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
Transaction fee: 1.75 per cent in-person payment
Features
- Accept Apple Pay and Google Pay
- No charge for payment dispute management
- One-year warranty
- Bluetooth-enabled
The Square card reader is £19. The standard transaction fee is 1.75%, though custom rates are available for businesses that take more than £200,000 in card sales. It also has an offline payment function that allows you to process transactions without the internet for up to 24 hours.
Get started with SquareTide
Transaction fee: From 0.79% + 3p (subscription), 1.5% pay-as-you-go
Features
- Payments cleared within 3 working days
- Pay-as-you-go and subscription models available
- Email and print receipts available
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 £19.99 or upgrade to the card reader plus for £29.99 + VAT for the device . You can opt for a subscription (£12.99 per month) or pay-as-you-go model for transaction fees.
Get started with TideRevolut
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. Any payments you process should be processed and settled in your account within 24 hours.
Get a quote todayMyPOS
Transaction fee: 1.10 per cent – 2.85 per cent + 7p transaction
Features
- Integrated SIM card gives you 3G/4G connectivity
- Send digital receipts – email or SMS
- Instant payment settlement
- 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.
Price of the MyPOS Go 2 card reader starts from £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
Transaction fee: Fixed percentage rate of 1% or flat monthly fee from £39.99
Features
- Next working day terminal delivery
- 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%.
Get a quote todayTyl by NatWest
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
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 £9.99 per month. Your choice of device is free for first three months. If you take over £50k a month, you can request custom pricing.
Get a quote todayBarclaycard Anywhere
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
- Get paid the next day
- Get a free Freshbooks account
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.
Get a quote todaySumUp Air
Transaction fee: From 0.99 per cent
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 £22 if its your first reader. Subsequent readers cost £34. 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.
Get a quote todayZettle
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
- 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.
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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
