How much does a card machine cost in the UK?
Quick Reference
Direct Answer
A UK card machine costs £0 to £329 for the hardware, 0.74% to 1.95% per transaction, and £0 to £25+ a month, depending on the provider and your contract. Most small businesses on a no-contract reader pay a blended £40 to £150 a month all-in. The cheapest start is Tap to Pay on iPhone (no hardware) or a £49 to £99 reader.
Summary
Card machine cost in the UK (2026) breaks into hardware (£0 to £329), a per-transaction rate (0.74% to 1.95%), and a monthly fee (£0 to £25+). No-contract fintech readers carry no monthly fee; bank-acquirer products add monthly fees and 12 to 36 month contracts but can lower the rate at high volume.
This Page Covers
The full cost of a UK card machine in 2026: hardware, rate, monthly fee, contract and hidden fees, with worked monthly examples.
Not Covered Here
Online payment gateway pricing, full EPOS software costs (see the EPOS hub), and high-risk merchant pricing.
What a card machine costs, broken down
There is no single price. The cost is the sum of four things, plus the fees that hide in the small print. Here is the 2026 UK range for each.
| Cost element | UK range (2026) | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Hardware (one-off) | £0 to £329 | £0 for Tap to Pay on iPhone; £49 (Tide, Revolut) to £329 (Stripe Reader S700). Most readers £59 to £149. |
| Rate per transaction | 0.74% to 1.95% | 0.74% (Tyl by NatWest, for NatWest customers) up to 1.95% (SumUp lowest plan). Most no-contract readers 1.69% to 1.75%. |
| Monthly fee | £0 to £25+ | £0 on no-contract readers (SumUp, Square, Zettle, Tide, Revolut); £25+ on some Dojo and Worldpay plans. |
| Contract | 0 to 36 months | No contract on most fintech readers; 12 to 36 months on bank-acquirer products (Dojo, Worldpay, Tyl, Barclaycard). |
| Other fees | Varies | Possible PCI fee, authorisation fee, minimum monthly service charge, or early-exit fee on contract products. Always check the small print. |
Worked examples: what you would actually pay
The blended monthly cost depends on your card volume and average sale. These three examples show the typical all-in monthly fee for common business shapes.
Sole trader / mobile trade
Volume: £3,000 a month, average £25 sale
Best fit: SumUp Solo (£99, 1.69%, no monthly fee)
Typical cost: ~£51 a month in fees
Independent shop or café
Volume: £12,000 a month, average £14 sale
Best fit: Square Terminal (£149, 1.75%, no monthly fee)
Typical cost: ~£210 a month in fees
Busy restaurant or bar
Volume: £40,000 a month, average £45 sale
Best fit: Dojo Go (blended ~1.5%, monthly fee, 12-month contract)
Typical cost: ~£600 a month in fees, lower blended rate wins at this volume
Model your own numbers with the card machine fees calculator, or see the ranked best card machine for small business and cheapest card machine picks.
In one sentence
Hardware plus rate plus monthly fee, minus the hidden extras. Compare the all-in cost, not the headline rate.
The lowest headline rate is rarely the cheapest deal once monthly fees, PCI charges and contracts are counted. MerchantHQ compares the true all-in cost across the whole UK market, recommends the cheapest fit for your volume, then stays your named account team to keep the rate honest with quarterly reviews.
Get matched in 2 minutesFrequently asked questions
How much does a card machine cost in the UK?
In 2026, expect £0 to £329 for the hardware, a rate of 0.74% to 1.95% per transaction, and a monthly fee of £0 to £25+. Most small businesses on a no-contract reader pay a blended £40 to £150 a month all-in. The cheapest start is Tap to Pay on iPhone (no hardware) or a £49 to £99 reader; the lowest rates come from bank-linked products (Tyl, Revolut, Tide).
Are there free card machines in the UK?
Some providers advertise a "free" card machine, but free usually means no upfront hardware cost in exchange for a higher rate, a monthly fee, or a multi-year contract. Tap to Pay on iPhone is genuinely free of hardware if you already have a compatible iPhone. Read our note on hidden fees before signing for a "free" terminal, and compare the all-in cost rather than the headline.
What is the cheapest card machine in the UK?
On hardware, Tap to Pay on iPhone is free (compatible iPhone needed) and Zettle Reader 2 is the cheapest device at £59. On rate, Tyl by NatWest (0.74%, NatWest customers), Revolut (from 0.8%) and Tide (1.5%) are lowest, each tied to that business account. The cheapest overall depends on your monthly volume: flat-rate readers win when small, blended-rate contracts win when large.
Is it cheaper to buy or rent a card machine?
For most small businesses, buying a no-contract reader outright (£49 to £149) is cheaper than renting on a monthly fee, because rental adds up over a 12 to 48 month contract and often comes with a higher rate. Renting can make sense at high volume where the contract unlocks a lower blended rate that more than offsets the monthly fee. Model both with the fees calculator.
What fees should I watch out for?
Beyond the headline rate, watch for monthly minimum service charges, PCI-compliance fees, authorisation fees per transaction, statement fees, and early-exit fees on contracts. A low headline rate with several add-on fees can cost more than a slightly higher all-in flat rate. Ask for the total cost of ownership, not just the percentage.
Reviewed by Oliver Mackman. Last reviewed: 2026-06-01.