6 Best Credit Card Processing for Food Trucks: Save in 2024

As fewer and fewer customers carry cash, securing fast and reliable credit card processing for your food truck has become essential.

You might not realize how much payment processors differ in terms of pricing and features – but these variables can be substantial to your bottom line. If you choose the wrong processor, you could end up paying a premium for features you don’t need or commit to a costly pricing model designed for a different type of business.

To help you navigate the complex world of credit card processors, I researched dozens of popular services and found the ones best suited to food trucks. Each recommendation offers affordable rates, valuable features to manage and grow your business, and the type of point-of-sale (POS) hardware a food truck needs – compact, fast, and mobile.

Taking everything into account, it was easy to put Leaders Merchant Services (LMS) at the top of the list. It offers a great selection of POS and mPOS equipment, easy onboarding, and low-cost interchange-plus plans with no cancellation fee.

What We Look For in the Best Credit Card Processing Companies for Food Trucks

When researching the best credit card processors for food trucks, I focused on the features and benefits a fast-paced, mobile business needs.

• Mobile payment processing. Each recommended payment processor offers multiple mobile payment solutions that allow food truck operators to accept payments anywhere – from their counter window or online.
• Fast processing of all payment types. Food trucks often have long lines of customers waiting to place and pick up orders. These payment processors offer efficient processing of both in-person and online payments. They also allow customers to pay however they prefer – cash, credit/debit card, and digital wallet (e.g., Apple, Samsung, and Google Pay).
• Easy to set up and manage. A user-friendly interface makes it easy to set up your account, track sales, manage your inventory, and access business tools. Some services even allow you to automate out-of-stock notifications for essential ingredients.
• Marketing and promotion tools. The payment processors on this list offer loyalty programs and integrated marketing tools that can help food trucks reach new diners, retain customers, and increase sales.

1. Leaders Merchant Services: Custom Credit Card Processing for Food Trucks

Leaders Merchant Services (LMS) offers low-cost interchange-plus pricing and free top-of-the-line POS and mobile POS (mPOS) equipment. Plans are month to month with no cancellation fees. What’s more, you can also customize your plan features to fit your budget, making LMS suitable for both new and established food truck businesses.

Leaders Merchant Services (LMS) offers free POS and mobile POS (mPOS) equipment with a long-term contract. What’s more, you can also customize your plan features to fit your budget, making LMS suitable for both new and established food truck businesses.

Depending on your truck’s space and internet capabilities, you can choose a Clover POS terminal, compact Clover Mini, or the tiny but capable Clover Flex. The latter two work on LTE and WiFi, making them ideal for food trucks that need efficient mobile payment processing. LMS also offers SwipeSimple solutions for food truck mobile payment processing.

LMS charges a low monthly fee of $9.00, plus an in-person transaction fee of ~2% + 0¢. If customers place orders and pay online, the transaction fee is higher at ~2.9% + 30¢. There are other fees you should consider, including an annual PCI compliance fee.

Features and Benefits

• Assured savings offer. Established food trucks looking to switch processors can take advantage of the LMS meet-or-beat guarantee. If LMS can’t at least meet the fees you’re currently paying, it will give you a $200 gift card.
• Range of payment types. In addition to all major credit and debit cards, LMS lets you accept payments from Google Wallet, Apple Pay, and Samsung Pay. If you’ve purchased a Clover terminal, you can also accept PayPal and Venmo payments.
• Discount offers. Offering special promotions to your customers, including discounts and rewards, can help you increase your sales and build a loyal base of diners. For example, you can retain customers by printing discounts and promotions on a SwipeSimple receipt.
• Innovative POS solutions. As a SwipeSimple and Clover provider, LMS gives you access to quality equipment for food truck mobile payment processing. You’ll also be able to accept payments via mobile or tablet with the SwipeSimple Mobile App .

Our expert LMS review has more info about rates.

