Best card machine for restaurants UK 2026

The best UK card machine for restaurants in 2026 is Dojo Go, on Dojo. Dojo dominates UK hospitality for table-side flow, split-bill and tip handling. Same-next-day settlement helps cashflow. Pricing competitive at £15k+ monthly volume. Alternatives that fit lower-volume restaurants: Square Terminal (independents); SumUp Solo (small cafés).

Our pick

Dojo Go

Acquirer: Dojo

Dojo dominates UK hospitality for table-side flow, split-bill and tip handling. Same-next-day settlement helps cashflow. Pricing competitive at £15k+ monthly volume.

Read full Dojo Go review

What restaurants card payments look like

Cashflow shape: Evening + weekend peaks. December and summer tourist surges. Card flow strong.
Average transaction: £35 to £85
Contactless share: ~55% of transactions
Recommended acquirer: Dojo

Alternatives for restaurants

Square Terminal (independents)
SumUp Solo (small cafés)

Watch outs specific to restaurants

Tip-handling rules vary by acquirer; confirm before signing.
Split-bill UX varies.
Some acquirers cap contactless tips at £100 transaction limit.

FAQs

What is the best card machine for restaurants in the UK?

The best UK card machine for restaurants in 2026 is Dojo Go on Dojo. Dojo dominates UK hospitality for table-side flow, split-bill and tip handling. Same-next-day settlement helps cashflow. Pricing competitive at £15k+ monthly volume.

How much does a card machine cost for a restaurant business?

Card-machine cost for restaurants comprises hardware (free to £329 upfront), monthly fee (£0 to £25), per-transaction rate (0.8% to 1.95% typical for restaurants), plus chargeback and scheme fees. Headline rate is one input; total 12-month cost depends on monthly card volume, average transaction size, and contract length. Use our /fees-calculator/ to model the blended cost.

Average transaction size in restaurants?

£35 to £85. Evening + weekend peaks. December and summer tourist surges. Card flow strong..

What contactless share do restaurants businesses see?

~55% of transactions. Restaurants card-payment kit should prioritise contactless reliability over chip-and-PIN throughput; tap-to-pay reliability after 10pm is the differentiator on late-night trade.

What should restaurants owners watch out for when choosing a card machine?

Tip-handling rules vary by acquirer; confirm before signing. Split-bill UX varies. Some acquirers cap contactless tips at £100 transaction limit.

Sign through us, get all of this

Take any UK acquirer. 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.

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Reviewed by Oliver Mackman, Director. Last reviewed: 2026-04-26.