Small businesses can define the cheapest card payment machines in a few different ways: by card reader price, subscription or monthly fees, and more.
Transaction fees can’t be forgotten here. If you process a high volume of sales, those transaction costs are going to add up. This is especially true for subscription services, digital downloads, online dropshipping and other high-volume businesses.
To help keep your costs down, here are some of the cheapest card readers on the market.
>See also: How to start a dropshipping business – What is dropshipping, what are the advantages and how do you start a dropshipping business?
Square
Device cost: £19
Transaction fee: 1.75 per cent in-person payment
Features
- Accept Apple Pay and Google Pay
- Start accepting payments within minutes
- Funds settled either next day or instantly for a small fee
- Offline mode allows you to take transactions for up to 24 hours without an internet connection
The Square card reader is just £19. The standard transaction fee is 1.75%, though custom rates are available for businesses that take more than £200,000 in card sales. Fraud protection, payment dispute management and data protection is included in the cost.
Get started with SquareTide
Device cost: From £59
Transaction fee: From 0.79% + 3p
Features
- Payments cleared within 3 working days
- Pay-as-you-go and subscription models available
- Small and highly portable
- Get £200 Cash with Tide using code GETPAIDSUMMER
The Tide Card Reader is a great option for businesses who already have a Tide Business account. With Wifi and lifetime free 4G connectivity, and weighing just 170g, you can take card payments either in store or on the go. There is a one-off cost of £59 or upgrade to the Tide Card Reader Plus for £79 + VAT for the device (plus £12.99 monthly fee). Or you can choose to rent the device for £24.99 per month with no upfront cost.
Get started with TideRevolut
Device cost: £49
Transaction fee: From 0.8 per cent +2p (UK consumer cards), 1 per cent +20p for in-person
Features
- Create your own catalogue, which sits in the Revolut app
- Access funds the next day
- No-fee refunds
- Fraud monitoring solution included
- Receive and settle in over 25 currencies
The Revolut reader has a one-time cost of £49, with no ongoing subscription fees. You’ll also have access to sales analytics, which can provide crucial insights, and you can request digital tips from your customers. Revolut claims you can accept payments in under 3 seconds, with funds settled in your account within 24 hours.
Get a quote todayMyPOS
Device cost: £14.90 (usually £29)
Transaction fee: 1.10 per cent – 2.45 per cent + 7p transaction (depending on card or transaction type)
Features
- Integrated SIM card gives you 3G/4G connectivity
- Send digital receipts – email or SMS
- Instant payment settlement at no extra cost
- Get e-money and IBAN account in over 14 currencies
MyPOS Go 2 is a lightweight but powerful card reader. The device itself weighs just 180g (smaller than many smartphones) and it has an all-day battery, making it a great choice for businesses that need a portable card payment solution. You can have funds settled in your merchant account within 3 seconds at no extra cost.
The price of the MyPOS Go 2 card reader is currently £14.90 until 15 August 2025 (then £29). If your business takes more than £10,000 a month, you can request a quote for custom transaction fees, which could work out cheaper.
Get a quote todayDojo Go
Device cost: £15 per month or £179 upfront
Transaction fee: Fixed percentage rate of 1% or flat monthly fee from £39.99
Features
- Accepts all major card types
- Next-day settlement
- 24-hour card machine replacement
- 10-hour battery life
Dojo Go users benefit from built-in Wifi and 4G, next-day settlement of funds, as well as integration with more than 600 EPOS systems. Terminal fee starts from £15 per month. Flat £39.99 transaction rate covers turnover of up to £3,999, with takings over this charged at 1%.
Dojo Go’s transactions are encrypted and require strong customer authentication (SCA), which both protects you and the customer and ensures simplified PCI compliance.
Get a quote todayTyl by NatWest
Device cost: From £13.99 per month + VAT
Transaction fee (for turnover up to £50,000): UK/Europe personal cards – 1.39 per cent + 5p; all other cards – 1.99 per cent + 5p
Features
- No charges for international card payments
- No fees on refunds
- Link with your accountancy package
- Range of terminals available
With Tyl by NatWest, there is no additional charge for issuing refunds, and taking international, online, and over the phone payments. Device costs start from £13.99/month + VAT per month with a 12-month contract. Your choice of device is free for first three months. If you take over £50k a month, you can request custom pricing.
Choose from the PAX A80 (countertop), PAX A50 (pocket-sized), or PAX A920 Pro (smart terminal), which all accept contactless, chip & PIN and mobile wallet payments.
Get a quote todayBarclaycard Anywhere
Device cost: £29
Transaction fee: Custom (per transaction)
Features
- No contract – pay-as-you-trade model
- Could cover up to £3,000 of your exit fees from your current provider
- Up to 700 sales a day on a full charge
- Funds can be settled the next day
- Get free access to Freshbooks
The Barclaycard Anywhere is an compact card payments solution that’s contract free and settles your funds the next day. The terminal has a one-off cost of £29 and transaction fees are custom on a per-transaction basis.
Added benefits include a free Freshbooks subscription, 24/7 support and multi-user access.
Get a quote todaySumUp Air
Device cost: £25
Transaction fee: 0.99 per cent (pay-as-you-go) or 1.69% subscription
Features
- Card machine available with a free business account as your payout account
- With this account, you’ll receive each sale within one day for a limited time
- Free bank transfers
A SumUp Air card reader costs £25 with no contracts or hidden fees. You can choose either a pay-as-you-go pricing model, charged at 1.69% per transaction for in-person payments and 2.5% for online, or a subscription model (£19 per month), charged at 0.99% for both.
The device has an all-day battery and can be set up to start taking payments in minutes.
Get a quote todayZettle by PayPal
Device cost:
Transaction fee: 1.75 per cent per transaction (including Amex)
Features
- Create and sell gift cards
- Point of sale integrations
- Use PayPal debit card anywhere that MasterCard is accepted
- Earn 0.5 per cent cashback on eligible purchases
The Zettle card reader starts from £29 (New business users only – £59 for each additional card reader). When you take a payment it typically arrives in your PayPal balance within minutes, and you can set up scheduled transfers to your business bank account at no extra cost. You can use the balance in your PayPal business account to pay for goods and services, or to pay your suppliers.
You can enhance your set-up with Zettle’s easy-to-use POS software, which allows you to manage products, orders and sales.
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More on card payments
10 card payment machines ideal for small business – Featuring the SumUp Air, Zettle 2, and Square, we break down the fees and functions of the best card payment machines for UK small businesses
Five tips to get started taking card payments – Andy Macauley, chief operating officer of Handepay, gives some concise pointers to taking card payments
How to take a card payment over the phone using a virtual terminal – If you have a telephone, an internet connection, a merchant account, and a virtual terminal, you can start taking payments over the phone today
