Londons Real Food Festival was the first big outing for UK-based mobile payments platform Judo.

What makes its offer different to many weve seen lately is that the seller doesnt need to buy a new piece of kit to take card payments.

Customers can either download the app and link up with the trader to make a payment – although this is currently only available to iOS users – or make a phone call to the Judo number if they are using any other handset. Here they enter the merchants ID and then add their card details if they are a first time user and then the amount payable. They will then receive a text to confirm. The app is free for traders, but there is a transaction fee of 2.9 per cent +29p with no charge for refunds or failed transactions.

The company was founded two years ago and it has focused on going door-to-door to get traders like convenience stores and taxi drivers to sign-up before going public. The CEO, Dennis Jones, saw a gap in the British market for a really cheap alternative to credit card machines and even other mobile payments firms.

Jones said: “Our partnership with the Real Food Festival is a fantastic example of how small traders and retailers can accept cards using only mobile phones, even when they are trading in a temporary setting.  Visitors to events like the Real Food Festival may not be carrying enough cash to pay for the tasty goods that they see on display.  By registering with Judo, traders can make sure they never miss a sale.”