Best Credit Card Readers For iPhone In Canada For 2025

• Square: Best for contactless payments
• Shopify POS: Best for online businesses
• Lightspeed: Best for retailers
• Loyverse: Best for loyalty
• TouchBistro: Best for restaurants
• Helcim: Best for high-volume merchants
• Payanywhere: Best for same-day funding

The Forbes Advisor Small Business team is committed to bringing you unbiased rankings and information with full editorial independence. We use product data, strategic methodologies and expert insights to inform all of our content and guide you in making the best decisions for your business journey.

We reviewed several mobile point-of-sale (POS) systems using a detailed process to determine the seven best credit card readers for iPhone. Our ratings looked at key factors that included pricing, the quality of features that come with the credit card reader and a final review by our expert panel that took real user responses into consideration to arrive at a final ranking. All ratings are determined solely by our editorial team.

A credit card reader is a device that allows you to accept credit and debit card payments. Credit card readers come in many different shapes and sizes, but all have one common goal: to process card-based transactions. The most popular type of credit card reader is a POS system, which is a device that includes a credit card reader, receipt printer and oftentimes a cash drawer.

When you run a credit or debit card through a reader, the device will use either a wired or wireless connection to process the payment. If you’re using a POS system, the reader will be connected to the receipt printer and cash drawer. If you’re using a mobile reader, such as those used with smartphone- or tablet-based POS systems, the reader will be connected to your device via Bluetooth.

After you’ve run a card through the reader, the device will send the information to your processor, which will then route it to the card’s issuing bank. The issuing bank will either approve or decline the transaction. If the transaction is approved, the funds will then be deposited into your account.

Credit card readers are an essential piece of hardware for any business that wants to accept card-based payments. There are many credit card readers on the market, so it’s important to choose the right one for your business.

There are a few things to consider when choosing a credit card reader for an iPhone. The first is features, then ease of use, pricing and customer support. Implementing a new system can take time and be costly, especially if there’s an onboarding fee, although this is rare. This is why it’s important to choose an iPhone credit card reader carefully.

Essential Hardware Features

When considering an iPhone credit card reader, there are a few essential hardware features to look out for:

• EMV Chip reader: An EMV chip reader is a must-have for any business that wants to accept credit and debit cards. EMV is short for Europay, Mastercard and Visa and is the global standard for credit and debit card processing. EMV chip cards are more secure than traditional magstripe cards and are now the standard in the U.S. If you don’t have an EMV chip reader, you could be liable for certain types of fraud.
• Magstripe reader: If you want to accept credit and debit cards, a magstripe reader is an absolute necessity for your business. Magstripe cards are the traditional type of credit and debit card and are still used by many people. If you don’t have a magstripe reader, you won’t be able to accept these types of cards.
• NFC reader: An NFC reader is necessary for any business that wants to accept contactless payments, such as Apple Pay, Google Pay or Samsung Pay. NFC stands for near-field communication and is the technology that allows contactless payments to be made. If you don’t have an NFC reader, you won’t be able to accept contactless payments.

Essential Software Features

In addition to hardware features, there are also a few essential software features to look for in an iPhone credit card reader:

• Payment processing: The most important feature of any credit card reader is the ability to process payments. Payment processing is the process of sending transaction information to your processor, which will then route it to the card’s issuing bank. The issuing bank will either approve or decline the transaction. If the transaction is approved, the funds will then be deposited into your account.
• Payment gateway: A payment gateway is software that allows you to accept and process credit and debit card payments. Payment gateways are provided by payment processors and allow you to accept payments online, in person or over the phone.
• Virtual terminal: A virtual terminal is software that allows you to manually process credit and debit card payments. Virtual terminals are often used by businesses that don’t have a physical location, such as home-based businesses or businesses that sell products online.
• Customer management: Customer management is a software feature that allows you to store customer information, such as contact details and purchase history. Customer management can be helpful for marketing and customer support purposes.
• Invoicing: Invoicing is a software feature that allows you to create and send invoices to customers. Invoicing can be helpful for businesses that sell products or services on a recurring basis, such as subscription-based businesses.

