TECHNOLOGY BeCash will present its payment terminals, rented 20 francs per month, in Sunrise stores. Its rates seem significantly cheaper than those of established competitors. (Anouch Seydtaghia)

A customer does not look at the mark of the payment terminal when he leaves his card at the hairdresser, the florist or in a supermarket. However, the market of these terminals could soon be upset by an actor who just offered, Monday, a new showcase. Based in Coppet (VD), the start-up Be-Cash has signed with Sunrise to use its stores to promote its devices. Payment terminals that the company claims to sell at unbeatable prices.

Be-Cash terminals allow, like those of its competitors, to pay using a standard Maestro card, a conventional credit card or a contactless credit card. The merchant who opts for this solution must pay, the first 24 months, a subscription of 20.75 francs per month, plus a down payment. In itself, the terminal is not charged. After this period, the merchant must not pay more than 7.50 francs per month. The device is mobile and includes a Sunrise SIM card. There is no connection fee extra.

Online shopping

Malik Khalfi, director of Be-Cash, hopes to change the payment terminal market. “Today, our top three competitors offer prizes that have nothing to do with ours. They charge on average 2000 francs for the terminal, plus 300 to 500 francs for the service per year. Another model is proposed, with a monthly subscription of 60 to 100 francs per month. These are far too high rates for small traders. How does Be-Cash manage to post such rates? “We do not have representatives who go to the heads of SMEs. Our customers can come and see us in Coppet or buy our products directly online. ”

A glance at the rates proposed by Aduno, one of the heavyweights of this market, confirms the words of Malik Khalfi. Several terminals are offered around 1990 francs, with monthly subscriptions around 60 francs. The Be-Cash machine, however, has a shortcoming compared to its competitors, it does not yet accept the PostCard, the start-up claiming that PostFinance is asking too much to sign a cooperation agreement.

More than 1000 terminals

In one year, Be-Cash claims to have sold more than 1,000 terminals in Switzerland. The company, which has three employees, does not disclose its turnover. Malik Khalfi says his company is ready for the arrival of payment via smartphone. “Our devices are compatible with NFC technology, which is used for example for Android Pay and Apple Pay, says the director. It will also be necessary to see what will be the Swiss solution resulting from the merger between Twint and Paymit. But it will take time anyway for the payment via smartphone enters the mores.