Selling cakes, crafts or second-hand clothes? Your phone has a clever feature you might not know about

Whether you're selling homemade candles at a Christmas market, baking cakes for local customers or turning a hobby into a weekend business, there's one awkward question that can quickly bring a sale to a halt: "Can I pay by card?"

Not everyone carries cash these days, and for anyone running a small side hustle, investing in expensive equipment just to take the occasional payment might seem like an unnecessary expense.

But there's a clever solution that could make life considerably easier. You can now turn a compatible smartphone into a contactless card reader, without buying any additional hardware.

How to turn your smartphone into a card reader

Payment technology company SumUp offers a feature called Tap to Pay, which allows people to accept contactless payments directly on their smartphone.

Using SumUp's Tap to Pay feature, sellers can take payments from customers using contactless bank cards, Apple Pay and other supported digital wallets, without needing a separate card machine.

It's particularly useful for people who don't have a permanent shop or business premises, whether they're selling handmade jewellery at a craft fair, running a pop-up cake stall or providing services in customers' homes.

There's no additional card reader to carry around, and getting started doesn't require a big investment in equipment.

The feature itself is free to set up on compatible devices, although standard transaction fees apply when customers make payments.

A £25 gadget for people taking their side hustle further

For anyone starting to make more regular sales, there's also an affordable alternative to relying entirely on their phone.

The SumUp Solo Lite card reader has a standard price of £25 excluding VAT and connects to a smartphone using Bluetooth.

Small enough to fit in your pocket, it accepts contactless payments, chip-and-PIN cards, Apple Pay and Google Pay.

It also works with the SumUp Business app, allowing sellers to keep track of sales, manage products and set prices.

For someone running a weekend market stall, selling at Christmas fairs or building up a small local business, that could make the process of taking payments considerably simpler.

Could your hobby become a money-making business?

One of the attractions of starting a side hustle is that you don't necessarily need to give up your day job or commit to opening a shop.

Plenty of small ventures begin with somebody selling a few handmade items, taking occasional orders or offering a service to friends and neighbours.

Of course, anyone starting to trade needs to consider the relevant tax, insurance and regulatory requirements, particularly when selling food.

But when it comes to getting paid, technology has removed at least one of the traditional obstacles.

And whether you're planning a Christmas market stall or simply testing whether your hobby could earn some extra money, being able to accept card payments using the phone already in your pocket is certainly worth knowing about.