Business guide
3 Best Card Machines for a Food Truck in South Africa (2026)
A food truck's card machine must print at the hatch, last the service and run on its own data. Yoco's Khumo Print 2 does it all and costs least of the three.
Some links here are referral links, and where a provider gives our readers a better price than its own site, that is the price you get by using one. It costs you nothing extra, and every option here is judged on the same test either way.
At a food truck, the card machine is where the order starts. The customer pays at the hatch with the queue behind them, and what the machine prints is the slip the cook works from.
So the machine to get is the one that takes the card, prints that slip and lasts the whole service on its own data, wherever you've parked. The fee matters too, but only once those three are covered.
This guide is for anyone who sells food from a truck, a trailer or a container with a serving window. I've only included Yoco, iKhokha and WAPPoint, because you can get their machines whatever bank you use, they run on their own SIM and battery, and each one prints. Adumo, for several trucks, is near the end.
What a food truck needs from a card machine
You sell from a window with a queue outside and the cook a metre behind you, and the truck may park somewhere new each week. These four needs come from that, most important first.
Prints the order at the hatch
A slip for the cook with what to make, and a receipt for the customer who asks for one.
Orders reach the cook as they're paid, so nobody shouts them into the truckRuns the whole service on its own
A battery that lasts from setting up to packing down, and a SIM in the machine, so it needs no plug point or Wi-Fi.
Card payments need a signal to go through, so check it at a new pitch before you openYour menu and your shift
The menu on the machine, so an order rings up in a few taps, and a PIN for each person taking payments.
Typing every amount slows the queue, and a PIN shows who took which saleMoney in time for tomorrow's stock
Card sales in your bank by the next morning, or sooner, if you buy fresh stock every day.
Bread, meat and vegetables bought with yesterday's card sales leave your cash for changeHow the three compare at the hatch
All three have their own SIM, so they differ on what they print, how long each company says the battery lasts and how soon you're paid. Adumo isn't in the table because its prices come in a quote and it gives no battery hours.
| Requirement | Yoco Khumo Print 2, R1 399 | iKhokha iK Flyer, R1 499 | WAPPoint PrintPOS, R299 a month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prints the order at the hatch | The order slip for the grill and the receipt | Receipts and prepaid vouchers; no order slip mentioned | Receipts and itemised slips |
| Runs the whole service on its own | Up to 18 hours; SIM data at no extra cost | All day, up to 200 sales; SIM data R75 a month | About 36 hours; one SIM in the rental |
| Your menu and your shift | Menu, sizes and staff PINs on the machine | Catalogue with sizes, and staff profiles | Items on free WAPPos Lite; no add-ons or extra cashiers |
| Money in time for tomorrow's stock | By 8am next day with Fast Payout, Sundays too | Same day on Nedbank or the iK Debit Card | 1-2 business days, five days a week |
← scroll the table sideways on a narrow screen →
Yoco is the one that says its Khumo Print 2 prints the order slip for the grill as well as the receipt. iKhokha lists receipts and vouchers, and WAPPoint says itemised slips. The Print 2 runs on Yoco CoreYoco's standard plan, and the one almost every small business is on. It costs R0 a month, charges 2.30% excluding VAT per local card sale, and includes unlimited mobile data on the machine's multi-network SIM at no extra cost. Instant Payout costs a flat R17.25 for a payout under R1 000 and 1.5% above that on Core, for up to R10 000, once a day.On a R85 burger and chipsCore's fee on a R85 card sale is R1.96 plus VAT. There's no monthly charge on top, so a quiet week costs you nothing to keep the machine.Core is Yoco's free plan and the one most small businesses start on. There's no monthly fee, the point-of-sale software for your menu is included, and the fee is 2.30% excluding VAT on local cards up to R50 000 a month. Plus (R249 a month) and Pro (R499) lower the fee and add tools.See every term in the glossary, so there's nothing to pay monthly for the machine, the menu software or the data.
The Yoco Khumo Print 2, for most food trucks
For most trucks this is the one to get. Yoco says the Khumo Print 2 prints the customer's receipt and the order slip for the grill from the same machine, and its battery lasts up to 18 hours on a charge that takes about two hours. Its SIM uses whichever network works where you've parked, with data at no extra cost.
