Smart Pay

What Smart Pay does

Smart Pay Limited, trading as Shift4 in New Zealand since a 2024 rebrand, is a Wellington-based payment technology company that has operated in the NZ market for over 20 years. The company develops and distributes Android-based EFTPOS terminals — specifically the A920 Pro and related hardware — bundled with payment processing services connecting to Worldline, NZ's largest payment network provider. Its product portfolio includes Low Cost Tap & Pay (core offering with free terminal rental and low transaction rates), Mobile EFTPOS for trades and on-site merchants, POS Integrated EFTPOS syncing with third-party POS software, contactless and mobile wallet acceptance (Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay), Alipay and WeChat Pay for tourism-facing merchants, MOTO/card-not-present payments, tipping and surcharging modules, short-term rentals, and the Shift4 Business Hub for online transaction reporting and settlements.

The business model combines transaction-fee revenue (a single low rate across Visa and Mastercard, with separate processing for AMEX, BNPL, and international wallets) with monthly recurring service fees in lieu of upfront hardware costs. Go-to-market is a hybrid self-serve / direct-sales model targeting New Zealand SMBs across seven verticals: hospitality, retail, trades, automotive, hair & beauty, tourism, and charities. Distribution relies on the company website with vertical landing pages, phone-based payment specialists (0800 numbers), Google reviews and testimonials as social proof, a referral program, and channel partnerships with leading POS providers. The core value proposition is positioned as a local Kiwi-owned alternative to big-bank merchant services, emphasizing transparent pricing, 24/7 local support, modern hardware, and documented fee savings. The company operates with 101-250 employees, is privately held with no disclosed institutional investors or parent company, and has not raised external funding or executed acquisitions according to available data.

Name

Smart Pay

Legal name

Smartpay Limited

Website

https://smartpay.co.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Smart Pay (now Shift4) is a New Zealand-based payment technology company that provides Android EFTPOS terminals, transaction processing, and merchant services to SMBs across hospitality, retail, trades, automotive, and tourism verticals via a self-serve and direct-sales model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Merchant Payment Processing Services

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Computer Rental & Leasing (7377), Wholesale-Computers & Peripheral Equipment & Software (5045)

akta.pro primary industry

Integrated POS Payments (ISVs & Vertical POS Platforms) (FSAMADAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

POS, SoftPOS & In-Person Acceptance Infrastructure (FSAGABAO), Merchant Payment Gateways (API/Hosted Checkout) (FSAMACAA)

Keywords

• EFTPOS payment processing
• Merchant card acceptance
• Contactless payment terminals
• POS-integrated payments
• Mobile EFTPOS solutions

Headquarters

HQ city

Wellington

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Transaction Processing Fees: Merchants pay a low merchant fee rate on each transaction processed through the EFTPOS terminal. Rate is stated as one low rate across Visa and Mastercard transactions.
2. Terminal Rental: FREE terminal rental with minimum monthly fee. Revenue generated from monthly service fees rather than upfront hardware costs.
3. Additional Payment Services: Revenue from processing AMEX, BNPL, Alipay, WeChat Pay transactions using existing merchant accounts. Also offers MOTO/card-not-present payments as an add-on.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Smartpay Limited (now trading as Shift4 in New Zealand) provides EFTPOS payment processing services bundled with Android-based payment terminals (A920 Pro) to New Zealand small and medium-sized merchants. The core offering is the Low Cost Tap & Pay service, which combines free terminal rental, a single low merchant fee across Visa and Mastercard transactions, multi-carrier SIM connectivity, 7-day bank settlements, and access to the Shift4 Business Hub reporting portal. Add-on services include mobile/portable EFTPOS, POS-integrated payments, MOTO/card-not-present processing, Alipay and WeChat Pay acceptance, tipping, surcharging and short-term equipment rentals.

