Merchant services in Santa Monica.
From the Third Street Promenade and Santa Monica Pier to Montana Avenue and the Main Street Business Improvement District, Santa Monica's 90,729 residents and millions of annual visitors keep a wide range of businesses moving every day.
Payments that fit how Santa Monica does business
Santa Monica runs on four Business Improvement Districts covering Downtown, Main Street, Montana Avenue, and Pico Boulevard, plus two Property-Based Assessment Districts along Lincoln Boulevard and in the downtown core. Tourism generates $996 million in revenue annually, and an estimated 4.2 million visitors arrived in 2024. The city's top employment sectors include Professional, Scientific and Technical Services with 10,818 workers, Information with 5,445, and Health Care and Social Assistance with 5,389. Major employers like UCLA Medical Center Santa Monica, the City of Santa Monica, and Santa Monica College anchor the local economy year-round.
That mix of foot traffic, corporate offices, medical facilities, and tourist-heavy corridors means Santa Monica businesses collect payments in almost every way imaginable. A beachfront vendor needs a mobile reader that works tableside or curbside. A tech firm near Silicon Beach sends invoices and collects by ACH. A boutique on Montana Avenue builds loyalty with gift cards for its repeat neighborhood customers. Getting paid quickly and reliably, no matter the channel, matters in a city this busy.
What sets Santa Monica apart
Foot Traffic Rules the Streets
In 2024, 63% of visitors got around Santa Monica on foot, making walk-in foot traffic the dominant customer-acquisition channel for most street-level businesses. That means a slow or clunky checkout loses real money. Fast card readers and tap-to-pay terminals on the counter, or in a server's hand at a restaurant, keep lines short and customers happy when hundreds of walk-ins arrive on any given afternoon.
International Visitors Are a Growing Force
In 2024, international visitors surged 67% year-over-year to 1.87 million people and represented 44% of all visitors, meaning businesses increasingly serve non-English-speaking, cash-comfortable, high-spending international guests. Accepting chip cards, contactless payments, and digital wallets from global networks removes friction for those guests and captures spending that a cash-only or limited-terminal setup would simply turn away.
Weekly Markets Create Recurring Sales Opportunities
The city operates four certified farmers markets year-round, including the Downtown Wednesday and Saturday markets, the Main Street Sunday market, and the Pico/Virginia Avenue Park Saturday market, all of which accept Cal Fresh EBT. Vendors and nearby merchants who pair mobile card readers with EBT capability serve every shopper who shows up, turning a weekly market day into a reliable, repeatable revenue event.
Local facts on this page come from: Santa Monica Business District Spotlights, santamonica.gov, Starting a Business in Santa Monica, santamonica.gov, City of Santa Monica, Business Climate Economic Snapshot (PDF), Downtown Community Plan, City of Santa Monica Planning Dept (PDF), Data USA, Santa Monica, CA: Population, Income & Demographics, Los Angeles Employee Lawyer, Santa Monica, California, Vis Mountain, Santa Monica Marketing Agency, World Maps, Santa Monica, California (U.S. Census Bureau PEP Vintage 2024).
Santa Monica businesses we help
Where most owners here start
Mobile payments
Phone and tablet readers, tap to pay and QR codes for business on the go.
Learn moreInvoicing and recurring billing
Send invoices, set up automatic billing and accept ACH payments.
Learn moreGift cards and loyalty programs
Branded gift cards, loyalty points and mobile rewards.
Learn moreSanta Monica questions
Can Upward Merchant help my Third Street Promenade shop even though you serve Santa Monica remotely?
My restaurant near the Santa Monica Pier gets a lot of international guests. What payment options help with that?
I sell at the Downtown Farmers Market on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Do I need a special mobile setup?
Can you help my Santa Monica business if you are not local?
For Santa Monica business owners
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