It's R1 399, and Yoco takes R100 off through our link. Your menu lives on the machine with sizes and portions, and each person on the shift signs in with their own PIN. Add-ons with a price, like extra cheese, are set up in the Yoco app, but Yoco's help page doesn't say whether they show on the handheld. So set your menu up in the first week, while you still have Yoco's 30 days from delivery to send it back for a full refund.
Yoco's own pages disagree on steam. Its card machine page says both Khumos handle spills, steam and dust, and its care page says to keep any Yoco machine away from steam and rain. Until Yoco settles it, I'd keep the machine at the window, not beside the grill.
Yoco Khumo Print 2
Prints the order slip and the receipt, up to 18 hours of battery, data included. 2.30% a sale.
My quick review of the Khumo Print 2, for a food truck
If your customers expect a printed slip, this is the one to get. It's the Khumo 2 with a printer and a bigger screen, for R1 399 once, and it costs nothing monthly on Yoco's free Core plan, at the same 2.30% excluding VAT a sale. It prints receipts, itemised bills and order slips, so a café or a salon doesn't need a separate printer. The Yoco review puts it next to the Khumo 2.
Where it stands out
- Prints receipts, itemised bills and order slips
- A bigger screen than the Khumo 2
- 4G with unlimited data, and Wi-Fi
- Nothing to pay monthly on the free Core plan
Buy it if
- Your customers, or your books, need a printed slip
- You run a counter, a salon or a small restaurant
Skip it if
- Receipts by SMS are fine: the Khumo 2 does the rest for R700 less
- You'd rather pay monthly than upfront
If you skip it, the best alternative
It prints prepaid vouchers, which the Khumo Print 2 doesn't, but it costs R100 more and its fee is 2.75% against 2.30%.
Read our full iKhokha reviewThe plans
You pay for the Khumo Print 2 once: R1 399 for the machine, or R1 299 with Yoco's R100 off through our link. After that, the plan you choose decides two things, what you pay each month and what Yoco takes from each card sale. Most small businesses stay on Core, which costs nothing a month. The paid plans lower the fee a little and add tools, so pick one for the tools rather than the saving.
Core
R0a month
What you get
- 2.30% on local cards, up to R50 000 a month
- 1.35% on local debit cards above R50 000
- Yoco POS, payment links and invoices
- Payouts to any bank, free in 1 to 2 business days
Terms
- International cards 3.20%
- Instant Payout 1.5%, minimum R17.25
Where most small businesses should stay.
Plus
R249a month per shop
What you get
- 2.10% on local debit, 2.20% on credit, up to R50 000
- A loyalty programme at checkout
- Appointment bookings
- More than one shop on one account
Terms
- 30 days free
- International cards 3.10%
On fees alone it saves R100 a month at R50 000 in debit sales, so choose it for loyalty or bookings.
Pro
R499a month per shop
What you get
- 1.95% on local debit, 2.15% on credit, up to R50 000
- Free fast payouts
- Table-side ordering
- Advanced staff permissions and accounting links
Terms
- 30 days free
- International cards 3.05%
Built for restaurants that take orders at the table.
Prices and plans from yoco.com on 14 Oct 2026. Plan fees are per shop and exclude VAT; card fees are on local cards up to R50 000 a month.
If you sell coffee or a short menu and call customers by name, the Khumo 2 at R699 does the same without the printer and sends receipts by SMS or email. It's what the woman selling kotas in Mamelodi, from our list of the best card machines, bought for her food container.
So where does iKhokha fit in?
iKhokha suits a different truck, one parked at the same spot every weekday with regulars. The iK Flyer sells airtime, data and electricity and prints the voucher, so a regular can buy electricity while they wait for lunch. The spaza shop guide weighs what prepaid sales are worth to a counter like that.
It can also pay you sooner. Bank with Nedbank, or use iKhokha's free iK Debit Card, and you're paid twice a day, the same day, for R2.50 a payout. The card pays into a GoTyme Bank EveryDay accountA free personal transaction account from GoTyme Bank, a South African digital bank. It is not an iKhokha product: you open it yourself in the GoTyme app, then list it on your iKhokha profile as your payout account. It is the only account iKhokha's same-day iK Debit Card pays into. iKhokha also pays Nedbank customers twice a day, the same day, with no GoTyme account involved.For a truck that restocks every morningOpen it in the GoTyme app, list it on your iKhokha profile, and a lunch rush paid by card can be in it the same day to pay your supplier.A free personal transaction account from GoTyme Bank, a South African digital bank. You open it yourself in the GoTyme app and list it on your iKhokha profile as your payout account. It's the account behind iKhokha's iK Debit Card, which is for sole traders only.See every term in the glossary and is only for sole traders. On FNB or Absa it's the next business day.
