What Smile&Pay does

Smile&Pay is a French payment institution licensed by the ACPR (registration number 17228), incorporated in 2007 as a Société Anonyme and headquartered in Neuilly-sur-Seine. The company provides card payment acceptance and processing services to over 40,000 professional merchants across France, organized around five target verticals: restaurants, boutiques, events, artisans/personal services, and nonprofits. Its product portfolio combines hardware terminals — the Super Smile countertop terminal and Smart Smile mobile terminal — with software-only Tap to Pay acceptance on iPhone and Android, an activity-monitoring dashboard, tip management, ticket restaurant voucher processing (via CONECS), and security-deposit/rental workflows. The offering is tightly integrated with the dominant French cash register and restaurant management platforms (Lightspeed, Rovercash, Tactill, Planity, l'Addition, Solumag, Wavy, Hangers, Tastycloud), enabling automatic transaction syncing between POS software and payment terminal.

Smile&Pay generates revenue primarily through transaction-based fees on processed card volume, with published rates starting at 0.49% plus €0.05 per transaction, supplemented by hardware sales of Super Smile and Smart Smile terminals and tiered subscription services that unlock premium features above €10,000 in monthly processing volume. Additional fee schedules apply to Ticket Restaurant and American Express acceptance. Distribution is product-led and entirely digital: merchants self-onboard through app.smileandpay.com, with a referral/affiliate channel supporting word-of-mouth growth. The company provides 24-hour fund transfer settlement to merchant accounts at any major French bank (BNP Paribas, Crédit Agricole, Société Générale, Banque Populaire, Crédit Mutuel, Caisse d'Épargne, Qonto, Monabanq, La NEF) and guarantees 99.5% service availability.

Total disclosed funding of approximately $9 million has been raised across three rounds between 2016 and 2021, led by Evolem Start and Truffle Capital, with no disclosed revenue, ARR, or headcount trajectory. Registered share capital stood at €1,152,341 as of the most recent document (up from €1,077,464 in an earlier ACPR filing). The firmographic field reports 1–10 employees, which is inconsistent with a 40,000-merchant ACPR-regulated acquiring business and should be treated as unreliable until corroborated.

Name

Smile&Pay

Legal name

SMILE&PAY

Website

https://smileandpay.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Smile&Pay is an ACPR-licensed French payment institution providing card acceptance terminals, Tap to Pay on iPhone/Android, and POS-integrated payment processing to over 40,000 small and medium merchants across restaurants, retail, events, artisans, and nonprofits in France.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Payment Processing Services

NAICS

Financial Transactions Processing, Reserve, and Clearinghouse Activities (52232)

akta.pro primary industry

POS-to-Online Unified Payments (Omnichannel Payments) (CRAFALAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

In-App / Online Checkout Wallets (FSAMAEAH)

Keywords

• Card payment processing
• Payment terminal hardware
• Tap to Pay services
• Mobile payment acceptance
• POS system integration

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Payment Processing Commission: Smile&Pay charges a transaction fee (percentage + fixed fee) on all card payments processed. The standard rate starts from 0.49% + €0.05 per transaction, with customized pricing based on transaction volume and business type. This is the primary revenue stream.
2. Terminal Hardware Sales: Merchants purchase payment terminals (Super Smile for countertop, Smart Smile for mobile) as part of their onboarding. Terminal hardware is sold as a one-time purchase or possibly bundled with service contracts.
3. Subscription Services: Monthly subscription plans with bundled services including payment processing, account management, and customer portal access. Premium features and services become available at certain monthly processing thresholds (e.g., €10,000/month).
4. Ticket Restaurant and American Express Processing: Additional fees for processing restaurant voucher cards (Ticket Restaurant) and American Express cards, as detailed in the payment services contract Annex 1.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Smile&Pay is an ACPR-licensed French payment institution that provides card payment acceptance and processing services to small and medium businesses across France. Its offering includes hardware payment terminals (Super Smile for countertop, Smart Smile for mobile use), Tap to Pay capabilities on iPhone and Android devices, and integration with major POS/cash register software systems. The service processes transactions on all major card networks (CB, Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Ticket Restaurant) with 24-hour fund settlement to merchant bank accounts.

Product overview

Smile&Pay is a French payment acceptance and processing service provider offering a unified portfolio of card payment solutions for professionals. The core offering encompasses hardware payment terminals (Super Smile for fixed countertop use, Smart Smile for mobile/portable use) and mobile Tap to Pay capabilities (iPhone and Android). The platform integrates with point-of-sale (POS) software systems including Lightspeed, Rovercash, Tactill, and Planity for seamless transaction syncing. Supplementary features include tip management, restaurant voucher card acceptance, security deposit/rental management, and transaction activity monitoring. Smile&Pay operates as an ACPR-licensed payment institution (agrément n°17228) facilitating card acceptance, processing, and fund acquisition for merchants across France.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Super Smile: A countertop payment terminal designed for fixed-point acceptance, integrated with cash register systems.
• Smart Smile

Products and services

• Super Smile Terminal A countertop payment terminal designed for fixed-location card acceptance by French SMBs. It integrates with point-of-sale (cash register) systems for automatic transaction amount transfer, eliminating manual double-entry. Sold as part of the Smile&Pay onboarding flow alongside the payment processing service.
• Smart Smile Terminal A compact, lightweight mobile payment terminal designed for table-side or itinerant card acceptance. Provides optimal connectivity and extended battery life for on-the-go use cases such as food trucks, restaurant table service, events, and artisan visits to client locations.
• Tap to Pay sur iPhone A contactless payment acceptance feature that enables merchants to accept card payments directly on a compatible iPhone using NFC technology, with no additional payment terminal hardware required. Used by French SMBs through the Smile&Pay mobile application.
• Tap to Pay sur Android A contactless payment acceptance feature that transforms any compatible Android device into a payment terminal using NFC technology. Lets merchants accept card payments on their phone without dedicated terminal hardware, via the Smile&Pay Android application.
• Encaissement par carte bancaire (Card Payment Acceptance Service) Core payment acceptance and acquiring service that enables French professionals to accept card payments through physical terminals or mobile devices. Smile&Pay operates as an ACPR-licensed payment institution (agrément n°17228) processing transactions across major card networks with 24-hour fund settlement to any French bank account, transparent pricing starting from 0.49% + €0.05 per transaction, and no long-term commitment contracts.

