Best card machine for London PCO driver UK 2026

For PCO-licensed (Private Hire Vehicle, PHV) drivers operating in London. Distinct from green-badge / yellow-badge Hackney carriage Knowledge drivers. PCO drivers cannot ply for hire on the street and must be pre-booked via Uber, Bolt, FreeNow, Wheely, Addison Lee, Veezu or a local operator. TfL does not mandate card acceptance on PHV the way it does on black cab, but off-platform corporate, hotel-concierge and direct-account fares need a card-reader.

The ranking

1. Tap to Pay on iPhone (no terminal)

4.2 / 5

Best London PCO setup

iPhone XS or later running iOS 16.4+, no separate terminal · Same as the underlying acquirer · Same as the underlying acquirer

Tap to Pay on iPhone is the cheapest PCO setup: zero hardware, no monthly fees, contactless to £100, Apple Pay, Google Pay, chip-and-PIN fallback. Best for drivers whose platform-fare share (Uber, Bolt, FreeNow) handles 95% of trips and who only need card-reader for the off-platform 5%.

2. SumUp Solo

4.2 / 5

Best dedicated PCO reader

Portable terminal with built-in receipt printer (Solo Lite is no-printer) · 1.69% per transaction · No contract

SumUp Solo at £99 with 1.69% rate. Worth the £99 hardware spend if more than 20% of fares are off-platform (corporate accounts, hotel concierge, repeat private bookings). Standalone 4G means no phone tether.

3. Square Terminal

4.1 / 5

Best for executive PCO with airport runs

All-in-one countertop terminal with receipt printer · 1.75% per transaction (UK) · No contract

Square Terminal at £149 with 1.75% rate and built-in printer. Worth it for PCO drivers doing Heathrow, City Airport or Gatwick corporate transfers where business-traveller customers need on-the-spot receipts.

4. Stripe Reader S700

4.0 / 5

Best for PCO operator with online booking

Touchscreen handheld terminal with built-in receipt printer · Custom (Stripe pricing) · Stripe terms

Stripe Reader S700 at £329 plus Stripe Checkout for online booking. Best for PCO sole-traders running their own booking site (corporate accounts paying by Stripe invoice plus in-car card payment for ad-hoc).

Quick comparison

Headline rate, hardware cost, contract and form factor at a glance.

Rank	Terminal	Rate	Hardware	Contract
#1	Tap to Pay on iPhone (no terminal)	Same as the underlying acquirer	£0 hardware (you already have the iPhone)	Same as the underlying acquirer
#2	SumUp Solo	1.69% per transaction	£99 to £149 hardware	No contract
#3	Square Terminal	1.75% per transaction (UK)	£149 to £199	No contract
#4	Stripe Reader S700	Custom (Stripe pricing)	£329	Stripe terms

FAQs

Do London PCO drivers need a card machine?

Not by TfL mandate, but commercially yes for any meaningful off-platform business. Platform fares (Uber, Bolt, FreeNow, Wheely) settle in-app. Off-platform fares (corporate accounts, hotel concierge, direct bookings, repeat private clients) need a card-reader.

What is the difference between PCO and Knowledge for card-machine choice?

Knowledge (Hackney carriage, green or yellow badge) must accept card on every metered fare by TfL mandate, so card-machine is non-optional and per-transaction rate matters on every fare. PCO (Private Hire) is platform-mediated for most trips so card-machine only handles the off-platform slice; hardware payback period is longer.

Can PCO drivers charge a card surcharge?

No. UK card surcharging on consumer transactions has been illegal since January 2018. Applies equally to PCO direct fares and Hackney carriage metered fares. Card-acceptance cost must be priced into the agreed fare, not added at point-of-sale.

How do Wheely chauffeur PCO drivers handle card payment?

Wheely fares settle in-app to the customer's saved card; driver receives weekly net payout from Wheely. No card-reader needed for the platform side. Some Wheely drivers also accept direct corporate accounts where a Square Terminal or Stripe Reader S700 with emailed receipt is the standard setup.

Sign through us, get all of this

Take any of these. We do the rest.

Named UK account team for the life of the agreement. Acquirer pays our commission on completed introductions, so it costs you nothing on top.

24/7 dedicated support
Direct line to a named UK account manager, not a generic acquirer helpline. When your terminal goes down on a Saturday night you call us.
Quarterly rate reviews
As your card volume grows your rate should drop. We renegotiate against the 80+ UK acquirer panel every quarter, so you never overpay because you forgot to ask.
Chargeback and dispute help
UK chargebacks cost £15 to £35 per case and 60-80% are friendly fraud you can win with the right evidence. We draft the response and escalate where the acquirer drags its feet.
Switching support when you outgrow
If a better acquirer fit emerges as you grow we manage the cutover. No exit-fee surprises, no dual-running gap. Same account team across acquirers.

How we work, end to end →

Methodology

Rankings are based on direct hands-on testing, published rates, settlement timing, contract terms, and acquirer reliability. We do not accept payment for ranking position. See our full methodology and editorial policy.

Get a quote

Open quote form →

Reviewed by Oliver Mackman, Director. Last reviewed: 2026-05-12.