It costs more to run than the Khumo Print 2. It's R1 499, with 10% off through our link, then 2.75% Excluding VATThe rate before 15% VAT is added, which is how almost every South African provider quotes. A rate of 2.30% excl. VAT actually bills you 2.645%, so two quotes are only comparable once you know which basis each is on.On a R60 coffee and muffin2.75% excluding VAT is R1.65, and with 15% VAT on top iKhokha keeps R1.90 of the R60. Yoco and WAPPoint quote their fees the same way.Card machine fees in South Africa are quoted before VAT, and what actually leaves your sale is the fee plus 15%. If you're VAT-registered you claim that VAT back; if not, add 15% to every fee in this guide.See every term in the glossary a sale up to R40 000 a month, and R75 a month for the SIM data a truck needs. iKhokha gives the battery as all day, up to 200 sales on a charge, and lists receipts and vouchers as what the Flyer prints, with no mention of order slips.
iKhokha iK Flyer
Prints receipts and airtime or electricity vouchers, and pays twice a day if you qualify. 2.75% a sale.
My quick review of the iK Flyer, for a truck with regulars
If you sell airtime and electricity at a counter and want to hand over a printed slip, this is iKhokha's machine for it. It prints receipts and the prepaid vouchers themselves on a touchscreen, for R1 499 once. You pay 2.75% excluding VAT a sale and R75 a month for SIMs (nothing on Wi-Fi), so over a year it costs more to run than Yoco's printing machine. The iKhokha review goes through it.
Where it stands out
- Prints receipts and prepaid vouchers
- Takes tap, chip and stripe
- Two SIM cards, and Wi-Fi
- A 30-day money-back guarantee
Buy it if
- You hand customers a printed slip
- You sell airtime or electricity at the counter
Skip it if
- You don't need to print: the Lite is R800 less
- The fee per sale matters most to you
If you skip it, the best alternative
R100 less to buy (R1 399 against R1 499), with a lower fee per sale and data included. The iK Flyer prints prepaid vouchers too.
Read our full Yoco reviewPrices from ikhokha.com on 14 Oct 2026.
Buy it if your regulars ask for airtime or electricity and you'd use the same-day money. If neither applies, the Khumo Print 2 costs you less every month.
WAPPoint, if you'd rather rent or only work events
WAPPoint's PrintPOS is a printing machine you rent rather than buy, at R299 a month plus R50 insurance, after R200 to set up. The rental falls away in any month you take more than R45 000 on card. WAPPoint gives the battery as about 36 hours, and one SIM, Vodacom or MTN, comes with the rental.
It pays in one to two business days, five days a week, or six days for 0.2% more. Its free WAPPos Lite software rings up your items, but add-ons and extra cashiers need WAPPoint's restaurant software, priced separately. You can also buy the PrintPOS for R3 899 excluding VAT, with each SIM then R50 a month.
WAPPoint also rents machines for a single event of up to three weeks, delivered and collected, and says it keeps spare machines at major events. Its own pages price that rental in four different ways, so get the cost for your dates in writing before you book.
WAPPoint PrintPOS
Prints, about 36 hours of battery, one SIM in the rental. R200 setup, R50 a month insurance.
My quick review of the PrintPOS, for a truck that rents
If you run a busy counter and want a printing machine without paying for it upfront, WAPPoint rents this one for R299 a month plus R50 insurance, after R200 to set up. The rental falls away in any month you take more than R45 000 on card, so it suits a shop that clears that most months. For R50 a month more it sells prepaid through WAPPoint's VAS app, and you can buy it for R3 899 excluding VAT. The WAPPoint review covers its range.
