with NZ EFTPOS terminals if you grow into one. Shopify POS is the pick if you want to take cards on an Android phone with no extra hardware, at a published NZ card rate.
This is our own desk research from vendor pages, help centres and the EFTPOS providers, checked on 5 October 2026. We haven't run a stall with these systems ourselves. See all seven systems we cover in the comparison table.
Three ways to take cards at a stall
Tap to Pay on your phone
Your iPhone or Android phone becomes the card reader: the customer taps their card or phone on yours. No extra hardware. Tap to Pay on iPhone launched in New Zealand in November 2024; Apple named "Adyen, ANZ Bank, Stripe, Windcave and Worldline" as the first payment platforms to offer it.
Options with NZ pages:
- Shopify POS: Shopify's changelog lists New Zealand for Tap to Pay on Android since October 2024. Tap to Pay on iPhone is a different story: in an April 2025 Shopify Community thread, Shopify support told an NZ merchant it wasn't available in New Zealand, so don't plan a market day around it.
- Xero: launched Tap to Pay on iPhone for NZ small businesses with a Stripe account in May 2025, inside the Xero Accounting app. Handy if you don't need a POS at all.
- Windcave: offers Tap to Pay on iPhone in New Zealand. It doesn't publish a price on its announcement.
The limits: you need a signal, and it only takes contactless cards and phone wallets.
A Bluetooth card reader
A small reader pairs with your phone or iPad and takes tap or chip and PIN. Lazygrid sells the Stripe WisePad 3 for NZ$199, or rents it for NZ$50 a week including a week of Lazygrid POS, plus freight from NZ$11 each way and a card deposit that's held and released (GST isn't stated on these prices). It takes Visa and Mastercard credit and debit cards, and Apple Pay and Google Pay. Shopify's NZ hardware page points to its own compatible card readers; check current NZ models and prices with Shopify. Hike sells a HikePay Reader, priced in AUD on its NZ hardware page. More in our mobile POS guide.
A 4G EFTPOS terminal (rent, buy or hire for the day)
A proper EFTPOS terminal with its own SIM, from Windcave, Shift4 (formerly Smartpay) or Eftpos NZ. It's the sturdiest option, and it has an offline mode for when the signal drops. If your POS integrates with it, the sale amount is sent across automatically. See our EFTPOS terminal guide, our Shift4 integration guide and, if you only trade now and then, our EFTPOS rental guide.
Integrated EFTPOS for our picks: Lazygrid: Windcave, Eftpos NZ (Verifone), Shift4 (formerly Smartpay). Shopify POS: No built-in NZ EFTPOS integration (available via the paid OrderMate app). Loyverse: Shift4 (formerly Smartpay), iOS only. Hike: HikePay, Eftpos NZ (Verifone), Windcave. Shopify's EFTPOS situation is explained in our Shopify POS and EFTPOS guide.
What it costs
Published prices, as checked on 5 October 2026:
| Option | Published price |
|---|---|
| Stripe (Tap to Pay or reader; used by Xero and Lazygrid's reader) | From 2.6% + NZ$0.05 per domestic card transaction, + 0.1% for international cards, + NZ$0.15 per Tap to Pay authorisation |
| Shopify Payments, in person (Basic plan) | 1.8% |
| Lazygrid WisePad 3 reader | NZ$199 to buy, or NZ$50 a week to rent (POS included), freight from NZ$11 each way (GST not stated) |
| Eftpos NZ mPOS device | $29 to $38 + GST a month, plus network fee $15.00 + GST (Verifone) or $18.90 + GST (Paymark), plus SIM $12.95 + GST unless included |
| Shift4 Low Cost Tap & Pay | Free Android terminal rental, subject to a minimum monthly turnover; merchant fee about 1% per Shift4's cost guide |
Shift4's offer also lets you surcharge automatically, so the customer covers the card fee. POS software on top: Lazygrid NZ$27.60/mo incl. GST, Shopify POS ≈ NZ$80/mo incl. GST, Loyverse Free, Hike ≈ NZ$121/mo incl. GST. Our EFTPOS fees guide and true cost calculator put it together.
No signal at the market?
Tap to Pay and Bluetooth readers need a connection. A 4G EFTPOS terminal can keep going offline, but only for inserted or swiped NZ cards, up to $300 a sale, with no contactless or refunds; our food truck picks list every limit.
On the POS side: Lazygrid Partial; Shopify POS Yes; Hike Yes; Loyverse Partial (you can keep selling, but integrated terminals stop and refunds are disabled). Bring a cash float either way.
Selling by weight at a market
If you sell fruit, honey, cheese or anything else by weight, your scale must follow the same rules as a shop's. Trading Standards: equipment "must be of an approved type and stamped with a mark of verification", and the rule covers "stalls, itinerant vendors". The check has to be done by "a Trading Standards Officer or an Accredited Person" before you use the scale for trade. A yearly certificate of accuracy is optional: Trading Standards says keeping one current "is voluntary", though it may give you a defence if your scale is ever found to be inaccurate. Our scanner scales guide has more.
Running a food truck rather than a stall? See our food truck picks. Opening a shop? See retail.
Read our Lazygrid review. Read our Shopify POS review. Read our Loyverse review. Read our Hike review.