Intuit Pay is offering stall holders taking part in Love Your Local Market the opportunity to take free mobile card transactions.

Using Intuits bluetooth-enabled card reader, which they can get for half price, along with the Android or iOS app, traders will be able to take fee-free transactions on their smartphone or iPad. After 90 days, or sales total more than £2,500, the standard charge of 2.75 per cent per transaction applies.

The Love Your Local Market initiative was launched today at London’s Portobello and Golborne Road Market by Minister for Local Growth, Mark Prisk, and will be targeting 1,500 of the UK’s local markets. It was devised by the National Association of British Market Authorities and the Department for Communities and Local Government to help rejuvinate local shopping areas.

Mark Little, UK MD of Intuit, said: “Intuit Pay solves an important problem for the millions of small businesses in the UK who don’t currently accept card payments and so miss out on sales or prompt payment as a result. The UK’s market traders are a hugely important part of that small business community.”

Sinead Kohler, co-founder of South Londons Crafty Fox Market, said that Intuit Pay had already improved the takings at her market. “We found that customers spent more at the stalls using Intuit Pay, as they weren’t limited by the cash in their pockets.”