Where it stands out
- Prints receipts
- No rental in any month above R45 000
- Prepaid sales through the VAS app, R50 a month
- From 2.75% a sale
Buy it if
- You run a busy counter that clears R45 000 a month on card
- You want to rent a printing machine
Skip it if
- Your turnover is lower: the R299 rental stays every month
- You'd rather pay once: Yoco's printing machine is R1 399
If you skip it, the best alternative
Both print and can sell prepaid. The iK Flyer is R1 499 once with nothing monthly but R75 SIMs; the PrintPOS costs nothing to rent once you're above R45 000 a month.
Read our full iKhokha reviewThe packages
- RentR200 setup, R50 a month insuranceR299 a monthNo rental in any month above R45 000
- Buyexcluding VATR3 899
Prices from wappoint.co.za on 14 Oct 2026; machine prices exclude VAT.
Rent it if you'd rather not pay upfront and your card sales are close to R45 000 a month. Below that, the R349 a month makes it the most expensive of the three to run. Our WAPPoint review covers its other machines.
What a month costs at R20 000 and R35 000 on card
Once the machine's bought, the monthly bill is what's left to compare. I've worked it out at two levels of card sales, as examples rather than what a truck makes, so read the one nearer yours.
One month with each machine, at R20 000 and at R35 000 in local card sales, over 26 trading days:
A month at R20 000 and R35 000 on card
| Khumo Print 2 | iK Flyer, on its SIM | PrintPOS, rented | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Machine, once | R1 399 | R1 499 | R200 setup |
| Monthly charges | R0 | R75 for the SIM | R349 with insurance |
| Fee per sale | 2.30% | 2.75% |
|
| Payout charges | R0 | R65, 26 payouts | R0 |
| A month at R20 000 | R460 | R690 | R899 |
| A month at R35 000 | R805 | R1 102.50 | R1 276.50 |
By our sums, from each company's own pages. Local cards, all figures excluding VAT. Yoco's payout is the free one in one to two business days; its next-morning Fast Payout adds 0.75%. If iKhokha charges its R2.50 on each of the twice-a-day same-day payouts, that route is R5 a day, R130 a month; iKhokha doesn't say. Machine prices are shown before the discounts through our links.← scroll sideways on a narrow screen →
The Khumo Print 2 costs about R230 to R300 a month less than the iK Flyer, and R440 to R470 less than renting the PrintPOS.
The PrintPOS rental stops at R45 000 a month on card, but its 2.65% still costs more than Yoco's 2.30% there, so renting suits a truck that can't pay for a machine upfront.
The table doesn't count getting paid faster, which a truck that buys stock every morning may want to pay for.
Getting the money for tomorrow's stock
Yoco pays for free in one to two business days. If you buy stock with yesterday's card sales, switch on Yoco Fast PayoutYoco's next-morning payout, switched on in the Yoco app. Each day's card sales reach your bank account by 8am the next day, seven days a week, Sundays and public holidays included. It costs 0.75% plus VAT on the Core plan (at least R7.50), 0.50% on Plus, and Yoco says it's free on Pro for now. It's a different product from Instant Payout, which pays within minutes when you ask.After a Saturday festivalTake R8 000 on card at a Saturday festival and Fast Payout has it in your bank by 8am on Sunday for R60 plus VAT, by our sums. On the free payout, Saturday's sales go out on Monday and land a day or two later.Yoco's next-morning payout, switched on in the Yoco app. Each day's card sales reach your bank by 8am the next day, seven days a week. It costs 0.75% plus VAT on Core (at least R7.50), 0.50% on Plus, and Yoco says it's free on Pro for now. Instant Payout is a different product, paid within minutes when you ask.See every term in the glossary in the Yoco app and the money's in your bank by 8am the next day, Sundays and public holidays included. On Core it's 0.75% plus VAT, at least R7.50 a payout.
On Yoco's Pro plan, at R499 a month, Fast Payout is free for now and local debit cards cost 1.95%. By our sums that pays for itself at about R45 000 a month in debit card sales, if you take Fast Payout every day.
iKhokha, as we saw, can pay Nedbank customers and iK Debit Card holders twice a day, and WAPPoint pays in one to two business days, five days a week. Capitec's own card machine pays the next day, weekends included, but only into a Capitec account, which is why it isn't one of the picks here. Capitec vs Yoco compares the two, and the fastest-payout ranking lines up every option.