2. Paysafe: Accept Over 260 Payment Methods at Your Food Truck

Paysafe prioritizes convenience, allowing food trucks to accept over 260 payment methods – much more than most payment processors. In addition to credit/debit cards, Paysafe accepts PayPal, Play+, Skrill, Venmo, and more, minimizing the chances of failed transactions. Plus, its partnership with self-service technology company Applova allows you to reduce wait times using self-service kiosks and QR code ordering systems.

Paysafe is an excellent payment processor for budget-conscious food trucks as it provides every merchant with a free mobile card reader. Once you’ve received it, you can download the Paysafe Mobile Pay app, turn your Android or iPhone into a POS terminal, and use it to key in card information, prepare receipts, and send invoices. You can also purchase portable POS hardware like the Clover Mini, Clover Flex, or SwipeSmple A920.

Beneficial for food trucks that prioritize cash transactions, Paysafe’s cash discount plan can eliminate your processing fees by passing on a 1% – 4% surcharge to your customers. All you have to do is pay $16.00/month. In comparison, you’ll pay 0.30% + ¢10 per transaction and $7.95/month on its interchange-plus plan and $7.95/month on its online plan. Transaction fees on its online plan vary based on the type of card used but can be as low as 0.99% + 25¢ (debit cards). 

Features and Benefits

• Fast payouts. You’ll receive your funds in 1-2 business days as standard. However, if you need capital urgently, you can pay extra for guaranteed next-day funding.
• Comprehensive dashboard. Paysafe’s dashboard helps you make informed business decisions by allowing you to view your transaction history and generate reports. You can  also process refunds and take orders through its virtual terminal.
• Advanced APIs. Integrate a checkout page directly into your website and accept online payments through Authorize.Net. Plus, you get built-in tools for invoicing, fraud detection, and monitoring.
• Dedicated account manager. Paysafe simplifies the setup process by helping you set up your preferred payment channels and answering any questions you have without having to speak to a new representative each time.

To find out more, take a look at our extensive Paysafe review.

3. Stax: Best For Higher Volume Food Truck Businesses

With fast, secure, and affordable payment processing, Stax is an excellent option for food trucks and food truck/restaurant businesses. It also offers free Bluetooth-enabled mobile terminals and POS terminals, plus a mobile app that allows you to accept offline payments.

Your Stax dashboard contains all the information you need for sales, payments, ingredient inventory, marketing campaigns, and more. You can view detailed reports that give you valuable insights into your customers and their preferences, including whether they are new or regular diners – and even which menu items they prefer.

The fee for a monthly subscription usually starts at $99.00, but small businesses like food trucks may be able to negotiate custom prices as low as $39. Stax’s affordable plan pricing and 0% + 10¢ (in-person) and online fee can help high volume food trucks save as much as 40% on processing costs compared to other services.

Since Stax doesn’t mark up its fee for online transactions, feel free to offer your customers the option to skip the line and pick up their order at a designated location.

Features and Benefits

• Full-featured mobile app. The Stax app for iOS and Android turns your smartphone or tablet into a mobile POS for your food truck. You can accept payments (even while offline), send invoices for online orders, email digital receipts, track your inventory, and access customer and sales data on the go.
• Great integrations. Stax integrates with dozens of popular e-commerce, marketing, productivity, and financial apps, such as Shopify, WooCommerce, Mailchimp, QuickBooks, and Zapier. Note you’ll be charged a fee for some integrations.
• One-click shopping cart setup. You can set up Stax’s built-in shopping cart in minutes so customers can skip the queue by ordering and paying online.
• Fast processing. With fast and reliable processing, your diners won’t experience any disruptions at checkout.

Read our expert Stax review for more details.

4. Payment Depot: Affordable Processing and Next-Day Payouts for Food Trucks

Payment Depot charges a flat fee of 0% + 10¢ (in-person) or 0% + 10¢ (online) per transaction, with no percentage markup – some of the lowest per-transaction fees of any processor on this list. Regarding monthly fees, you’ll pay $79.00/month on its Starter plan (up to $125,000 per year) and $99.00/month on its Growth plan (up to $500,000 per year), making Payment Depot a great option for low-volume food trucks. In fact, you could save up to 40% on processing fees by choosing Payment Depot.

