It is 2:40 in the morning on the shoulder of I-40. Rain, one lane closed, and a Civic with a shredded right rear. The driver has the wheel changed in twelve minutes. Then comes the part that takes longer than the job.
The customer does not have cash. The reader in the cab paired to somebody else's phone two shifts ago, and it will not wake up now. So the driver does what drivers do: writes the plate and a phone number on a scrap of paper, says the office will call, and drives to the next call.
Three weeks later that $180 is still a note in a spiral binder. Somebody in the office has called twice. The customer says they paid, or they will Friday, or they do not answer at all.
That is the real problem with getting paid in the field, and it has little to do with the rate on your statement. It is signal, batteries, and the ninety seconds when the customer is standing right there and still wants to pay. This is a ranked list of nine apps, judged on that.
Skip the comparison. See CoreMobile for towing.
The driver's phone takes the tap at the scene. No reader to mount, charge, or replace.
What Getting Paid in the Field Actually Requires
Six things: it has to work on two bars at the scene, it cannot depend on a reader somebody remembered to charge, it has to take the payment in the ninety seconds the customer is still standing there, the fee has to be predictable enough to price around, the money has to land before payroll, and it has to run on the tech's own phone. Everything else is a preference.
Works on the shoulder with two bars
Tows do not happen near Wi-Fi. They happen on ramps, in ditches, in apartment lots at 1am, and in the back corner of an impound yard. Whatever takes the payment runs on the phone's own cellular data.
That is why tap-on-glass suits the work: the phone is the terminal and the network, so there is no router and nothing to pair. If the power is out at the destination, that is a separate problem.
Nothing extra to charge or lose
A Bluetooth reader in a truck cab lives a hard life. It slides under the seat, rides in a door pocket in July, gets left in the other truck, and still has to hold a charge and stay paired through a night shift.
Tap-on-glass removes the device: the NFC chip already in the phone reads the card, which we covered in tap-on-glass payments are replacing card readers. Reader-based setups sold through ISOs are still common in this trade, the comparison on our SwipeSimple alternative page.
Fast enough that the customer doesn't change their mind
A tap is two to three seconds. The window where a stranded customer is grateful and willing is short, and it closes the moment they are back in a warm car. Anything that adds steps costs you money: typing an amount on a keypad with wet hands, waiting for a reader to wake, or saying you will send an invoice.
Fees you can actually predict
CoreMobile passes through interchange and adds 0.50% + $0.15 per transaction, on top of $15/mo per account. Interchange is the card networks' own published cost, and the markup is the part we charge. The flat-rate apps on this list publish 2.29% to 3.5% plus a per-transaction fee, one number for every card.
Which structure costs less depends on your ticket mix. A $75 lockout is dominated by the per-transaction cents. A $650 recovery with three days of storage is dominated by the percentage. Our pricing page lays out the CoreMobile side.
Money in the account before payroll
Drivers get paid whether or not the customer did. Fuel, hooks, insurance, and the lot payment do not wait either, so payout speed is not a detail in this trade.
CoreMobile deposits next business day. Some platforms here charge about 1% for an instant payout, a fee on money you already earned.
The tech's phone, not a company device
Buying and replacing a device for every truck is its own line item, and it always ends up in the wrong truck. Running on the phone the driver already carries removes that.
It also means a subcontractor or a weekend driver can start collecting the same day, without waiting on hardware to ship. If you are setting one up for the first time, start with how to set up tap to pay on iPhone.
A receipt the customer can't dispute later
Roadside disputes are common, and a card payment with a digital receipt is a cleaner record than a handwritten total on a work order. The customer gets the receipt at the scene, which is also when they are least likely to argue about it.
It uses the same NFC and tokenization as Apple Pay and Google Pay, so no card number lives in the truck. That matters when the phone is the driver's own.