If you run several trucks
With two or three trucks, a price agreed for your business starts to make sense, and that's how Adumo works. Its adumo Flow names fast food and takeaways among the businesses it suits, with an account manager, 24/7 support and payouts into any bank with no settlement fees. Its PAX A910S has a printer and two SIMs.
Adumo gives its prices and fees in a quote. The fair comparison is a Khumo Print 2 in each truck at 2.30%, so set the quote against the month table above before you sign.
Adumo PAX A910S
A printer, two SIMs and 4G, with settlement into any bank and no settlement fees.
My quick review of Adumo's PAX A910S, for more than one truck
If your business has grown past the point where a fixed price list suits you, Adumo is worth a conversation. It works with growing businesses and large enterprises alike, and instead of a public price list you get an account manager and a fee agreed for your business. Small businesses start on adumo Flow with the PAX A910S, a 4G machine with a printer and two SIMs, and the money settles into any bank account with no settlement fees. Adumo names supermarkets, pharmacies, hardware and fashion stores and takeaways as its fit.
Where it stands out
- Settlement into any bank, with no settlement fees
- Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and 4G, two SIMs and a printer
- QR payments and card-linked instalments
- 24/7 support and an account manager
Buy it if
- You run a supermarket, pharmacy, hardware or fashion store, or a takeaway, which Adumo names as its fit
- You'd like a rate set for your business
Skip it if
- You want to order today without speaking to anyone: Yoco and iKhokha sell online
If you skip it, the best alternative
The Khumo 2 is R699 with a fixed 2.30% fee, and you can order it today. Adumo starts with a conversation, and in return you get a rate set for your business and an account manager.
Read our full Khumo 2 reviewFrom adumo.com on 14 Oct 2026. The PAX A920 Pro comes with adumo Infinite.
If one of your trucks sits beside a sit-down restaurant, or you want a till with a kitchen printer, the restaurant guide covers that setup.
If your truck doesn't look like that
Not every truck runs a long service from one window. Find the line that sounds like yours.
Pick by how your truck sells
So which card machine should a food truck get?
The Yoco Khumo Print 2, for most food trucks. It prints the cook's slip and the receipt at the hatch, its battery is rated at up to 18 hours, its data is included, and at either level of card sales above it costs the least of the three to run. Through our link it's R100 less.
Get the iKhokha iK Flyer if your regulars buy prepaid at the window and you'd use same-day pay on Nedbank or the iK Debit Card, with 10% off through our link. Rent WAPPoint's PrintPOS if you'd rather not pay upfront or only trade at events. And once you run several trucks, get Adumo's quote and put it against a Khumo Print 2 in each.
Food trucks, trailers and containers that print the order at the window and serve long days away from a plug.
Yoco Khumo Print 2
R1 399once-off
R1 399 once-off, R0 a month on Yoco's free Core plan, data included, 2.30% excl. VAT per local card sale (checked 15 October 2026)
Get R100 off the Khumo Print 2 Price checked 7 Oct 2026Questions food truck owners ask about card machines
Choosing
What is the best card machine for a food truck in South Africa?
For most food trucks, the Yoco Khumo Print 2 at R1 399.It prints the order slip and the receipt, Yoco rates its battery at up to 18 hours, and its data and Yoco's Core plan cost nothing monthly, with 2.30% excluding VAT a sale. Prices checked 15 October 2026.
At the window
Does a card machine work in a food truck with no signal?
Assume not. None of these companies says its machine takes card payments without a connection, and Yoco says card payments need one to go through.Each machine has its own SIM, so check the signal at a new pitch before you open. Yoco suggests a phone hotspot as a backup.
Events
Can I rent a card machine for one festival?
Yes. WAPPoint hires out machines by the event, for as long as three weeks, and delivers and collects them.Its pages give that price in different ways, so confirm the cost for your dates before you book. Yoco and iKhokha sell their machines once-off, with no monthly rental.
Getting paid
How can a food truck get its card money in time to buy stock?
Yoco's Fast Payout lands by 8am the next day, seven days a week, for 0.75% plus VAT on its free Core plan.iKhokha pays twice a day, the same day, to Nedbank accounts and to its iK Debit Card for sole traders, at R2.50 a payout.
On the shift
Can two people take payments on one card machine?
Yes.Yoco's machines give each person on the shift their own PIN, and the iKhokha iK Flyer switches between staff profiles, so you can see who took each sale.
