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Dojo Review: 2026 UK Guide to Features, Costs & Security

Emma Clarke

Written By:

Emma Clarke

Technology & Payments Specialist

Sarah Mitchell, ExpertSure author

Reviewed By:

Sarah Mitchell

B2B Commerce & Finance Reviewer

8 fact checks verified
Prices verified Oct 2026
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Table of Contents
Dojo company logo

Dojo (formerly Paymentsense) is one of the UK’s largest card machine providers in 2026, processing payments for restaurants, cafes, retail shops, and service businesses. It’s built for established businesses that want fast payouts and reliable hardware – not for startups or micro-businesses looking for the cheapest possible rate.

We cover the full details in our Paymentsense review, including pricing and real-world feedback.

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We rate Dojo 7.0 out of 10. Its published rate is a flat 1.2% blended charge on every card transaction below £100,000 a year in card turnover, with no monthly plan fee – that undercuts both Square (1.75%) and SumUp (1.69%) on rate. Next-business-day payouts are standard, with weekends on a paid upgrade. The main drawbacks: aggressive sales calls are consistently flagged in reviews, and at very low volumes the £179 terminal price can cost more than a pay-as-you-go reader.

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This review covers Dojo’s pricing plans, card machines, integration options, and real customer feedback – including the sales practices that draw the most criticism.

Key Takeaways
  • Flat 1.2% blended rate on all cards below £100,000 a year in turnover - undercuts Square (1.75%) and SumUp (1.69%) on rate, with no monthly plan fee to cover first
  • Next-business-day payouts are standard on all plans - with weekend and bank holiday payouts on a paid upgrade, against the 2-3 day industry norm
  • 600+ EPOS integrations including Lightspeed, Tevalis, and Epos Now - no lock-in to proprietary software, with Dojo terminals working alongside your existing till system
  • Contract buyout of up to £3,000 towards your existing provider’s exit fees - Dojo publishes both a 12-month fixed plan and a 30-day rolling option above £100,000 a year
  • Persistent cold calling is the most common complaint in Trustpilot reviews - hardware quality and payment processing reliability get strong feedback, but sales tactics frustrate potential customers

What Dojo Offers

Dojo provides card machines, payment processing, and business tools for UK merchants. A published 1.2% blended rate below £100,000 a year in card turnover, custom rates above that, and next-day payouts as standard.

Dojo (formerly Paymentsense) prices on card turnover rather than on named plans. Businesses under £100,000 a year pay a flat 1.2% blended rate on every card transaction, with no mandatory monthly plan fee – the Essential software tier is free. Above £100,000 a year Dojo quotes a custom blended rate on either a 12-month fixed plan or a 30-day rolling agreement, and the rate falls further as turnover grows.

Above £5 million a year, Dojo offers bespoke pricing with card-mix options and flexible hardware payment plans. Every tier includes free terminal replacement, 7-day UK-based customer support, and integration with over 600 point-of-sale systems. Dojo processes payments for over 100,000 UK businesses and reports fast transaction processing speeds.

Dojo rebranded from Paymentsense in 2019 and now operates as one of the UK’s largest payment processors. The company provides card machines with built-in 4G connectivity, a merchant app for transaction management, and integration with over 600 EPOS systems.

The platform accepts all major cards (Visa, Mastercard, American Express), contactless payments, and digital wallets including Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Samsung Pay. Tap to Pay on iPhone is also available at no extra hardware cost.

Dojo pays out on the next business day as standard, and its paid Faster Next Day upgrade adds weekend and bank holiday payouts – something most competitors don’t offer. For cash-flow-sensitive businesses like restaurants and cafes, this alone can justify choosing Dojo.

Card Machines

Three terminals plus a phone option: Dojo Go Max (portable, £149 launch offer), Dojo Pocket (compact handheld, £239), and Dojo Wired (countertop, £179) – or Tap to Pay on iPhone at no hardware cost. All support contactless and digital wallets.

Dojo Go wireless card payment terminal
ModelTypeScreenBatteryCost
Dojo Go MaxPortable5.5″ HD touchscreen~10 hours / 650 transactions£149 (buy, launch offer) or £25/month
Dojo PocketCompact handheld4″ touchscreen~12 hours / 780 transactions£239 (buy) or £20/month
Dojo WiredCountertop5″ touchscreen + keypadMains powered£179 (buy) or £15/month

The Dojo Go Max is the main product – a portable terminal built on the PAX A920 platform with a built-in receipt printer, Wi-Fi, and 4G backup. It’s IP54 splash-proof and drop-tested to 1.2m. Dojo claims it processes payments 58% faster than the market average.

The Dojo Pocket is a smaller handheld without a printer – designed for table service in restaurants. The Dojo Wired is a traditional countertop terminal connected via Ethernet or Wi-Fi.

