How Much Does a Card Machine Cost in the UK in 2026?

UK card machine total cost has three components: hardware (£0 to £400 outright or £15 to £30 monthly rental), monthly service fee (£0 on facilitators, £15 to £30 on traditional acquirers), and transaction percentage (0.5 to 1.0 per cent on traditional acquirers, 1.69 to 1.75 per cent on facilitators). Total monthly cost for a £5,000 monthly turnover business is typically £40 to £100 across all components. Below £2,000 monthly turnover facilitators win, above £2,000 traditional acquirers win.

What this means for your business

Hardware cost is split between outright purchase and rental. SumUp Air at £29, Zettle Reader at £29 to £59, SumUp Solo at £99, Square Terminal at £149, Zettle Terminal at £149 are all outright purchases on no contract. Traditional acquirer terminals (Dojo, Worldpay, Elavon, Barclaycard) are typically rented at £15 to £30 a month on 36-month or 60-month contracts. Total hardware spend over five years can flip the cheaper option depending on the device chosen.

Monthly service fee is the second component. Facilitators charge nothing monthly. Traditional acquirers charge £15 to £30 a month covering terminal lease, PCI compliance, support and statementing. Some acquirers offer "no monthly fee" plans on a higher transaction percentage instead, this is a way to remove the fixed component for very low-volume merchants. Read the rate card to see whether the no-monthly-fee plan beats the standard plan at your volume.

Transaction percentage is the third and usually largest component. Facilitator rates at 1.69 to 1.75 per cent are roughly double traditional acquirer rates at 0.5 to 1.0 per cent. On £5,000 monthly volume, the difference is around £37 to £62 a month. That swings the total cost calculation: facilitator at £0 monthly + £87 in percentage cost (1.75 per cent) versus traditional acquirer at £20 monthly + £40 in percentage (0.8 per cent), total £107 versus £60. Traditional wins.

Key points

Hardware cost £0 to £400 outright, or £15 to £30 a month rental
Monthly service fee £0 on facilitators, £15 to £30 on traditional acquirers
Transaction percentage 0.5 to 1.0 per cent on traditional acquirers, 1.69 to 1.75 per cent on facilitators
Breakeven between facilitator and traditional acquirer is roughly £2,000 monthly volume
Amex premium of around 0.6 per cent on most facilitators, bundled on most traditional acquirers
PCI compliance fees of £5 to £15 a month are sometimes bundled, sometimes separate
Total monthly cost for a £5,000 turnover business is typically £40 to £100

Common pitfalls

Comparing only the headline transaction percentage, the monthly fee and hardware cost matter equally
Forgetting the Amex premium when modelling, this adds 0.6 per cent to most facilitator quotes
Signing a 60-month hardware lease at £20 a month, that is £1,200 in hardware cost alone
Not asking for a quarterly rate review on traditional acquirer accounts, the published rate is rarely the best price available

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