Do food trucks accept credit cards?
Most American consumers use credit and debit card payments when shopping. Fewer people are carrying cash in their wallets, so it’s crucial for businesses to accept plastic if they want to succeed.
However, many small establishments like hot dog stands and small convenience stores still run on cash-only models.
But what about food trucks? Do food trucks accept credit cards?
In short, yes - food trucks accept credit cards if they want to. With mobile payment processing options and modern point of sale systems, nearly any food truck owner is capable of accepting credit and debit cards.
How can food trucks accept non-cash payments?
Swiping a credit card is effortless, but how do the funds go from the consumer to the merchant?
It starts with the payment processor. This intermediary facilitates the transaction by communicating with banks and credit card companies. In just a matter of seconds, the payment processor verifies the card details, obtains permission to transfer the funds, and then sends the funds to the business’s merchant account.
A food truck can use a payment processor to accept credit, debit, gift cards, and even contactless payments. All the operator needs to do is obtain a payment terminal from a merchant services company and connect it to their point of sale system. With this device, customers can insert or tap their credit and debit cards to pay.
What’s more, food trucks can accept credit cards via an online ordering platform. With a service like Epos Now Order & Pay, customers can place an order online, schedule a pickup time, and then pay.
Why don’t some food trucks accept credit cards?
Many businesses in addition to food trucks are hesitant to accept card payments because of the added fees. Payment processors typically charge a certain percentage per transaction.
For example, a business might pay 2.5% to the payment processor on any purchase. So if a customer orders $100 of food, the food truck will pay $2.5 in fees.
These payment processing fees can be quite high, especially since the average food truck order is under $20. On top of this, food truck profit margins are low, so a business can actually lose money on order if the credit card fees are too high.
For this reason, many food trucks have a minimum order value for credit card purchases. Typically, this is around $10.
Take credit card payments with Epos Now
If you run a food truck and want to cater to a wider audience, you will need reliable payment hardware. Epos Now offers several solutions for food trailers, including a complete food truck POS or mobile POS for this type of business. With our systems and payment processing partners, you can serve more customers by accepting all major credit and debit cards.
On top of this, Epos Now systems can:
- Manage your inventory in real-time
- Track staff working hours
- Synchronize with accounting software
- Integrate with over 100 applications