Ease of Use

When considering an iPhone credit card reader, ease of use is an important factor to consider. The last thing you want is to implement a new system that is difficult to use, as this can lead to errors and frustration. There are a few things to look for when considering the ease of use of an iPhone credit card reader:

• User interface (UI): The UI is the way that you interact with the credit card reader. It should be straightforward to use and should allow you to easily process payments.
• Compatibility: The credit card reader should be compatible with the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch. It should also be compatible with a wide range of payment processors.
• Setup and configuration: The credit card reader should be easy to set up and configure. It should also be easy to add new users, such as employees or contractors.

Pricing and Fees

When considering an iPhone credit card reader, pricing and fees are important factors to consider. Do you have to pay for the card reader? Or is there a free option? Are there discounts for signing a longer contract? Additionally, there are a few more things to look for when considering the pricing and fees of an iPhone credit card reader:

• Transaction fees: Most credit card readers charge a per-transaction fee. Typically, this fee is a percentage of the total transaction amount and is charged by the payment processor.
• Monthly fees: Some credit card readers charge a monthly fee. This fee is typically a flat rate and is charged by the payment processor.
• Setup fees: Some credit card readers charge a one-time setup fee. This fee is charged by the payment processor and is typically a flat rate.
• Discount rate: The discount rate is the fee charged by the payment processor for processing credit and debit card payments. The discount rate is a percentage of the total transaction amount and is typically charged on a monthly basis.
• Hardware costs: In addition to the cost of the credit card reader itself, there may be additional hardware costs, such as a Bluetooth adapter or receipt printer.

CARD READER	HARDWARE COST	PROCESSING FEE
Square	$69 CAD, free	Starts at 2.65%
Shopify POS	$69 CAD	Starts at 2.7% plus $0
Lightspeed	Quote-based	Starts at 2.6% plus $0.10 CAD
Loyverse	Varies by payment processor	Varies by payment processor
TouchBistro	Custom	Custom
Helcim	$129 CAD	Starts at 1.76% plus $0.08 CAD
Payanywhere	$59.95 USD ($80.95 CAD)	Starts at 2.69%

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Customer Support

Customer support is an important factor to consider. Do they have a phone number? An email address? A live chat option? What hours are they available? Additionally, it can be helpful to read online reviews of the credit card reader to see what other customers have to say about their experience.

We evaluated the best credit card reader for iPhone options by features, ease of use, price, customer support and credit card processing fees, among many other metrics. We only considered credit card readers that connect to your iPhone as opposed to stand-alone credit card terminals.

Pricing

Costs are always a consideration when choosing a credit card reader. We looked for credit card readers that are affordable and have low credit card processing fees. Credit card processing fees can add up and, as a small business owner, every penny matters. We looked for credit card readers with reasonable credit card processing fees. Additionally, a credit reader provider that offered something free, whether it was an initial credit card reader, accessory or processing fee reduction, also fared well in this category, which accounted for 35 percent of the weighted scoring.

Features

We looked for credit card readers that accept the major credit card types, including Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discover. We also considered credit card readers that accept contactless payments, such as Apple Pay and Google Pay. Other features we considered essential included offering iPhone POS options for retailers and restaurants, offering inventory management and built-in payment processing and being able to integrate with other software programs. Features accounted for 35 percent of the final score.

Expert Analysis

Our expert panel handled the final aspect of our scoring, turning to reviews by actual users of the credit card readers. For these reviews, we looked at several key issues, including ease of use and customer support. For ease of use, we considered this to be important for any credit card reader, but it’s especially important for iPhone credit card readers because you’ll likely be using them on the go. We looked for credit card readers that are easy to set up and use.

When it comes to customer support, help is important when you’re choosing any credit card reader, but it’s especially important for iPhone credit card readers because you may need help troubleshooting issues. We looked for credit card readers that have responsive customer support.

We also looked at other factors, such as any stand-out features, popularity and value for the money. Combining all of these factors together, these criteria make up 30% of the total score.

The best credit card reader for iPhone is the one that fits your needs and budget. Consider features, ease of use, price and customer support when choosing a credit card reader. All things considered, Square offers the best credit card reader for iPhone because it’s affordable and easy to use. For more information, check out the overall best POS systems for small businesses.

Canadian specific editing and research (including pricing) conducted by Anna Rey.

Related: Best Card Reader For Small Business