What we learned at the 2025 SumUp beacon event
The 2025 SumUp Beacon event has wrapped, and it brought a wave of product updates designed to make life easier for small business owners. Each year, Beacon is our opportunity to share what we’ve been building, what we’ve learned from merchants, and where we’re headed next.
This year, the focus was clear: practical improvements that help you run your business with less complexity and more control.
Here’s what we announced — and what it could mean for you.
What is the SumUp Beacon event?
Beacon is SumUp’s internal product and innovation event. Held at the SumUp office in Berlin, this year’s Beacon highlighted the latest product releases and improvements across SumUp.
Looking to the future of small businesses
90% of businesses globally are small businesses. They contribute half of the world’s GDP and employ nearly 70% of the global workforce.
But behind these numbers lies a hard truth. Running a small business is tough. It often means managing multiple roles at once, from operations to marketing to customer service. As a small merchant, you’re used to juggling everything, often using tools that are outdated or inefficient.
Since 2012, SumUp has focused on solving those challenges. What began with affordable, accessible card readers has grown into a full ecosystem of tools built to simplify payments, manage operations, and support growth.
From payments to point-of-sale, from managing customers to tracking finances — we are committed to giving small business owners a comprehensive array of tools to help you succeed in a changing world.
What’s new from Beacon 2025?
Here’s a summary of the key updates and what they enable.
Tap to Pay on Android: improved performance and PIN support
Tap to Pay on Android allows merchants to accept contactless payments directly on an NFC-enabled smartphone — no card reader required.
At Beacon, SumUp announced faster transaction speeds, broader device compatibility, and new support for PIN entry on physical cards. This removes previous transaction limits and enables higher-value payments for mobile-based businesses.
Business Account Plus: more flexibility for money management
SumUp Business Account is a free business banking solution designed for everyday payouts, transfers, and expense tracking.
The new Business Account Plus plan adds:
Multiple balances for budgeting VAT, salaries, or savings
Bulk transfers to pay staff or suppliers
Additional cards for team members or designated expense categories
This supports more structured financial management, especially for growing teams.
POS Plus: tools for more complex operations
SumUp POS is a free point-of-sale solution used across retail, hospitality, and service businesses.
POS Plus adds advanced features for businesses managing stock, staff, or in-venue service, including:
Floor plans and table tracking
Kitchen printer support
Custom staff roles and PIN login
Detailed reporting by shift, cash activity, or trading hours
These upgrades provide better oversight and more efficient workflows in busy settings.
Support updates: faster answers through new channels
SumUp Support is available to all merchants, and Beacon introduced two additional service options:
AI-assisted support provides instant answers to common queries, 24/7
Priority Support connects merchants with a live agent, included in SumUp Plus plans
Both are designed to reduce wait times and help resolve issues more efficiently.
Hardware performance improvements
SumUp hardware continues to evolve with targeted updates focused on speed and usability — without changing the overall experience.
Solo card reader: faster, more capable
SumUp Solo is an all-in-one card reader with a touchscreen interface, popular among mobile and countertop sellers.
New updates announced at Beacon:
Transactions now process in under three seconds
Support for offline payments
Ability to print receipts with the Solo Printer
On-device catalogue management
Integrated tipping prompts at checkout
Kitchen Display System (KDS): paperless kitchen operations
The new KDS is designed for restaurants and cafés using SumUp POS and Kiosk. It replaces paper order tickets with a real-time digital display in the kitchen, helping reduce errors and improve order speed.
Product expansion into new markets
Several existing SumUp tools are now rolling out to additional regions.
Cash Advance: flexible capital based on sales history
SumUp Cash Advance allows eligible merchants to access upfront capital based on projected future card sales, with repayment taken as a small percentage of daily takings.
Already available in the UK, Germany, Brazil, France, Ireland, and the Netherlands, the product will soon launch in Spain, Portugal, Belgium, and Italy.
Kiosks: streamlined self-service ordering
SumUp Kiosk allows customers to browse, customise, and place orders on their own, reducing queues and easing pressure on front-of-house teams.
Following successful adoption in early markets, Kiosk is being rolled out to additional countries in 2025.
One ecosystem, more connected
Every update shared at Beacon 2025 contributes to a more integrated SumUp experience. Whether accepting payments, tracking performance, managing staff, or accessing funding — these tools are being developed to work better together and support merchants at every stage of growth.
Explore what’s new
Merchants can explore the latest updates directly in the SumUp app or dashboard. To receive product announcements in future, it’s possible to opt in to email updates via account settings.
