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If your machine only takes cash, most buyers can't pay you the way they want to. Here's the number, and what a reader actually costs.
The number: 78%
Cantaloupe's 2026 payments report found that 78% of vending sales were cashless in 2025, up from 73%. The average cashless ticket was $2.45, against $1.57 for cash, according to the same report as quoted by machine seller VMFS USA.
That doesn't prove a card reader adds 88 cents to every sale. People buy different things with a card. It does tell you where the bigger purchases are happening, and an empty coin slot won't catch them.
Three things worth knowing
Lunch is moving into machines, at least in the UK. A guide from Kepak and the Automatic Vending Association says lunch grew from 12% of vending occasions in July 2025 to 21% in July 2026. It's UK data, so treat it as something to watch here and not a forecast. The guide names workplaces, hospitals and travel locations as the places to look.
Automated retail isn't only snacks. A nonprofit in Queens opened an automated food pantry and vending machine at Jamaica Market with fresh produce and refrigerated items. It's a useful picture of what buildings are starting to expect a machine to do.
The hardware side is shuffling. Touchscreen maker Elo is changing CEOs as it moves forward as part of Zebra Technologies. Nothing to do today, but ask about support and parts before you buy screen-based equipment.
What to do about it
List every machine you run, or plan to run, that can't take a tap.
Pick the one with the most foot traffic and price out a reader for that machine only.
Compare its next 60 days of sales against the 60 days before. Your own numbers beat anybody's report, including this one.
No machines yet? Then the first job is still a building worth pitching. One good location changes the whole conversation.
If you're shopping for a reader, Nayax is one of the common ones. (Partner link: VendBuddy may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.)
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Sources: VMFS USA citing Cantaloupe | Vending Times
