What is mPOS? A guide to mobile point of sale

mPOS (mobile point of sale) is a wireless payment device that processes payments. It allows you to accept payments anywhere, as long as there is an internet connection. This means you can move around freely and meet your customers where they are the moment they’re ready to pay.

No more queues

mPOS devices are a simple way of eliminating queues as payments can be made the moment customers decide to buy. Learn how Lush eliminated queues and improved the customer experience.

No more fixed point of sale

mPOS is used in the luxury industry to quickly and discreetly handle payments without detracting magic from the experience. Learn how Bijenkorf created a seamless shopping experience for their customers.

Take payments outside

With mPOS, you’re not limited to a static indoor register system and can accept payments wherever you go.

Easy to get going

Quickly get started with mPOS by easily integrating a standalone option. There’s no need to negotiate database licenses, which is great for pop-ups but also for piloting large-scale roll-outs. The overhead of running a pilot is low since all you need are the terminals, and because they run independently from your existing POS setup, you don’t risk any downtime.

Since mPOS is a subcategory of POS, their basic processes are the same: the sales associate scans the products’ barcodes, the POS system calculates the final price and the customer pays with one of the payment methods you’ve set up, such as card, digital wallet, or cash. Once the mPOS systems process the payment, the transaction is complete, and the inventory system is updated.

While they all facilitate in-person transactions, the difference lies in mobility, connectivity, and business functionality. A traditional POS (Point of Sale) refers to the standalone hardware setup, such as a fixed till and card reader, designed to ring up sales and process payments at the counter. EPOS (Electronic Point of Sale) builds on this with connected digital software, linking your payment terminals directly to real-time inventory management, CRM, accounting, and unified commerce reporting. Meanwhile, mPOS (Mobile Point of Sale) turns smartphones, dedicated handheld terminals, or tablets into portable checkout stations that let your staff take payments anywhere on the shop floor, table-side, or at pop-up events.

mPOS payments have the same level of security as any other in-person payments solution. All customer payment data is encrypted and stored in the cloud and not on the device.

To add an extra level of security, most mPOS solutions are PCI compliant. But with Adyen, all devices are PCI certified.

All businesses are unique and require solutions that match their needs. Different mPOS devices have different setups, so certain types might be better suited for your business than others.

For instance, if you want to be able to print receipts, an mPOS like Verifone V210 or Castles S1F2 that include a printer might be the best option for you.

However, if being mobile is your priority, you should probably choose a smaller terminal like AMS1, NYC1, Castles S1E, or maybe even Tap to Pay on iPhone.

If you want to have all your applications, like payment processing, inventory management, and loyalty programs on one device, then maybe Tap to Pay on iPhone or an Android mPOS like NYC1, AMS1, Castles S1E, or Castles S1F2 might be right for you.

It’s important to gather as much information as possible before making a decision on which device to choose. Learn everything you need to know about in-person payment solutions here.

For businesses in the UK and Ireland, choosing an mPOS setup means designing around local payment habits and compliance rules.

Reliable connectivity matters: whether you're trading from a busy high street or a rural outdoor festival, mPOS terminals with 4G/5G roaming SIMs and offline processing keep you taking payments through network dropouts. UK and Irish consumer protection rules also ban surcharging consumer debit or credit card transactions, so pricing on mPOS devices needs to stay transparent with no card-based add-on fees.

In hospitality, where digital tipping prompts on handheld devices can meaningfully boost staff gratuities, linking mPOS to a unified commerce platform keeps in-person sales, click-and-collect, and digital receipts syncing cleanly with central reporting and tax records.