The 9 Best Tap-to-Pay Apps for Mobile Service in 2026
CoreMobile is first for operations that collect at the scene: $15/mo per account, interchange + 0.50% + $0.15, and the phone already in the truck is the terminal. The rest of the list, in order, is Square Reader, Stripe Tap to Pay, PayPal Zettle, SumUp Air, Clover Go, Housecall Pro Payments, Jobber Payments, and Invoice2go. Pricing below is what each provider publishes.
CoreMobile
CoreMobile is tap-on-glass. The customer taps a card, phone, or watch on the driver's phone screen, and there is no reader in the truck at all. It runs on the phone's cellular data, so a recovery on the shoulder of an interstate works the same as a release at the lot. Pricing is $15/mo per account plus interchange + 0.50% + $0.15 per transaction, with no setup fee and no contract.
The useful parts show up on the job: nothing to mount or charge before a shift, several phones on one account so every driver can collect, next-business-day deposits, and optional built-in surcharging.
Running calls this week?
See how CoreMobile is set up for towing: the driver's phone takes the tap at the scene, every truck reports to one dashboard, and the deposit lands the next business day.
See CoreMobile for TowingSquare Reader
Square sells a contactless reader at $59 that pairs to a phone over Bluetooth, and charges a published 2.6% + $0.15 per tap. Square also publishes a credit card surcharge setting, capped at 3%.
In a truck the reader is the part that shapes the job. It charges separately, it pairs to one phone, and a second driver means a second reader. We put the two side by side on our Square Reader alternative page.
Stripe Tap to Pay
Stripe takes contactless payments on iPhone through its developer API at 2.7% + $0.05, plus $0.10 per authorization for Tap to Pay on iPhone. No reader is involved.
The difference is what you supply. Stripe Tap to Pay is a platform, not a finished app for a tow operator, so using it means a custom build on the SDK or a partner app with its own monthly fee. Stripe publishes standard payouts at three business days.
PayPal Zettle
Zettle is PayPal's in-person product. The reader is $79, the published rate is 2.29% + $0.09 per tap, and sales settle into a PayPal account.
It is a reader-per-phone setup, so two trucks collecting at once means two readers. PayPal does not document a surcharging feature for it.
SumUp Air
SumUp sells its Air reader at $54 one time, with no monthly fee and a published 2.6% + $0.10 per transaction.
SumUp states that you cannot add surcharges for card payments to consumers, so the fee stays with you. Funding is published at one to three business days.
The phone in the truck is already the terminal.
Book a 30-minute demo and we will set up your drivers, your surcharge settings, and your end-of-shift reporting.
Clover Go
Clover Go is the mobile piece of the Clover and Fiserv ecosystem. The reader is $49, and the published rate is 2.6% + $0.10 per tap on the free Starter plan, with a paid Essentials plan above it.
Clover permits credit surcharging on its own devices, and blocks third-party apps from adding one. It fits an operator already running Clover somewhere else, and adds a reader to every truck for one that is not.
Housecall Pro Payments
Housecall Pro is field service scheduling and dispatch software with payments attached. Plans are published at $59, $149 and $299 a month, card processing is published as low as 2.59%, and bank payments are 1%.
There is no automated way to pass the card fee to the customer. Housecall Pro's own help center says you add a processing fee as a line item by hand. The payment side comes with the whole platform.
Jobber Payments
Jobber is quoting, scheduling and invoicing software with payments built in. Plans are published at $29, $99, $149 and $399 a month. Tap to Pay in the Jobber app is 2.7% + 30 cents, online card payments are 2.9% + 30 cents, and bank payments are 1%.
Tap to Pay needs no extra hardware, the same shape as CoreMobile on that question. Jobber has no surcharge feature, and its community threads show operators adding a fee as a line item instead. Instant payouts carry an added 1%.
Invoice2go
Invoice2go is invoicing software with card payments attached. Card fees are published by tier at 3.5% on Starter, 3% on Professional and 2.9% on Premium, with PayPal at 2.9% + 30 cents. Plan prices are not shown on their pricing page.