Product overview

Smart Pay (now trading as Shift4) is a New Zealand-based payment technology company offering a unified EFTPOS and in-store payment solution platform. The core product is the Low Cost Tap & Pay service bundled with Android EFTPOS hardware. The portfolio includes the A920 Pro terminal hardware, multiple add-on modules (Mobile EFTPOS, POS Integrated EFTPOS, Contactless Payments, MOTO, Tipping, Surcharging, Alipay & WeChat Pay), and the Shift4 Business Hub for transaction management. Short-term rental options are available for temporary needs. The company operates as a Kiwi alternative to major banks, connecting to Worldline's payment network and supporting Visa, Mastercard, AMEX, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay, and Android Pay.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Low Cost Tap & Pay A bundled merchant payment processing service targeted at New Zealand small businesses, featuring a state-of-the-art Android EFTPOS machine, free terminal rental with a minimum monthly fee, one low flat rate across Visa and Mastercard transactions, acceptance of EFTPOS, debit, credit and contactless payments, AMEX and BNPL processing through the existing account, Worldline payment network connectivity, 7-day bank settlements, and Shift4 Business Hub reporting access.
• EFTPOS Machines Modern, sleek, wireless Android-based EFTPOS terminal (A920 Pro) with a multi-carrier network SIM and Wi-Fi backup option, long battery life, durable silicone sleeve, and a large intuitive touchscreen. Accepts EFTPOS, debit, credit and contactless payments via insert, swipe and tap.
• Mobile EFTPOS Portable EFTPOS payment solution for mobile businesses and tradies, enabling on-the-go payment acceptance with multi-carrier connectivity and battery-powered portability.
• POS Integrated EFTPOS EFTPOS terminal integrated with top POS providers to automatically sync transactions and settlements, enabling a seamless end-to-end checkout experience for merchants with existing point-of-sale infrastructure.
• Short Term Rentals Flexible short-term EFTPOS machine hire service for businesses needing temporary payment terminal access, with rental terms arranged on request and pay-as-you-go billing.
• MOTO / Card Not Present Payments Payment processing service for transactions where the customer's card is not physically present, suitable for phone orders and mail orders, billed on a pay-as-you-go / transaction-based fee structure.
• Shift4 Business Hub Cloud-based online portal providing merchants with real-time visibility into transactions, settlements and payment analytics, accessible from the EFTPOS terminal or via the web.
• Alipay & WeChat Pay Acceptance Payment acceptance service for popular Chinese mobile wallets (Alipay and WeChat Pay), enabling NZ merchants to accept payments from international customers, particularly Chinese tourists and consumers.
• Credit Card Reader Card reading hardware accepting all major credit and debit cards including Mastercard and Visa, with the option to add American Express acceptance.

Quantifiable outcome

• Merchant fee savings of over $25,000 annually for some businesses switching from bank services
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• WorldlinecoreTechnology or IntegrationShift4 connects to Worldline, New Zealand's largest payment network provider, enabling broad card acceptance across Visa, Mastercard, and other networks. This is a critical infrastructure partnership for payment processing capabilities.
• Top POS ProviderscoreTechnology or IntegrationPOS integration partnerships with leading point-of-sale system providers, allowing merchants to sync Shift4 EFTPOS with their existing POS systems for seamless checkout experiences. Listed as POS Integrations on website.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• ANZ Merchant Services: One of New Zealand's largest banks providing merchant acquiring and EFTPOS services bundled with core banking products. Comparable as the incumbent competitor Smart Pay is explicitly displacing, with broader portfolio but legacy pricing structures.
• Square (Block): Global SMB payments platform offering hardware terminals, software, and financial services to small merchants worldwide. Comparable target customer (SMBs) and product layer (terminal + low flat-rate processing), though operates at vastly greater scale and with broader software ecosystem.
• Stripe Terminal: Global in-person payment acceptance product from Stripe, providing developer-first POS hardware and integrated processing. Comparable for SMB and mid-market merchants seeking modern terminal stacks, though positioned primarily for integrated software users rather than pure SMB displacement.
• Worldline: European-headquartered global payment processor that operates NZ's largest card payment network and is Smart Pay's core infrastructure partner. Comparable at the payments-rail layer, but operates as an acquirer/processor at scale rather than direct SMB merchant interface.
• PayPal Zettle: PayPal-owned SMB point-of-sale solution offering card readers, POS software, and merchant processing. Comparable target customer and value proposition (SMB-friendly hardware with simplified pricing), though backed by a global brand and broader payments portfolio.

Direct peers

• Zeller: Australian SMB-focused payment acceptance and business banking platform offering EFTPOS terminals, low merchant fees, and integrated business accounts. Closely comparable as an ANZ-region challenger displacing bank-issued merchant services for SMBs.
• Tyro Payments: Australia-listed EFTPOS and integrated payments provider serving SMBs across hospitality, retail and health verticals. Comparable as an ANZ EFTPOS specialist with tiered subscription pricing, vertical focus, and bank-displacement value proposition.
• Quest Payment Systems: New Zealand-based payment service provider delivering integrated EFTPOS and POS solutions to SMBs across multiple verticals. Directly comparable as a domestic NZ competitor targeting the same merchant segments with terminal-plus-fee offerings.

Others

• Verifone: Global provider of payment terminals and POS hardware used by acquirers and merchants worldwide. Comparable as the underlying hardware category for Smart Pay's Android terminals, though Verifone sells to acquirers rather than directly to SMBs.

Regional players

• Smartpay Australia: Australian counterpart offering EFTPOS terminals and merchant services to Australian SMBs under a closely related brand. Comparable as a sister/peer regional EFTPOS operator in the adjacent Australian market, illustrating the model at slightly different scale and competitive set.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/smartpaynz
• Facebookfacebook.com/SmartpayNewZealand
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/smartpay-new-zealand-limited

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Smart Pay