Iliad, the parent company of telecom operator Free, is moving into payments. True to its credo, it promises to cut prices on this very competitive market. Promise kept?
The formula is simple, but, so far, effective: on each new market approached, Free is never the first to launch, not always the most innovative, rarely the one offering the best service, but always the cheapest. Generally, it works: in telecoms, Iliad, its parent company, has succeeded in taking its place against the behemoths Orange, Bouygues and SFR.
Will it succeed in reproducing the recipe on the payment market? The ingredients, in any case, are there. Stancer, the new offer launched on Tuesday by Xavier Niel’s group, is not particularly innovative. Intended for businesses and the self-employed who wish to accept bank cards, in person and remotely, it includes a electronic payment terminal (TPE) and a online payment solution, easy to integrate on a website. Nothing, in short, that radically distinguishes Stancer, in a market where there is no shortage of offers.
The new brand is reminiscent in particular of specialized players such as SumUp or Zettle (subsidiary of PayPal), which have imported into France for several years now the concept of small mobile TPEs that are inexpensive to buy. Faced with them, lacking precedence, Stancer benefits from price advantageas detailed here:
| Stancer | SumUp | Zettle | |
| Terminal price | 15 euros per month (free from 150 payments per month) | From 39 euros (single payment) | From 19 euros |
| card payment (on terminal) | 0.70% of the amount collected | 1.75% of the amount received | 1.75% of the amount received |
| card payment ( distance) | 0.70% of the amount received | 2.50% of the amount received | 2.50% of the amount received |
Price excluding taxes, readings as of September 28, 2022
Retail banks in the viewfinder?
But is Stancer’s goal really to tread on SumUp’s toes? In its design and its pricing method, the new offer seems rather calibrated for shake up the cashing behemothsretail banks and their specialized subsidiaries.
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In relation to the latter, Stancer adds flexibility – access to the TPE is by rental, but without commitment – and above all, faithful to the DNA of its parent company, the tariff moderation. Billed at 15 euros per month, the price of the TPE goes free as soon as the number of monthly transactions exceeds 250. Stancer also skips the fixed commissions (7 euro cents) on small payments of at least 7 euros. This is of particular interest to small traders, those who do not have enough volume to negotiate discounts on the payment commissions invoiced by their bank.
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