Quantifiable outcome

• 40,000+ merchants trust Smile&Pay
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature9 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• American ExpresscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAmerican Express is listed as a commercial partner in Smile&Pay's data protection policy Annex 1. Smile&Pay processes American Express card transactions for merchants, with specific interchange fees as detailed in the payment services contract.
• La Carte FrançaiseminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLa Carte Française is listed as a commercial partner in Smile&Pay's data protection policy Annex 1, involved in prospect/client sharing arrangements.
• ALMAminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerALMA (installment payment solution) is listed as a commercial partner in Smile&Pay's data protection policy Annex 1 for prospect/client sharing.
• SilkpayminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSilkpay is listed as a commercial partner in Smile&Pay's data protection policy Annex 1.
• CONECScoreTechnology or IntegrationCONECS is the meal voucher payment network in France. Smile&Pay integrates CONECS for processing restaurant voucher cards as noted in their product features.
• LightspeedcoreTechnology or IntegrationLightspeed is a cash register and POS software provider. Smile&Pay terminals connect directly with Lightspeed for automated transaction amount transfer, eliminating manual entry.
• QontominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerQonto is a French online business bank. Smile&Pay offers fund transfers to Qonto accounts within 24 hours.
• BNP ParibasminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrench banking giant. Smile&Pay enables fund transfers to BNP Paribas accounts within 24 hours.
• Crédit AgricoleminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor French banking cooperative. Smile&Pay offers 24-hour fund transfers to Crédit Agricole accounts.
• Société GénéraleminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrench banking institution. Smile&Pay enables 24-hour fund transfers to Société Générale accounts.
• Banque PopulaireminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrench banking group. Smile&Pay offers 24-hour fund transfers to Banque Populaire accounts.
• Crédit MutuelminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrench banking cooperative. Smile&Pay enables 24-hour fund transfers to Crédit Mutuel accounts.
• Caisse d'ÉpargneminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrench savings bank. Smile&Pay offers 24-hour fund transfers to Caisse d'Épargne accounts.
• MonabanqminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrench online bank. Smile&Pay enables 24-hour fund transfers to Monabanq accounts.
• La NEFminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLa NEF is a French ethical banking institution. Smile&Pay offers fund transfers to La NEF accounts.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• SumUp: European-headquartered SMB payment acceptance specialist offering card readers and Tap to Pay on smartphones. Direct competitor to Smile&Pay in France targeting the same restaurateurs, retailers, and SMB segments with similar transaction-fee pricing and PLG onboarding.
• Zettle by PayPal: PayPal-owned SMB payment acceptance brand offering card readers, Tap to Pay on iPhone, POS integrations, and transparent per-transaction pricing. Operates across Europe including France and competes head-to-head with Smile&Pay for the same merchant profiles.
• Square (Block): Block's SMB commerce platform offering Square hardware readers, Tap to Pay, POS software, and integrated payments. Comparable to Smile&Pay in the SMB merchant card-acceptance + software stack, though operating globally rather than France-focused.
• Stripe Terminal: Stripe's in-person payment acceptance product combining Tap to Pay on iPhone, pre-certified card readers, and seamless integration with Stripe's online payments stack. Strong French market presence and a benchmark for software-integrated payment acceptance against which Smile&Pay competes.
• myPOS: European payment acceptance and merchant accounts provider offering card terminals, Tap to Pay, and value-added services for SMBs. Targets similar merchant segments to Smile&Pay in France and broader EU, with similar ACPR-style regulatory positioning in multiple jurisdictions.
• Mollie: Amsterdam-based payment service provider offering payment acceptance (including in-person terminals) and software-led onboarding for European SMBs. Comparable to Smile&Pay in PLG GTM, transparent pricing, and SMB-merchant focus across European markets.

Broad incumbents

• Worldline: European payment acquirer and POS provider (now merged with Ingenico). Operates across all merchant segments including SMB card acceptance in France; broader portfolio includes processing services, merchant acquiring, and large enterprise POS — overlapping with but not specialized in Smile&Pay's SMB niche.
• Adyen: Pan-European unified payments platform offering in-person payments (including Tap to Pay) as part of a wider omnichannel stack. Larger and broader in scope than Smile&Pay, but increasingly targeting SMB and mid-market segments with similar acceptance products.
• Verifone: Global POS terminal hardware and payment acceptance provider serving merchants of all sizes. Overlaps with Smile&Pay on hardware-driven SMB card acceptance, particularly through French banking partners and acquirer relationships.

Others

• Tactill: French POS / cash-register software vendor that is both an integration partner and adjacent merchant-services provider. Comparable as a France-based SMB commerce technology player targeting the same restaurateurs and retailers that Smile&Pay serves, and could be a future consolidator or competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@smileandpayfrance
• Facebookfacebook.com/smileandpay
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/smileandpay
• Instagraminstagram.com/smileandpay
• Xx.com/SmileandPay

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors3 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Smile&Pay