Payment Depot offers every merchant a Dejavoo Z11 terminal and a SwipeSimple mobile reader completely free of charge. However, after speaking to its sales team, food trucks will benefit most from the SwipeSimple mobile reader or the Clover Go card reader – which you can buy for $125. The main reason for this is the lack of business management tools on the Dejavoo Z11, which you can access from anywhere on the SwipleSimple and Clover Go apps.

Using its all-in-one payment dashboard, Payment Depot allows you to create and send branded invoices and payment links, run promotions, and monitor performance. You’ll find its UI easy to navigate and won’t have to spend too much time learning how to use it, ensuring your food truck can take advantage of its features as quickly as possible.

Features and Benefits

• Next-day payouts. If you need access to your money quickly, Payment Depot processes all transactions and deposits the money into your account within 24 hours.ž
• Live chat. Although not 24/7, you can contact its support team through its live chat and get answers to all your questions in under 2 minutes. I suspect its live chat is operational during regular business hours since I couldn’t get a response over the weekend.
• 24/7 risk monitoring team. Payment Depot allows you to dispute chargebacks from your account area and compile evidence all in one place. Plus, its 24/7 risk monitoring team will notify you of methods of fraud to help keep your food truck safe.
• Security. In addition to PCI and GDPR compliance, you’ll find that Payment Depot offers end-to-end encryption on all payment devices, tokenization, and an e-commerce platform that allows you to automatically verify a customer’s information.

Read our in-depth Payment Depot review to learn more.

5. Chase Payment Solutions: Eligible Food Trucks Can Waive Its Account Fees

Chase Payment Solutions offers business checking accounts you can access from anywhere with its Chase Mobile Banking app. Each checking account caters to food trucks of different sizes, but all come with free same-day funding, Chase savings accounts, QuickAccept, and Tap to Pay on iPhone. Although its business checking accounts cost $15 – $90/month, Chase offers several criteria that you can meet to waive its fees entirely.

Notably, Chase won’t charge you any monthly fees to become a merchant and bases its transaction fees on the payment method used. For example, food trucks will pay 2.6% + 10¢ per card-present transaction, 3.5% + 10¢ per keyed-in transaction, and 2.9% + 25¢ per e-commerce transaction. Moreover, Chase’s monthly contracts ensure no cancellation fees, except in cases where high-volume merchants have negotiated reduced rates. 

Unfortunately, Chase offers no free hardware for food trucks, meaning you’ll have to pay anywhere from $79 for its mobile card reader to $499 for its new Chase Card Terminal. Suppose you’re on a budget and satisfy the criteria for a free business checking account. In that case, I’d recommend setting up its Tap to Pay on iPhone feature using the Chase POS app – this allows you to accept contactless payments from both cards and digital wallets like Apple Pay for free.

Features and Benefits

• Payment methods. You can accept credit cards, debit cards, ACH payments, bank transfers, and digital wallets like Google Pay and Apple Pay in over 130 currencies.
• Business analytics software. Its intelligence platform allows you to analyze customer demographics, understand how your customers shop and when, create reports, monitor your sales, and determine how to make your food truck more competitive. 
• Capital loans. Chase allows small and large food trucks to apply for loans and lines of credit anywhere from $5,000 to $500,000. Depending on your circumstances, you can use the money to solve cash flow problems, purchase equipment, or expand.
• E-commerce software. In addition to the Authorize.Net payment gateway, Chase partners with BigCommerce to allow you to accept payments through an online store without requiring any technical knowledge.

For more information, read our comprehensive Chase review.