Compare Dojo’s fees against other providers using our merchant account fee calculator.

All devices support contactless cards and digital wallets. Portable models store up to 100 offline transactions (capped at £45 each) and retry automatically when connectivity returns.

Pricing and Fees

A flat 1.2% blended rate covers all card transactions below £100,000 a year in turnover, with no monthly plan fee. Above that, Dojo quotes custom rates that fall as turnover grows.

PlanBest ForMonthly FeeTransaction RatesContract
Under £100K/yearSmall businesses£0 (Essential tier)1.2% blended, all card typesNot published
£100K-£5M/yearGrowing businessesCustomCustom blended rate30-day rolling or 12-month
£5M+/yearMulti-site and enterpriseBespokeBespoke, with card-mix optionsBespoke
Other FeesAmount
Minimum monthly chargeNot listed on UK pricing page
Refund fee50p
Secure transaction fee5p per authorisation
ChargebackNot published
PCI non-complianceNot published
Service tier (Essential)Free
Service tier (Plus)£11.99/month per location

The blended-rate maths: if you process £3,000/month in card payments, you pay £36 – an effective 1.2%, against £52.50 on Square and £50.70 on SumUp. At £1,000/month you pay £12. Dojo’s UK pricing page lists no minimum monthly charge, so confirm that in your quote.

Dojo no longer publishes per-card-type rates for its custom tariffs – the previous split of consumer and business, in-person and online rates has been replaced by a single quoted blended rate. Amex rates are custom quoted. Ask for the blended rate and the card mix it assumes, in writing.

Dojo covers up to £3,000 in exit fees when you switch from another provider – a genuine incentive if you’re locked into a contract elsewhere.

Integrations and Online Payments

Dojo integrates with 600+ EPOS systems (Lightspeed, Tevalis, Epos Now) and offers payment links, virtual terminal, and online checkout – all at card-not-present rates.

EPOS compatibility is one of Dojo’s strongest selling points. Unlike Square which pushes its own POS system, Dojo integrates with over 600 third-party EPOS providers including Lightspeed, Tevalis, and Epos Now. Integration typically takes minutes once Dojo sends credentials to your EPOS provider.

For online payments, Dojo offers payment links (shareable via email, SMS, or messaging apps) and a virtual terminal for phone orders. Card-not-present rates are quoted separately and are higher than the in-person blended rate, so ask Dojo for the figure in writing.

Dojo Bookings (£15/month) adds appointment scheduling with payment collection – useful for salons, gyms, and service businesses that take deposits.

Security

Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE) means card data never touches your systems. PCI DSS compliance is simplified – no separate paperwork needed.

Dojo handles PCI compliance through Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE), which encrypts card data at the terminal and keeps it encrypted until it reaches the payment processor. This eliminates the need for merchants to complete separate PCI SAQ paperwork.

Online payments use 3D Secure authentication, Address Verification Service (AVS), and CVV checks. Payment links include built-in fraud detection. All hardware has 99.99% claimed uptime with automatic 4G failover if Wi-Fi drops.

Customer Experience

Dojo scores well for hardware quality and easy setup. The biggest complaints: aggressive sales calls and inconsistent after-sales support when things go wrong.

Customer reviews follow a consistent pattern. The hardware, setup process, and day-to-day payment processing get strong positive feedback. Merchants describe the terminals as reliable, fast, and easy to use from day one. The Dojo app gets good marks for basic transaction management.

The problems emerge in two areas. First, sales tactics: multiple reviewers report persistent cold calling, with some receiving several calls a day after declining – including one merchant who received three calls on Christmas Eve. Second, after-sales support: while routine queries are handled well, complex issues can drag on for weeks with minimal communication.

UK-based support is available 7 days a week (8am-11pm for tech support), with remote device access for troubleshooting. The Plus service tier (£11.99/month) adds analytics, pre-authorisation, bill-splitting, custom tipping, and multi-user access.

Pros and Cons

Dojo is best for businesses that want a low blended rate, fast payouts and reliable hardware. At very low volumes, the £179 terminal price can outweigh the rate saving, unless you take payments with Tap to Pay on iPhone.

What we like
✓Next-day payouts as standard, with weekend and bank holiday payouts on a paid upgrade – rare among competitors
✓1.2% blended rate undercuts Square (1.75%) and SumUp (1.69%) on every card type
✓600+ EPOS integrations – doesn’t lock you into proprietary software
✓Covers up to £3,000 in exit fees when switching from another provider
✓30-day rolling contract option, and no mandatory monthly plan fee
Watch out for
✗Terminals cost from £179 to buy – more upfront than pay-as-you-go readers
✗Aggressive cold calling and persistent sales tactics flagged in reviews
✗Rates above £100K/year not published – you need a quote to know actual costs
✗Terminals cost £179-£239 upfront (Go Max £149 on a launch offer), against £19 for a Square reader
✗After-sales support inconsistent – complex issues can take weeks to resolve

Dojo vs Alternatives

Dojo competes with Square and SumUp on simplicity and now undercuts both on rate. At very low volumes the main cost is hardware: terminals start at £179, though Tap to Pay on iPhone needs none.

