secondary source
Ranked 30 of 108
Pure SoftPOS
Europe
Starling Bank card reader review 2026: tap to pay fees and rating
Flat 1.6% with no subscription - one of the simplest pricing models in the UK market.
Note on the data: These terms come from secondary sources, not directly from the provider's own pricing page.
SoftPOS24 overall score
3.0/5
61 out of 100 points · Rating 2.6 (fair)
Price transparency
30/30
Market coverage
5/25
Platform coverage
15/15
Security certification
3/15
Card acceptance
11/15
The score measures transparency, reach and certification of the offer — not how well the app works. See the formula
In short
Starling Bank offers Starling Tap to Pay for iOS + Android. Transaction fee: from 1.60%; monthly fee: none. Security certification: n/a. Available in: UK.
Starling Bank terms in full
| Product name | Starling Tap to Pay |
|---|---|
| Provider type | Pure SoftPOS |
| Headquarters | UK (London) |
| Founded | 2014 |
| Platforms | both |
| Certification | n/a |
| Transaction fee | 1.6% (secondary source) |
| Monthly fee | 0 GBP (free business account) |
| Setup cost | 0 GBP |
| Contract term | n/a |
| Cards accepted | Visa, Mastercard, Apple Pay, Google Pay |
| PIN entry on screen | n/a |
| Transaction limit | n/a |
| Target customers | Sole traders / micro-businesses |
| Available markets | UK |
| Website | starlingbank.com |
| Data source | Open primary source ↗ |
Alternatives to Starling Bank
Comparable providers in Europe:
- Stripe — from 2.70% + 5 ¢, Rating 1.4
- Nexi (Nexi Group) — from 1.19%, Rating 1.6
- Tide — from 0.89%, Rating 2.6
- Payplug — from 2.90%, Rating 2.6
- MONEI — on request, Rating 2.6
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Frequently asked questions
Starling Bank tap to pay: do I need any extra hardware?
No. Starling Bank is a pure SoftPOS provider — the app turns a phone you already own into the card reader, and there is no terminal to buy or rent. Supported platforms: iOS + Android.
Which countries is Starling Bank available in?
By our records: UK. Availability changes, and the date above the table is when we last checked.