If you run a campsite, you know the drill. A guest arrives, wants to pay for an extra night or a bag of logs, and your card machine is back in the office. Or worse — you don't have one at all.
The Problem With Traditional Payment Methods
Cash is messy. Bank transfers take days to confirm. Card machines cost £20-30 a month in rental fees, plus transaction charges, plus the hassle of maintaining a mobile signal. And they're always in the wrong place when you need them.
For smaller campsites — CLs, pop-up sites, and seasonal operations — the cost of a dedicated card terminal simply doesn't make sense. But turning away card payments means turning away revenue.
How QR Code Payments Work
With PayCamp's Mobile Payments feature, taking a card payment is as simple as showing your phone screen to a customer:
- Enter the amount — open Quick Pay on your phone and type the amount
- Generate a QR code — tap 'Take Card Payment' and a secure QR code appears instantly
- Customer scans — they point their phone camera at your screen. No app needed.
- Payment completes — the customer pays via Stripe Checkout and you see confirmation in real time
The entire process takes under 30 seconds. No card machine. No dongle. No monthly hardware rental.
Click any £ price to edit it — watch the annual estimate update live
| Season | EHU/night | Grass/night | Hard/night |
|---|---|---|---|
| Peak | |||
| Shoulder | |||
| Off-Peak |
Estimated Annual Revenue
£100,101
Based on 18 pitches · avg occupancy · updates live as you edit
Why This Matters for UK Campsites
The UK camping market has shifted dramatically. Guests expect to pay by card — especially younger campers and international visitors. A 2025 UK Finance report found that cash accounted for just 12% of payments, down from 28% five years ago.
For campsite operators, this creates a practical problem: how do you take card payments when you're at the gate, walking the site, or chatting to a guest at their pitch?
Perfect For
- Arrival payments — collect the balance when guests check in
- Extras and add-ons — firewood, ice, late checkouts
- Electricity top-ups — charge for metered usage on the spot
- Ad-hoc charges — damage deposits, key replacements, anything
Security You Can Trust
Every payment goes through Stripe Checkout — the same system used by Amazon, Shopify, and millions of businesses worldwide. It's PCI DSS Level 1 certified, supports 3D Secure authentication, and handles all card data securely. You never see or store card numbers.
See Yard Manager in Action
Discover how marinas and boatyards streamline operations with PayCamp's purpose-built tools.
Recording Cash and Other Payments
Not every payment is digital. PayCamp's Quick Pay screen also lets you record cash, BACS, and cheque payments with the same simple workflow. Every payment — card or cash — feeds into the same customer records and reports.
Even Easier: PayCamp Payments
Don't want to set up a Stripe account at all? PayCamp Payments lets you start collecting card payments without any merchant account setup. Just turn it on — 5% + 50p per transaction, money lands in your bank account automatically.
For operators who want full control, you can also connect your own Stripe account at standard 2.8% + 25p rates. Either way, every payment flows into the same customer records and reports.
Lighthouse Partners like Milton Keynes Marina use PayCamp Payments for everything from berth invoices to walk-in boat hire charges — all from a phone on the dock.
Getting Started
Mobile Payments is available on all PayCamp plans. You'll need a Stripe account (free to set up) connected to your PayCamp dashboard. Once connected, you can start taking QR code payments immediately from any device with a browser.
No hardware to buy. No contracts to sign. Just faster payments, happier guests, and less time chasing cash.
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See Yard Manager in Action
Discover how marinas and boatyards streamline operations with PayCamp's purpose-built tools.