Of the card machines we compared, the Square Reader has the lowest hardware price in 2026 at £19 + VAT, with a flat 1.75% transaction fee and no monthly charges. But the cheapest hardware doesn’t always mean the lowest total cost. SumUp’s Solo reader costs more upfront at £79 + VAT, but its lower 1.69% rate saves 6p on every £100 you process, so the extra £60 of hardware takes around 20 months to recoup at £5,000/month. For businesses doing £2,500+ per month, SumUp’s Plus plan drops the rate to just 0.99% on domestic cards – cutting the rate by more than 40% compared to Square or PayPal.
To compare card machines fairly, we ranked 6 providers on total cost of ownership: upfront hardware price, monthly subscriptions, transaction rates, contract terms, and hidden charges like PCI compliance fees and early termination penalties. All pricing was verified directly from provider websites in February 2026. If you prefer not to buy outright, our card machine rental guide compares monthly hire options.
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- Lowest hardware price is £19 + VAT - Square Reader with 1.75% transaction fee, no monthly charges
- Monthly plans start at £19 with lower transaction rates - cost-effective for businesses processing £2,500+ monthly
- No monthly fee providers suit occasional sellers - market traders, seasonal businesses & low-volume retailers
- Monthly plans cut fees by 22-36% at higher volumes - SumUp Plus vs Square at £5,000-£15,000 a month, with break-even around £2,500 monthly processing
Cheapest Card Machines Compared
Of the six card machines we compared, the Square Reader has the lowest hardware price at £19 + VAT (£22.80 inc. VAT), with a flat 1.75% transaction fee and no monthly charges. However, if you process more than £2,500/month, SumUp’s Plus plan at 0.99% per transaction saves more despite the £19/month subscription.
| Card Machine | Upfront Cost | Monthly Fee | Transaction Rate | Contract | Settlement | Total Cost (£2k/mo) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Square Reader | £19 + VAT | £0 | 1.75% | None | Next day | £35/mo |
| SumUp Solo (PAYG) | £79 + VAT | £0 | 1.69% | None | Next day | £33.80/mo |
| SumUp Plus | £79 + VAT | £19 | 0.99% | None | Next day | £38.80/mo |
| PayPal Reader | £29 excl. VAT | £0 | 1.75% | None | 1–2 days | £35/mo |
| Dojo Tap to Pay | £0 (uses iPhone) | £0 (Essential plan) | 1.2% blended | Not published | Next day | £24.00/mo |
| Takepayments | £0 (rental) | Quote only | Quote only | 12 months | Next day | Quote only |
Total cost = monthly fee + (transaction rate × £2,000). Excludes one-off hardware cost. SumUp Plus breaks even against Square at about £2,500/month and against SumUp PAYG at about £2,700/month.
Cheapest Card Machines With No Monthly Fees
Square (£19, 1.75%), SumUp Solo (£79, 1.69%), and PayPal Reader (£29, 1.75%) all charge zero monthly fees with next-day settlement as standard.
If you want the absolute lowest barrier to entry, these three card machines charge nothing per month – you only pay per transaction. They’re ideal for market traders, pop-up shops, mobile businesses, and anyone processing under £2,000/month in card payments.
The Square Reader has the lowest upfront cost of the readers we compared. At £19 + VAT (£22.80 inc. VAT), it’s £6 cheaper than the next cheapest reader, SumUp’s Solo Lite at £25 + VAT. You connect it to your phone via Bluetooth, download the free Square POS app, and you’re taking payments within minutes.
- Hardware: £19 + VAT (contactless & chip)
- Transaction rate: 1.75% flat for all cards
- Monthly fee: £0
- Contract: None – keep it forever, use it when you want
- Settlement: Next day (free) or instant (1.95% fee)
- Includes: Free POS app with inventory, receipts, and sales reporting
Cheapest for: Businesses processing under £2,500/month who want the lowest possible startup cost. At £2,000/month turnover, you’ll pay just £35/month in total fees. Read our full Square review.
The SumUp Solo is a standalone card reader with a built-in screen and its own built-in SIM card (4G) – no phone required. If you just want the cheapest SumUp hardware, the Solo Lite – the model that replaced the SumUp Air – pairs with your phone via Bluetooth for £25 + VAT. At 1.69% per transaction with no monthly fee, it undercuts the 1.75% charged by Square and PayPal with no contract or subscription. The hardware costs more than Square at £79 + VAT, and the lower rate saves only 6p per £100, so the extra £60 takes around 20 months to recoup at £5,000/month.
