EE partners with Square, accelerating digital payments for SMEs

EE, part of BT Group, today announces its partnership with Square to help UK small businesses securely accept contactless mobile payments, anytime anywhere.

Available now, the partnership will give EE’s business customers access to a free Square Reader, with fee-free processing on their first £1,000 of card transactions in person, online or over the phone*. With Square, customers can accept touch-free payments in-person and online, quickly and securely.

According to recent research(1) by Small Business Britain and BT Skills for Tomorrow, the coronavirus pandemic has prompted SMEs to embrace more digital ways of working. Over half (51 per cent) of the UK’s businesses are moving online to better engage with their customers; 44 per cent are selling more of their products online; and 26 per cent have increased their use of contactless payments. As a result of this shift, 43 per cent expect their use of digital tools to increase in the future.

Square’s own research(2) reveals that fewer than one in four payments are being made in cash – approximately half of pre-Covid-19 levels - as businesses and consumers alike look for contact-free ways to pay.

Pete Oliver, Managing Director of SME, BT Enterprise Unit, said: “We’ve seen how the Covid-19 pandemic has driven businesses of all shapes and sizes to embrace more digital tools, whether that’s remote working, engaging customers online or moving to cashless payments.”

“As the trend towards cashless payments continue to skyrocket, our EE business customers can now not only benefit from the best connectivity with the UK’s no.1 network, but also have access to Square’s leading digital payment tools to help improve cash flow; arguably more critical today than ever before.”

Benefits of Square for EE business customers
As SMEs look for an accessible way to accept card payments anywhere, EE is providing small businesses with a simple way to get started. With this offer EE business customers can:

• Sign up to Square in a few minutes and accept payments the same day.
• Create a professional, free online store with Square Online.
• Take orders over the phone and send invoices to get paid fast.
• Pay only when you process payments (1.75% for all in-person transactions including Visa, Mastercard and American Express, 2.5% for keyed in and online transactions).
• No hidden fees, no long-term commitments.
• Get paid next business day as standard to optimise cash flow.

“During these challenging times SMEs need accessible and affordable tools,” said Pankaj Bengani, Global Partnerships Lead at Square. “Partnering with EE means we can help more SMEs accept card payments with ease and simplicity. It’s essential businesses are equipped to sell wherever their customers are, and with Square, EE customers will be able to do this in-person and online.”

The offer forms part of BT’s recently launched Small Business Support Scheme. This scheme sees the company support the UK’s 5.8m small businesses through the coronavirus pandemic and beyond via a range of new measures aimed at helping small businesses to boost their connectivity, cash flow and confidence.

Limited time offer, one per customer, subject to availability, valid only for new Square customers and is not transferable. Waived processing fees are reimbursed to your account on each deposit. Free processing valid for 180 days after opening a Square account. After waived fees expire, Square charges 1.75% for all face to face transactions including Visa, Mastercard and American Express. 2.5% for keyed in and online transactions.

References

1. BT, SME Support Scheme research (2020). Available here
2. Square UK, Cash and the pandemic report (2020). Full report here

About EE
EE runs the UK’s biggest and fastest mobile network, offering superfast connections in more places than any other operator. EE brought the first 4G network to the UK in October 2012, and launched the UK’s first 5G network in May 2019.

EE has received extensive independent recognition, including being named the UK’s no.1 5G network by RootMetrics® in 2020 and being named the UK’s best network every year since 2014 for the following awards: The Mobile Choice Awards, The Mobile Industry Awards and by RootMetrics®.
As well as offering mobile services to consumers and small and medium businesses, EE also provides home and business broadband using both 4G and fixed line connections.

EE is committed to being number one for service in the industry, and has nearly 600 shops across the UK. EE remains the only mobile provider to answer 100% of customer calls in the UK and Ireland and was recognised as the UK’s Best Large Contact Centre by the UK Customer Experience Awards 2018 and Welsh Contact Centre Awards 2019. EE was awarded The Sunday Times’ Best 100 Companies to Work for in 2018 and 2019, as well as being named Best Employer 2018 by the European Contact Centre & Customer Service awards.

EE is part of BT’s Consumer business unit which provides products and services to all of BT’s consumer customers in the UK.

About Square
Square, Inc. (NYSE: SQ) revolutionised payments in 2009 with Square Reader, making it possible for anyone to accept card payments using a smartphone or tablet. Today, we build tools to empower businesses and individuals to participate in the economy. Sellers use Square to reach buyers online and in-person, and manage their business. And individuals use Cash App to send and store money. Square has offices in the United States, Canada, Japan, Australia, Ireland, Spain, and the UK.