Card machines for street food and food trucks

Take card payments from your van, at festivals, markets, and events - with a portable terminal that doesn't need Wi-Fi.

Common challenges

  • Losing sales when customers don't carry cash
  • No Wi-Fi at your pitch - need 4G connectivity
  • Battery runs out before the end of a busy event
  • Need fast contactless for quick-service food orders
  • Don't want a long contract for seasonal trading

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Recommended solutions

PAX A800

Portable/countertop Android terminal with 5.7-inch touchscreen and Payment & POS functionality. Built-in Wi-Fi & 4G connectivity, along with thermal printing. Includes merchant branding on-screen, an intuitive over-the-phone payment flow, on-board POS features, and is configurable for full POS integration.

  • 5.7-inch HD touchscreen
  • Built-in printer
  • Wi-Fi & 4G
  • Contactless, Chip & Pin, over-the-phone
  • Fast contactless transacting
  • Integrates with its provider's own POS only
  • Android POS and payments
Contract
negotiable

Why food vans choose uno

Food vans and street food traders operate in challenging payment environments - no mains power, no fixed internet, and high-volume quick-service transactions where speed is everything.

We’ve helped mobile caterers across the UK find card machines that actually work in the field, not just on paper - including food vans we supply on the Somerset events circuit, where a single August weekend can do a third of the season’s takings.

Built for mobile trading

The PAX A920 connects over 4G, runs on battery all day, and processes contactless within 3 seconds. Perfect for the pace of a busy food van queue.

No Wi-Fi required

4G connectivity means you’re not dependent on venue Wi-Fi that’s shared with fifty other traders. Your own mobile signal, your own reliable connection. That advantage matters even more for street food pitches we set up around Mid Wales, where the only Wi-Fi within walking distance is often the one in your own van.

Seasonal flexibility

Many food traders work seasonally or at events. The terminal options we offer include no long-term contracts, so you’re not paying monthly fees through the quiet months if you choose to pause.

Speed matters

When there’s a queue of hungry customers, contactless payment needs to be instant. Every terminal we supply handles contactless, Apple Pay, and Google Pay at speed.

What you get from uno

  • A portable terminal matched to your trading pattern
  • 4G connectivity — no Wi-Fi dependency
  • Competitive rates compared across providers
  • Flexible contract terms for seasonal traders

Common questions from street food and food trucks owners

I trade from a van at different locations - will the card machine work everywhere?

Yes. 4G connectivity means the terminal works at festivals, markets, roadside pitches, industrial estates, car parks - anywhere with mobile signal. You don't need venue Wi-Fi or a fixed broadband connection. Pull up, trade, take payments.

I get long queues at busy events - how fast is the card machine?

Contactless processes within 3 seconds. At a busy festival or event where you're serving a customer every 30 seconds, the card machine isn't the bottleneck. The speed of serving food is what sets your pace - the payment keeps up.

I trade in all weathers - rain, wind, direct sun. Can the terminal handle it?

The terminal is designed for regular retail use, not rated for submersion or extreme conditions. In practice, thousands of food truck and van operators use them daily in British weather. Keep it under your serving hatch or canopy - the same way you protect your till - and it handles normal outdoor trading conditions without issues.

General questions about uno
Which card machine is right for my business?

The right card machine depends on how the business trades. A fine-dining restaurant in Covent Garden, a market trader at Glasgow's Barras and a pub beside Cardiff Arms Park take payments in completely different ways, and no single machine suits all three. uno starts by understanding how a business actually operates, and only then recommends - from a range of providers rather than from one.

Do all the card machines uno recommends take contactless?

Yes, every one of them. Apple Pay, Google Pay and contactless cards are accepted as standard on every machine uno recommends; contactless is how most UK customers now pay, and every machine features it as standard.

Will I be able to take 'over-the-phone' payments?

For most merchants, yes - available on-screen along with contactless and Chip & Pin. The small minority of high-risk business-types that are not offered over-the-phone payments by default are the exception - for the vast majority, 'over-the-phone' payments will be offered as standard.

How can we process refunds?

From the card machine, in a few taps. Refund a sale on the same day and it is cancelled outright, with the money never leaving the customer's account; refund it after the provider's daily cut-off and the customer's bank typically takes 3-5 days to return it. Every machine uno recommends handles both, and the difference is only in how quickly the customer sees the money.

Is PCI compliance as much of a chore as it is with my current provider?

With several of the providers uno works with the merchant does nothing at all, because the provider handles PCI on their behalf; with the others it is a few minutes once a year. Nobody uno works with makes it complicated, and uno tells a merchant which they are getting before anything is signed.

How long does it take to get set up?

Most businesses are up and running within a few days. uno handles the installation and configuration, then walks the merchant and their staff through everything.

Ready to choose the right card machine?

We make the effort to understand how you operate, and only then recommend the solution that's right for your business - not the provider's.

Get Started 07395 451520