Cheapest UK card machine 2026

The cheapest UK card machines on total 12-month cost in 2026. Hardware cost plus monthly fee plus per-transaction rate plus chargeback fee plus scheme fees. Headline rate alone is misleading; this guide ranks on blended Total Cost of Acquiring (TCA) at three volume bands: £2k, £10k and £30k monthly.

The ranking

1. Tap to Pay on iPhone (no terminal)

4.2 / 5

Cheapest overall (zero hardware)

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 removes the hardware cost entirely. Pair with SumUp or Square no-contract acquirer at 1.69% to 1.75% per transaction. Below £5,000 monthly volume this is the cheapest UK setup full stop, because the hardware saving outweighs the per-transaction-rate gap with cheaper-rate hardware options.

2. Tide Card Reader

3.8 / 5

Cheapest hardware (Tide customers)

Compact Bluetooth-paired reader (similar to Zettle / SumUp) · 1.5% per transaction (UK) · No contract

Tide Card Reader at £49 hardware plus 1.5% per transaction. Same-day settlement to Tide Business banking. Conditional on banking with Tide; if not, switch to SumUp or Zettle for comparable hardware cost.

3. Revolut Card Reader

3.7 / 5

Cheapest headline rate

Compact Bluetooth-paired reader · 0.8% to 1.0% per transaction (depending on subscription tier) · Subscription-tier dependent (Revolut Business plan)

Revolut Card Reader at £49 with 0.8% to 1.0% per transaction on the higher Revolut Business plans. Lowest UK headline rate. Conditional on £25 to £100+ monthly Revolut Business subscription; only beats SumUp on TCA above about £10,000 monthly card volume.

4. SumUp Solo

4.2 / 5

Cheapest mainstream no-contract

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

SumUp Solo at £99 to £149 hardware plus 1.69% per transaction. Free 4G SIM, full-day battery. Cheapest mainstream UK no-contract pick for sub-£10,000 monthly volume because there is no monthly fee and no conditional banking requirement.

5. Zettle Reader 2

4.0 / 5

Cheapest entry hardware

Compact card reader (pairs with phone or tablet) · 1.75% per transaction · No contract

Zettle Reader 2 at £59 to £79 hardware plus 1.75% per transaction. Lowest UK hardware entry point. PayPal background means underwriting is broad. Cheapest for very-low-volume traders below £500 monthly card volume where the £40 hardware difference dominates the per-transaction-rate gap.

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	Tide Card Reader	1.5% per transaction (UK)	£49 hardware	No contract
#3	Revolut Card Reader	0.8% to 1.0% per transaction (depending on subscription tier)	£49 hardware	Subscription-tier dependent (Revolut Business plan)
#4	SumUp Solo	1.69% per transaction	£99 to £149 hardware	No contract
#5	Zettle Reader 2	1.75% per transaction	£59 to £79	No contract

FAQs

What is the cheapest UK card machine in 2026?

Below £5,000 monthly card volume: Tap to Pay on iPhone (zero hardware) paired with SumUp or Square no-contract acquirer. Below £10k: SumUp Solo at £99 to £149 hardware plus 1.69% with no monthly fee. Above £10k with Tide Business banking: Tide Card Reader at £49 hardware plus 1.5% per transaction. Above £20k where interchange-plus pricing wins: bespoke Adyen or Stripe enterprise tier.

Why is the cheapest headline rate not always the cheapest overall?

Because headline rates ignore monthly fees, hardware cost, contract length, exit fees and chargeback fees. A 0.74% rate (Tyl by NatWest) with a £25 monthly fee costs more in total at sub-£15k volume than a 1.69% rate (SumUp Solo) with no monthly fee. Use Total Cost of Acquiring (TCA) modelling to compare like-for-like. Our /fees-calculator/ does this.

Does the cheapest UK card machine handle Apple Pay and Google Pay?

Yes. Every product in this list supports UK contactless including Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay. UK contactless is capped at £100 per transaction on cards (£45 to £100 raised October 2021); Apple Pay and Google Pay have no £100 cap because the device authentication satisfies SCA.

Are cheaper UK card machines slower or less reliable?

No. SumUp Solo, Square Terminal, Zettle, Tide and Revolut all run on Visa and Mastercard's standard authorisation rails. Speed of authorisation is identical to Dojo or Worldpay. The trade-off is feature set (no built-in printer on SumUp Solo, no offline mode on Zettle) and acquirer relationship depth (less direct line to underwriting on SumUp vs Adyen). Speed is the same.

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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.

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Reviewed by Oliver Mackman, Director. Last reviewed: 2026-05-11.