Cheap Card Reader for Salons & Food Trucks in Norway

If you need to take cards at the hairdresser's chair, from a food truck or at a market stall, SumUp Solo Lite is usually the cheapest card reader that actually works. It is a small card reader that pairs with your phone over Bluetooth, and together with the free SumUp Business app it accepts cards, Apple Pay and Google Pay almost anywhere. You pay 1.49% per payment, with no monthly fee and no lock-in, and you can buy it at Elkjøp and be up and running the same day.

The reason Solo Lite suits mobile and seasonal businesses so well is that it costs little to own and nothing to leave idle. If you have a quiet week at the market or a slow month in the salon, you do not pay a single krone in fixed fees

• only the low percentage when you actually sell something. Below we go through

why the reader suits hairdressers, food trucks, market stalls, pop-ups and tradespeople, and when you should instead choose a more powerful device.

What makes Solo Lite the cheapest card reader?

Solo Lite is the cheapest because it drops its own screen and connection: your phone does the work, so you pay just 1.49% per payment.

SumUp Solo Lite is a card reader, not a full point-of-sale system. It does one thing well: taking payments. Your phone does the work of the screen and connection, and that is exactly why the reader is cheaper than a standalone terminal. You control the amount, the receipt and your sales overview from the SumUp Business app, while the reader handles the card and the PIN. If you want the full explanation, read how Solo Lite works.

The device is small enough to fit in a pocket or an apron, has a durable Gorilla Glass screen, and the battery lasts a full working day under steady use - enough for around 1,000 payments on one charge. SumUp Solo Lite accepts the payment methods Norwegian customers actually use: chip and PIN, contactless payments, Apple Pay and Google Pay on both Visa and Mastercard.

The table below shows why Solo Lite lands so well for mobile and seasonal businesses:

Hairdressers, salons and clinics: taking payment at the chair

For a hairdresser or a small salon, SumUp Solo Lite is often more than enough. You take payment where the customer sits, or at the front desk, without a big checkout counter in the way. The app lets you enter treatments as fixed items, add tips and send a receipt by SMS or email - handy when the customer wants the receipt straight to their phone.

If you run a small clinic or a salon with a couple of chairs, you avoid tying yourself to an expensive terminal contract for something you might use a handful of times a day. You can order Solo Lite from Elkjøp, pair it with your phone and take your first card payment the same afternoon.

Food truck, market and pop-up: cards on the move

On a food truck, a market stall or a pop-up, two things count: that SumUp Solo Lite survives a full day without a charger, and that you do not pay for quiet spells. The reader solves both. The battery lasts a full working day and around 1,000 payments per charge, and since there is no monthly fee or lock-in, a quiet week at the market costs you nothing in fixed expenses.

Remember that Solo Lite draws its connection from your phone over Bluetooth - it has no SIM card of its own. If you sell somewhere with poor coverage, you should check that your phone has signal, or consider a standalone device with its own connection. For the vast majority of food trucks and stalls with normal mobile coverage this is no problem, and you can see the full SumUp range at Elkjøp before your next market.

Tradespeople and services at the customer's home

If you are an electrician, a plumber, a mobile nail technician or deliver a service at the customer's home, you will often want to take payment on the spot rather than send an invoice and wait. Then SumUp Solo Lite is a good fit: it fits in a pocket or a tool bag, and you control everything from the phone you carry anyway.

Funds land in your SumUp business account, and with next-business-day payouts you have your takings quickly available. For a sole trader or a small firm with a varying workload, it makes good financial sense to pay only the low percentage per payment, rather than a fixed monthly fee that runs whether you have work or not. If you want to see what Solo Lite costs to run, you will find the full breakdown of fee and payouts there.

How to get started with Solo Lite

Getting started takes a few minutes, and you need neither a contract nor paperwork:

1. Download the app. Get the free SumUp Business app on your phone or tablet and create a profile.
2. Pair the reader with your phone. Turn on Solo Lite and connect it over Bluetooth. It takes a couple of minutes.
3. Add your items. Enter treatments or products in advance so sales go faster in a busy queue.
4. Take a payment. Enter the amount and let the customer tap or insert their card. The receipt is sent by SMS or email.
5. Get paid. Funds land in your SumUp business account, with next-business-day payouts.

When should you choose Terminal or Register instead?

Choose Solo Lite if you only take cards through your phone. Need a receipt printer and built-in 4G? Choose SumUp Terminal; a fixed counter calls for SumUp Register.

SumUp Solo Lite is the affordable entry point, but it does not suit everything. If you need to print a paper receipt on the spot, or you want a device that works without a phone and with its own 4G connection, look at SumUp Terminal, a standalone all-in-one device with a built-in receipt printer. If you run a fixed counter with inventory, staff and a need for a full point-of-sale system, SumUp Register is a better choice. Not sure which model fits? The overview of where to buy SumUp in Norway lines up all three.

One honest caveat whichever you choose: SumUp runs Norwegian debit cards as Visa or Mastercard, not over BankAxept. For most small, mobile and seasonal businesses that makes no practical difference, but BankAxept is still widely used in Norway:

"BankAxept accounted for 49% of transactions made with Norwegian cards in 2024." - Norges Bank, Retail payment services 2024

If you run a shop with very high card volume, it is worth working out the total cost against a traditional bank terminal with BankAxept. For the hairdresser's chair, the food truck and the market stall, SumUp Solo Lite still wins on low price and zero lock-in.

Ready to take cards where you sell? See all SumUp products at Elkjøp and get going today.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which card reader is best for a food truck?

For most food trucks, SumUp Solo Lite is a good, affordable choice. It is small, lasts a full working day on battery and handles around 1,000 payments per charge, so you get through a busy day without a charger. You pay 1.49% per payment and no monthly fee, so quiet spells cost you nothing. The only thing to watch is that the reader draws its connection from your phone - so if you have decent mobile coverage where you stand, you are ready to go.

Can I use Solo Lite for my hair salon?

Yes. For a hairdresser or a small salon, SumUp Solo Lite is often more than enough. You take payment at the chair or front desk, add tips in the app and send a receipt by SMS or email. You avoid an expensive terminal contract and pay only 1.49% per payment, with no lock-in. If your salon also needs appointment booking and a full point-of-sale system with inventory, you can later consider SumUp Register instead.

Do I need internet at the market to use Solo Lite?

Solo Lite has no SIM card of its own, but draws its connection from your phone over Bluetooth. That means you need mobile coverage where you sell - just as when you otherwise use your phone. At most markets and squares with normal coverage this is no problem at all. If you regularly sell in places with very poor signal, you should instead look at a standalone device with its own 4G, such as SumUp Solo or SumUp Terminal.

What does it cost to take cards with Solo Lite?

You pay a one-off price for the reader itself - check the current price at Elkjøp, since it varies with promotions - and then 1.49% per completed payment. There is no monthly fee and no lock-in, so you do not pay for months without sales. If you want a lower fee, you can add the Betalinger Plus subscription, which brings the rate down to 0.79% per payment for 349 kr/month.

Does Solo Lite support BankAxept?

No. Norwegian debit cards run as Visa or Mastercard, not over BankAxept. For a hairdresser, a food truck or a market stall with moderate volume this makes no practical difference - you accept the same cards and contactless payments your customers use anyway. If, on the other hand, you run a shop with very high volume, a bank terminal with BankAxept may work out cheaper, and then you should compare the total cost before deciding.