CitizenPay provides a payment terminal that lets businesses accept QR payments, contactless cards, and closed-loop member tokens from a single device. The terminal supports unstaffed honesty bars, vending machines, and staffed counters, with QR payments settling instantly via SEPA at €0.04 plus 0.15% per transaction. It also offers badge-based token spending for members, eliminating the need for cash boxes or separate payment systems.
Funding
Funding not disclosed
Founders
Product
Problem
Small businesses and venues like co-working spaces, vending operators, and campus cafeterias often struggle with fragmented payment systems that require separate devices for cards, mobile payments, and internal credit. Managing cash boxes, member credit, and multiple payment terminals adds operational complexity and cost, especially in unstaffed or self-service settings.
Solution
CitizenPay offers a single payment terminal that combines QR payments, contactless card acceptance, and closed-loop member tokens in one device. The terminal lets customers scan a QR code with their phone camera and approve payments directly in their own banking app, with funds settling account-to-account via SEPA Instant in seconds. For vending machines, the terminal pairs with a certified partner card reader to accept contactless cards and phone wallets, while QR and token payments run natively on the Citizen device. Member tokens can be loaded onto badges or used through the app, allowing venues to offer prepaid credit that works across fridges, bars, and machines without a cash box.
Target Audience
Primary customers are co-working and coliving spaces, vending machine operators, campus cafeterias, clubs, festivals, and retail counters that need flexible, low-cost payment acceptance for both staffed and unstaffed environments.
Features
- QR payment acceptance via customer's own banking app, supporting 1,800+ European banks with no app installation required
- SEPA Instant settlement with transactions completing in seconds at a flat fee of €0.04 plus 0.15% per transaction
- Closed-loop token system that works on both physical badges and mobile app, with one-time top-up and multi-day spending
- Flexible device configuration allowing QR, tokens, or both per device, with optional partner card terminal for vending machines
- Live sales and stock telemetry for vending operators to monitor performance remotely
- Built in Europe with in-house software and service, ensuring full control over the hardware and payment flow