It is built around sending an invoice, not collecting at the scene, which is the opposite order from how a tow or a lockout ends. If the job finishes and the customer drives away, you are back to chasing.
At-a-Glance Comparison
Three of the nine take a payment with no extra hardware: CoreMobile, Stripe Tap to Pay, and Jobber's tap to pay. Four sell a reader between $49 and $79. CoreMobile is the only one here on interchange-plus pricing, and the only one with surcharging built in rather than added as a line item.
Swipe the table sideways to see every column.
| App | Hardware | Monthly Fee | Per-Tap Fee | Works on Cellular | Surcharging |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CoreMobile | None, the phone | $15/mo | Interchange + 0.50% + $0.15 | Yes | Yes, optional |
| Square Reader | $59 reader | No monthly | 2.6% + $0.15 | If reader paired | Yes, capped at 3% |
| Stripe Tap to Pay | None on iPhone | Varies by app | 2.7% + $0.05, plus $0.10 per auth | Yes, with signal | Yes, you build it |
| PayPal Zettle | $79 reader | No monthly | 2.29% + $0.09 | If reader paired | Not documented |
| SumUp Air | $54 reader | No monthly | 2.6% + $0.10 | If reader paired | Not permitted |
| Clover Go | $49 reader | $0 or $29.95 | 2.6% + $0.10 | If reader paired | On Clover devices |
| Housecall Pro | None required | $59 to $299 | As low as 2.59% | Yes, with signal | Manual line item |
| Jobber Payments | None for tap | $29 to $399 | 2.7% + $0.30 tapped | Yes, with signal | No feature |
| Invoice2go | None stated | Not published | 2.9% to 3.5% by tier | Yes, with signal | Not documented |
Competitor pricing and features come from each provider's published pricing and support documentation, checked September 2026, and are subject to change. Verify current details with the provider before making a decision.
Towing and Roadside: Getting Paid at the Scene
Towing is the hardest collection problem in field service, because the customer is often unhappy, rarely carrying cash, and gone the moment the vehicle is down. Collecting before the hook comes off, on the driver's phone, is the whole game. CoreMobile is built for that: cellular, no reader, and surcharging you can turn on.
Roadside breakdowns and accident recovery
The customer is on the shoulder, often shaken, sometimes waiting on police. They want to be gone. This is the best collection moment you will get, and it lasts about as long as it takes to lower the vehicle.
Take the payment before the truck moves. A tap on the driver's phone is faster than writing a ticket, and it ends the job with nothing outstanding.
Private property and illegal parking tows
A PPI tow is the opposite situation. The customer did not call you, does not want the bill, and may show up at the lot hours later, angry. Release fees are the most disputed money in this trade.
Card on the spot, with a receipt, ends most of that argument at the gate.
Impound lot and storage fee releases
Storage adds up daily, so the release total is rarely what the customer expected. Splitting a payment, or taking it in the office while the paperwork is signed, needs a terminal wherever the desk happens to be that day.
Whoever works the gate can take the payment, and it lands in the same dashboard as the roadside calls.
Jump starts, lockouts, and fuel delivery
These are small tickets, often $50 to $125, and volume is the business. At that size the per-transaction cents matter more than the percentage.
Winch-outs and tire changes
A winch-out is priced on conditions: how far off the road, how deep, how long. The total is decided at the scene, so the payment should happen there too.
Motor club and account work still gets billed the way it always has. Everything else should leave the scene paid.
Every truck collecting, one dashboard
See how CoreMobile is set up for tow operators, from roadside recoveries to release fees at the lot.
See CoreMobile for TowingOther Field Trades That Run the Same Way
Any trade where the work ends at the customer's location has the same collection problem: the moment of maximum willingness is the moment the job finishes, and every hour after that costs you. Locksmiths, mobile mechanics, plumbers, HVAC techs, lawn crews, and appliance repair all run on that clock.
