How to Accept Card Payments at a Farmers Market with Just Your iPhone

Accepting cards no longer means hauling a clunky reader or waiting for a mail-order dongle. Thanks to Tap to Pay on iPhone, any farmer with an iPhone XS or newer can turn the device already in their pocket into a full-fledged checkout terminal, perfect for busy market days, roadside stands, and on-farm pickup sheds. Below is a step-by-step guide that gets you swiping (well, tapping) in about 20 minutes using the free Locally Grown for Farmers app.

What you’ll need

• iPhone XS or later: Apples Tap to Pay feature is supported natively on these models. Tap to pay allows iPhone to be used like a credit card reader.
• The Locally Grown for Farmers app: Free on the App Store; no hardware required.

Step-by-step setup

1. Install Locally Grown for Farmers - Search “Locally Grown” in the App Store, download the farmer edition, and open it.

2. Step through onboarding to add basic farm details. Enter farm name, address, and payout preferences. This takes about two minutes and unlocks your live store link.

3. Add products and inventory. Go to Products ▸ + New Product

   • Enter name, price, and—if you sell by weight—toggle Variable Weight.
   • Upload a photo or choose a stock image for quick visual lookup.

4. Launch the POS

5. Ring up your first sale

   • Select items (or enter weight).
   • Tap Charge—the phone shows the contactless logo.
   • The first time you open it, Apple’s Tap to Pay terms appear. Accept them once to activate contactless payments.
   • Ask the customer to hold their card, phone, or watch near the top of your iPhone.
   • When you feel the haptic click, the payment is complete.
   • Email or text the digital receipt.

Funds settle to Stripe immediately, and—if you’ve enabled Instant Payouts—can be in your bank within minutes, ready for tomorrow’s feed bill.

Pro tips for a smooth market day

• Signal check: Tap to Pay needs a data connection. If cell service is weak, hotspot through a second phone or a MiFi.
• Power plan: Contactless transactions sip battery, but a five-hour market can still drain your phone if you’re also logging inventory. A slim 5 000 mAh pack is cheap insurance.
• Signage sells: A simple “Tap or swipe—cards welcome” placard boosts average basket size, especially for tourists who rarely carry cash.
• Price-by-weight shortcut: On variable items, tap the weight field, key 2.37 lb, and Locally Grown calculates the exact total—no mental math or scale integration hassles.

Frequently asked questions

Does Tap to Pay cost extra?

No. Locally Grown charges a flat 2.7 % + $0.05 per transaction, and that already includes Apple’s secure processing layer.

Can I still accept cash or checks?

Yes. Use Record Cash Sale so cash totals deduct inventory and appear in your end-of-day report.

Ready in 20 minutes—free to try

Download Locally Grown for Farmers, list a few products, and run a $1 test charge. If you aren’t convinced in a single market morning, simply keep using cash—there’s no subscription or hardware to return. Once you see shoppers tap and go, you’ll wonder how you ever ran the stall without it. Happy selling!