ProviderBest ForIn-Person RateMonthly FeeKey Difference
DojoEstablished hospitality/retail1.2% blended£0 (Essential plan)Next-business-day payouts (weekends on paid upgrade), 600+ EPOS
SquareAll-in-one POS1.75%£0Free reader, integrated POS software
SumUpLow-volume / startups1.69%£0Lowest PAYG rate, no commitment
takepaymentsTailored ratesCustom quotedFrom £12.50No minimum term, custom pricing
WorldpayHigh-volume merchantsCustom quotedFrom £9.95Widest payment method range

On rate alone, Dojo’s 1.2% undercuts SumUp’s 1.69% at every volume, and Dojo’s UK pricing page lists no minimum monthly charge (confirm this in your quote). At low volumes the rate saving is small, so hardware decides it: a Dojo terminal costs from £179, while Tap to Pay on iPhone costs nothing extra. For businesses processing small amounts each month, see our cheapest card machines guide.

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Our Verdict

We rate Dojo 7.0/10 – a strong choice for UK businesses that value a low blended rate, next-day payouts and EPOS flexibility. At very low volumes, weigh the £179 terminal price against the rate saving, or use Tap to Pay on iPhone.

7.0
/ 10
Dojo
Best for: Established hospitality and retail businesses processing £1,500+/month
Price: 1.2% blended rate, no monthly plan fee on Essential
Our Verdict

Strong hardware, next-day payouts (weekends on a paid upgrade), and 600+ EPOS integrations. The 1.2% blended rate undercuts Square and SumUp, and Dojo's UK pricing page lists no minimum monthly charge. Sales tactics and inconsistent after-sales support are the main drawbacks.

Our Rating7.0/10
Value for Money30%
7.5
Features20%
7.0
Customer Support20%
6.5
Ease of Use15%
7.5
Expert Score10%
6.0
User Sentiment5%
6.5

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Dojo gets the fundamentals right for its target market: reliable hardware, fast payouts (weekends on a paid upgrade), and broad EPOS compatibility. The 1.2% blended rate is genuinely competitive – it undercuts Square and SumUp on every card type, and removing the old monthly plan fee has widened the range of businesses it suits.

The sales tactics are a real problem. Persistent cold calling and pushy behaviour are the most common complaints – and they’re consistent enough across reviews to be a pattern, not isolated incidents. After-sales support is also mixed, with some complex issues taking weeks to resolve.

If you want a low blended rate and next-day payouts (with weekends on Dojo’s paid upgrade), Dojo is worth considering – especially on the 30-day rolling option. For lower volumes, Square or SumUp are better fits. For a full comparison, see our best card machines guide or compare payment processing costs.

Emma Clarke

Emma Clarke

Technology & Payments Specialist

Emma covers the full range of business technology, including EPOS systems, merchant accounts, telecoms, and web tools. Her experience as a retail systems consultant helps businesses choose the right digital solutions to improve efficiency and sales.

Sarah Mitchell

Reviewed by

Sarah Mitchell

B2B Commerce & Finance Reviewer

FAQs

It depends on your volume. Dojo suits established businesses, offering next-business-day payouts (weekends on a paid upgrade), UK-based support, and integration with 600+ EPOS systems. Its 1.2% blended rate is below SumUp’s 1.69% pay-as-you-go rate, and Dojo’s UK pricing page lists no minimum monthly charge. At very low volumes, SumUp’s cheaper card reader can still make it the lower-cost start for smaller or new businesses wanting pay-as-you-go terms.

Dojo pays out on the next business day as standard, with weekend and bank holiday payouts on its paid Faster Next Day upgrade, which is a significant advantage over many traditional providers that settle in 2-3 working days.

The Dojo Go Max is a portable, all-in-one terminal with a 5.5-inch touchscreen and a built-in thermal receipt printer. It is designed for busy hospitality or retail environments. The Dojo Pocket is a more compact, handheld device with a 4-inch screen; it does not include a receipt printer, making it lighter and more portable for staff providing table service.

Yes. Dojo says it will cover up to £3,000 of exit fees charged by your previous provider when you switch, so check the terms that apply to your plan. Above £100,000 a year in card turnover you can choose a 30-day rolling agreement as an alternative to a 12-month fixed plan.

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