Locksmiths
Small tickets, odd hours, and a customer who is locked out and relieved. The job is over in fifteen minutes, and so is the goodwill.
Mobile mechanics and mobile detailing
Tickets run higher and the work takes hours, so the customer drifts back inside. Take the card while you are still standing at the vehicle.
Plumbers and HVAC
Emergency calls price high and land at the worst moment for the homeowner. A tap at the door beats an invoice sent after the urgency has worn off.
Lawn care, pressure washing, and pest control
Recurring routes, small tickets, and often nobody home. Several phones on one account lets the crew collect wherever the customer is, and the route still reconciles in one place.
Appliance and garage door repair
Parts plus labor, decided on site, with a total the customer has not heard until you say it. That payment belongs at the door, before the van is loaded.
Invoice Later vs Collect Now: What It Actually Costs You to Wait
An invoice sent after the job is an interest-free loan you did not agree to make. The cost is not just the small share that never pays, it is the office hours spent chasing, the cash sitting outside your account while payroll runs, and the awkward calls that strain a customer relationship you would rather keep.
The order matters. When the work is finished and you are standing there, the customer is at their most willing to pay. Three days later your bill is competing with every other bill.
We wrote the whole case in how service businesses can stop chasing invoices, including what the waiting actually does to cash flow. For a tow operation the short version is simple: the scene is the best place to get paid, and every step away from it costs you something.
Should You Pass the Fee to the Customer?
You can, in most states, and a lot of tow operators do. Surcharging adds the card processing cost to the customer's total, disclosed at checkout. CoreMobile has it built in and optional. Several states restrict or ban it, so check your own rules before turning it on.
The trade-off is real. A surcharge protects margin on a low-ticket lockout, and it adds friction at exactly the wrong moment with a customer already unhappy about being towed.
It matters most on release fees and storage, where totals are larger and the customer is paying at a desk rather than on a shoulder. The disclosure rules and the state-by-state picture are in credit card surcharging explained.
Worth knowing about the alternatives on this list: SumUp states you cannot surcharge consumers, Housecall Pro says to add a fee line item by hand, and Jobber has no surcharge feature at all.
Multiple Trucks, One Dashboard
One CoreMobile account covers many phones, so every driver collects on the phone they already carry and every payment reports to one dashboard. That is the difference between knowing what the fleet took in today and adding up four separate merchant accounts on Sunday night.
The reader model works against this. One reader pairs to one phone, so a second truck means a second device and a second set of numbers to reconcile. Adding a weekend driver becomes a hardware order.
How to Choose for Your Operation
Three questions decide it: how many people collect money, what your average ticket is, and how much you are writing off or chasing every month. A two-truck operation running $90 lockouts wants a different setup than a ten-truck yard doing recoveries with storage.
1. How many techs are collecting?
Count everyone who takes money, including subcontractors and the person at the gate. If it is more than one, several phones on one account beats a reader per phone, because readers multiply both cost and reconciliation.
2. What's your average ticket?
Pull the real number from last quarter. Under about $100, the flat per-transaction cents are the dominant cost. Over about $400, the percentage is the whole thing, and the gap between interchange-plus and a flat rate gets wide. Our savings calculator runs it against your own volume.
3. How much are you writing off or chasing every month?
Add up what is still outstanding after 30 days and the hours somebody spends chasing it. That number is usually larger than any difference in processing rate.
The Bottom Line
For most mobile service operations this is a collection problem before it is a rate problem. The reader is the thing that fails at 2am, and an app that does not need one removes the whole category: nothing to mount, nothing to charge, nothing left in the other truck.
That is why CoreMobile leads this list. The driver's phone takes the tap, cellular carries it, the deposit lands the next business day, and surcharging is a setting rather than a line item you remember to add.
Whatever you pick, do the one thing that matters: collect before the hook comes off.