6. Square: Straightforward Credit Card Processing for Food Truck Owners

Square is a great option if you’re looking for transparent, easy-to-use payment processing for your food truck. It’s an especially good credit card processor for startups because as soon as you create your free account, Square will send you a free mobile card reader. You can start collecting payments as soon as it arrives. There are no monthly fees, and you’ll only pay a flat fee when you process a transaction.

A notable feature for food trucks is Square for Restaurants, a software and hardware package designed specifically for food service businesses. It offers helpful tools like online ordering, inventory control, curbside pickup and delivery, and loyalty programs to build repeat business. You can also create multiple menus if you have a food truck and a brick-and-mortar restaurant or offer a variety of catering services.

Square’s flat-rate pricing suits smaller to mid-size food trucks that want predictable food truck credit card processing. If you process a high volume of transactions, you may save more with an interchange-plus or subscription-style plan like those offered by Leaders Merchant Services and PAYARC.

Features and Benefits

• Sales data and reporting. You can view granular data about your food truck’s most popular dishes and peak sales times and see how customer preferences vary depending on where you park your truck. This ensures you always have the right menu items on hand.
• Convenient payment options. Square offers one of the widest ranges of payment options. Your customers can swipe, insert, or tap to pay with their debit and credit cards. They can also use digital wallets and even pay in cash.
• Marketing tools. Built-in tools help you attract and retain customers with personalized email campaigns, special offers, and targeted rewards. Square’s intuitive dashboard makes it easy to manage your marketing campaigns and track their performance.
• Streamlined online ordering. Your customers can order ahead, which can help you manage rush hours, reduce wait times, and improve satisfaction. You can use QR codes to offer customers a safe and convenient way to access your menus, place orders, and pay from their mobile devices.

See more advantages in our in-depth Square review.

Which of the Best Credit Card Processing for Food Trucks is Right for You?

Choosing the best food truck credit card processing company for you will vary depending on your monthly sales volume, the price of your menu items, and whether you allow customers to order online.

Other factors to consider are the number of trucks you have and whether you also have a restaurant or offer catering services.

LMS is my top choice for food trucks based on its outstanding features, mobile payment solutions, and affordable pricing. And with LMS’s plans subscription, you’re free to test everything it offers without worrying about a costly cancellation fee.

If you want to accept as many payment methods as possible, Paysafe is an excellent option. Thanks to its collaboration with Applova, you’ll be able to accept over 260 forms of payment, including self-service kiosks and QR code ordering systems.

Exceptional customer service, low-cost interchange-plus plans, and predictable pricing make Stax a great option. These Stax plans are designed for food trucks and food truck/restaurant combos.

FAQ

Which is the best payment processing company for food trucks?

Leaders Merchant Services is the best credit card processor for food truck owners. It offers affordable rates and fast and secure mobile food truck credit card processing.You’ll also get your choice of a compact POS or mPOS terminal or mobile card reader, shopping cart integration for online ordering, and useful tools to manage your inventory and finances.

Do any credit card processors offer payment plans designed for food trucks?

Paysafe is a great credit card processor for restaurants, food trucks, and food truck/restaurant hybrids. Its cash discount plan saves food trucks up to 100% of processing fees by surcharging cash-paying customers. Plus, it offers a free card reader and mPOS app.

What should food truck owners look for in POS credit card processing equipment?

Food trucks need compact, mobile POS solutions due to space constraints and the need to process payments in the field (often without WiFi connectivity). Stax offers Bluetooth-enabled mobile and POS terminals that allow you to accept chip, swiped, and tap-to-pay transactions. You’ll also get a mobile app to accept offline payments.

What is the cheapest credit card processor for food trucks?

It depends on your sales volume, the price of your menu items, the number of food trucks you have, and whether you own a restaurant or catering business. You’ll also want to weigh additional fees (PCI compliance, virtual terminal, etc.) and whether a processor offers free equipment. That said, consider LMS if you’re looking to switch processors because you can use your current rates to negotiate a better deal.

Our review of the top 10 credit card processors in 2024 can help you pick the cheapest option for your food truck.