- Hardware: £79 + VAT (£94.80 inc. VAT) – standalone with built-in screen
- Transaction rate: 1.69% flat
- Monthly fee: £0
- Contract: None – 30-day money-back guarantee
- Settlement: Next day by 7am including weekends into a SumUp Business Account (1-2 business days to an external bank)
Cheapest for: Businesses processing under £2,500/month who want a slightly lower rate than Square without any monthly commitment. Read our full SumUp review.
The PayPal Reader (formerly Zettle) costs £29 excl. VAT for your first reader and charges 1.75% per transaction – the same rate as Square. The key advantage is PayPal integration: accept PayPal QR code payments alongside card payments, and manage everything through your existing PayPal account.
- Hardware: £29 excl. VAT (first reader), £69 each additional
- Transaction rate: 1.75% flat
- QR code payments: 1.5% + 10p (over £10) or 2.0% + 5p (under £10)
- Monthly fee: £0
- Settlement: Minutes (into PayPal account)
Cheapest for: Businesses already using PayPal for online sales who want a unified system. Also good for QR code payments at markets and events. Read our PayPal POS review.
Cheapest Card Machines With Monthly Plans
SumUp Plus costs £19/month at 0.99% per transaction on domestic cards, breaking even against Square at approximately £2,500 and against SumUp PAYG at approximately £2,700 monthly turnover.
Monthly-plan card machines charge a subscription but give you lower per-transaction rates – saving money if you process higher volumes. These are the cheapest options in each pricing model.
SumUp’s Payments Plus plan drops the transaction rate from 1.69% to just 0.99% on domestic debit and credit cards for a £19/month subscription. The break-even point is approximately £2,500/month against Square and £2,700/month against SumUp PAYG – above that, Plus saves you money every month.
- Hardware: £79 + VAT (same Solo reader as PAYG)
- Transaction rate: 0.99% on domestic debit and credit cards (1.69% on premium, international and Amex cards)
- Monthly fee: £19/month (or £189/year = £15.75/month)
- Contract: None – cancel anytime
- Settlement: Next day by 7am including weekends into a SumUp Business Account (1-2 business days to an external bank)
Cheapest for: Businesses processing above about £2,500/month who want a published rate rather than a quote (Dojo’s 1.2% is lower up to £8,333/month). At £5,000/month turnover, SumUp Plus costs £68.50/month total vs £87.50 on Square – saving £228/year against Square.
Dojo charges a flat 1.2% blended rate on every card transaction for businesses under £100,000 a year in card turnover (about £8,333 a month), with no mandatory monthly plan fee – its Essential software tier is free. That undercuts every flat-rate PAYG option here on rate alone. Above £100,000 a year you move onto a custom quoted rate. Dojo also offers Tap to Pay on iPhone at £0 hardware cost, so you can run the whole thing without buying a terminal.
- Hardware: from £179 (Wired terminal) or £0 (Tap to Pay on iPhone)
- Rate: 1.2% blended on all cards under £100K/year turnover; custom rate above
- Software: Essential free, or Plus at £11.99/month per location for analytics
- Contract: 12-month fixed or 30-day rolling (published for merchants above £100K/year)
- Settlement: Next business day (weekend payouts on a paid upgrade)
- Switch incentive: Dojo covers exit fees up to £3,000
Cheapest for: Businesses under £8,333/month in card turnover that want the lowest rate without a subscription. At £4,000/month you pay £48 on the blended rate, against £58.60 on SumUp Plus and £70 on Square. Read our Dojo review.
Takepayments no longer publishes transaction rates. Pricing is entirely bespoke – you’ll need to get a quote based on your turnover, average transaction value, and card mix. Terminal rental is priced in your quote, with no upfront hardware cost.
- Hardware: £0 upfront – terminal rental included in monthly fee
- Transaction rate: quote only (depends on turnover and card mix)
- Monthly fee: quote only (includes terminal rental)
- Contract: 12 months (shorter than Worldpay’s 18-month card-machine hire)
- Settlement: Next day
Best for: Businesses processing £5,000+/month with high volumes of domestic debit card transactions. Pricing is bespoke and Takepayments publishes no rates, so get a quote and compare it with the published rates above. Read our Takepayments review.
Provider deep dives: Read our full reviews of Tide card reader (1.5% + 5p per transaction, no monthly fees – but it requires a Tide business account) and Revolut (from 0.8% for Revolut Business users). Weighing Square against SumUp? See our SumUp vs Square head-to-head comparison.
Types of Card Machines: Which Costs Least?
