Best Card Readers
Compare the best mobile card readers for UK small businesses.
| Vendor | Monthly fee | In-person rate | Hardware cost | Contract | Payout speed | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SumUp | £0 PAYGor £19/mo Payments Plus | 1.69% PAYG0.99% on £19/mo plan | From £25Air reader; no free reader | None | Next day (free to SumUp acct)£2.50 to external bank | Mobile traders, market stalls |
| Zettle by PayPal | 0 | 0.0175 | From £29Promotional rebates common | None | Next day to PayPal1–2 days to bank | PayPal-ecosystem businesses |
| Square | £0 free POSPaid plans from £49/mo | 1.75% (UK) | First reader free | None | Next day (Square acct)1–2 days to bank | Retail, cafés, multi-channel sellers |
| Dojo | £0 Essential£11.99/mo Plus per location | 1.4% + 5punder £150k/yr | ~£20/mo rentalNo outright purchase option | 6-mo then rolling | Next day (headline feature) | Hospitality, high-volume SMEs |
| myPOS | 0 | 1.10% + 7pUK Visa/MC consumer | From £29Go 2 includes free SIM/4G | None | Instant to myPOS wallet | Travel, outdoor, no-phone setups |
| Takepayments | £0–£22+/moSimplicity: £22 + 1.5% flat | 0.3%–2.5%Tiered / negotiated | Rental from ~£25/mo | 12-mo minimum | Next day (standard) | Growing retailers needing lower rates |
| Tyl by NatWest | Terminal hire from £13.99/mo12-mo contract | 1.39% + 5p1.99% + 5p non-UK/EU cards | Hire only (no free option) | 12-mo minimum | Yes | NatWest banking customers |
| Paymentsense | Custom (from £0) | From 1.69%Negotiated per business | Rental; negotiated | 12–18 mo typical | Yes | SMEs processing £2k+/mo |
| Barclaycard Payments | £0 PAYGTerminal plan from £16/mo | 1.6% PAYG flat | £29 PAYG readerNo free option | PAYG: no contract | Yes | Barclays business banking customers |
| Lopay | £0 standard£15/mo Business Terminal | 0.79% (weekly payout)0.99% next-day; 1.79% instant | From £25 | None | Yes (Standard plan) | Low-cost priority; sole traders |
| Revolut Pro / Business | Pro: £0Business from £10/mo | 0.8% + 2pUK consumer cards | £49 + VAT ReaderNo free option | None | Yes, incl. weekends | Existing Revolut Business users |
| Worldpay | Terminal from £17.50/mo18-mo contract | From 1.5% blended0.75%+ at £75k+ turnover | Rental only | 18-mo minimum | Yes (within 30 min) | Established businesses with high volume |
| Elavon | Custom | Custom interchange+ | Custom / rental | Typically 12–24 mo | Yes | Mid-market, franchise, hospitality |
| Global Payments | Custom (enterprise) | Custom interchange+ | Custom | Multi-year | Yes | Enterprise / multi-location chains |
| TSYS | Custom (enterprise) | Custom interchange+ | Custom | Multi-year | Yes | Large enterprise, financial institutions |
| Fiserv / Clover | From $16/mo | 2.3%–2.6% + 10¢ | Clover Go via partner banks | 36-mo typical | 1–2 business days | US-primary; scalable hardware ecosystem |
| Viva Wallet | 0 | From ~1%varies by country/card | From ~£29 | None | Yes | European multi-country businesses |
| Phos by Ingenico | Custom (B2B SoftPOS platform) | Via acquirer partner | No hardware neededSoftPOS on any Android | Custom | Depends on acquirer | Banks/ISOs deploying SoftPOS at scale |
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We independently review payment providers for UK tradespeople, SMEs and freelancers.