Mobile card readers are the cheapest type of card payment machine, starting at £19 + VAT. Portable card machines with a built-in SIM card cost £79-£139, countertop card terminals are usually rented for a monthly fee quoted per business, and full point of sale registers run to £399 or more.
Here is how the main types of card machines compare on cost:
- Tap to Pay (£0) – turns your phone into a contactless payment terminal. Dojo and Square offer it on iPhone; SumUp and Square on Android. No hardware to buy, but no receipt printer and contactless card limits apply.
- Mobile card readers (£19-£29) – pair with your phone via Bluetooth. The cheapest way for small businesses to accept card payments; ideal for markets, mobile trades and low volumes.
- Portable card machines (£79-£139) – standalone devices with a built-in SIM card, so they work anywhere with mobile signal. Add roughly £60 for a model with a receipt printer.
- Countertop card terminals (monthly rental, quote only) – fixed credit card machines from contract providers such as Takepayments; the terminal is usually included in the monthly fee.
- Point of sale systems (£135-£399+) – touchscreen tills with built-in payments, like SumUp’s Terminal (£135 + VAT) and Register (£399 + VAT). Only worth it if you need inventory and staff management too.
Cheapest Ways to Take Card Payments Without a Machine
You can accept card payments with no machine at all: payment links and QR codes need nothing but the free app. The trade-off is the rate – remote payment methods cost more per transaction than in-person card payments.
Payment links. Square and SumUp both let you text or email a payment link. Square charges 1.4% + 25p for UK cards online; SumUp charges 2.5% for payment links. Good for invoicing and deposits, but at those rates a card reader pays for itself quickly if you take payments in person every week.
QR code payments. SumUp QR payments are free (0%), and PayPal charges 1.5% + 10p on QR transactions over £10 – one of the cheapest ways for very small businesses to accept card payments face to face with zero hardware.
Which Card Machine Is Cheapest for Your Business?
Under £2,500/month: Square Reader or SumUp Solo on pay-as-you-go. £2,500–£8,333: Dojo’s 1.2% blended rate. Above £8,333: SumUp Plus, or a bespoke quote from Dojo or Takepayments.
The cheapest card machine depends on how much you process each month. Here’s a quick guide based on monthly card turnover.
| Monthly Card Turnover | Cheapest Option | Monthly Cost | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under £2,500 | Square Reader or SumUp Solo (PAYG) | Up to £43.75 | No monthly fee. Square has the lowest hardware cost (£19 + VAT); SumUp’s 1.69% saves 6p per £100 against Square’s 1.75% but its Solo costs £79 + VAT |
| £2,500–£8,333 | Dojo (1.2% blended) | £30–£100 | Cheaper than SumUp Plus (£19 + 0.99%) until about £9,000/month, and Dojo’s published rate applies up to £100,000 a year (£8,333/month) |
| Above £8,333 | SumUp Plus, or a bespoke quote | From £101.50 | Above £100,000 a year Dojo and Takepayments price by quote only, so compare their quotes with SumUp Plus’s published 0.99% on domestic cards |
Hidden Costs to Watch For
Square charges £0 for chargebacks, while SumUp charges £10, PayPal £14 and Stripe £20 per dispute – plus international card surcharges add 0.5–2% on all providers.
The headline rate isn’t always the full picture. Here are costs that can catch small businesses off guard.
Minimum monthly charges. Some contract providers charge a minimum monthly fee even if you don’t process any transactions. Takepayments includes this in their plans. No-contract providers (Square, SumUp, PayPal POS) never charge minimums.
Early termination fees. Contract-based providers charge if you leave early. Barclaycard charges £10/month for each remaining month. Dojo covers competitors’ exit fees up to £3,000 if you switch to them.
Chargeback fees. PayPal charges £14 per chargeback. Stripe charges £20. SumUp charges £10. Square doesn’t charge chargeback fees.
PCI compliance fees. Contract providers often add a monthly charge for Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) compliance – check the quote before signing. No-contract providers (Square, SumUp, PayPal) build PCI compliance in at no extra cost.
International card surcharges. All providers charge more for non-UK cards. Budget an extra 0.5–1.5% on top of standard rates for EU cards, and 1.5–2% more for international cards.
For a full breakdown of all fees, see our card machine and payment processing costs guide.
Last updated: February 2026. All prices and rates verified directly from provider websites. Your actual rates may vary based on business type and card mix. See our Square, SumUp, PayPal POS, Dojo, and Takepayments reviews for full details. For online payment options, see our guide to the best payment gateways UK.
