Guides · Updated 2026-10-15
Best card readers for UK small businesses and trades (2026)
For a tradesperson, a shop or a market stall, the right card reader is mostly about fees: what you pay for the device, the percentage on every payment, and any monthly charge. This guide compares seven readers sold in the UK using the prices on each provider's own pricing page, read on 15 October 2026. We don't take payment for placements; see how we make money.
The quick comparison
| Reader | Device price | In-person card fee | Monthly fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Square | Square Reader from £19 + VAT | 1.75% (UK cards) | £0 on the free plan |
| SumUp | Solo Lite £25, Solo £79, Terminal £135 (excl. VAT); Tap to Pay £0 | 1.69% pay-as-you-go, or 0.99% on Payments Plus | £0, or £19 (£189 a year) for Payments Plus |
| Zettle | PayPal Reader £29 excl. VAT for new users (extra readers £69) | 1.75%, including American Express | £0, no contract |
| Dojo | Dojo Pocket £239; Dojo Wired £179 upfront | 1.2% blended below £100,000 a year of card turnover | Plus plan £25 a month per location (£11.99 new-customer offer) |
| myPOS | Go 2 £39, Flex £49, Ultra £179 (excl. VAT) | from 1.10% + 7p (varies by payment method) | £0 |
| Tide (Tide account only) | Card Reader £49, Nano £25 on pay-as-you-go; £29 to £39 and £11 to £15 on a plan (excl. VAT) | 1.5% + 5p pay-as-you-go; 0.89% + 3p Essential; 0.69% + 3p Premium (UK consumer debit) | £0, or £17.99 Essential, £19.99 Premium (12-month contract), excl. VAT |
| Revolut Business (Revolut account only) | Lite Terminal £129 + VAT; Terminal £169 + VAT; Tap to Pay on iPhone no hardware cost | 0.8% + 2p (UK consumer Visa and Mastercard); Amex 1.7% + 2p; other cards 2.6% + 2p | Business Basic plan £10 a month |
What you'd pay a month in fees
Transaction fees only, at three levels of monthly card takings. We've assumed an average payment of £150 for myPOS's fixed 7p fee; adjust for your own average. Device costs are one-off and not included.
| Monthly card takings | £1,000 | £3,000 | £6,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Square (1.75%) | £17.50 | £52.50 | £105.00 |
| SumUp pay-as-you-go (1.69%) | £16.90 | £50.70 | £101.40 |
| SumUp Payments Plus (0.99% + £19) | £28.90 | £48.70 | £78.40 |
| Zettle (1.75%) | £17.50 | £52.50 | £105.00 |
| Dojo (1.2%, before any package fee) | £12.00 | £36.00 | £72.00 |
| myPOS (1.10% + 7p) | £11.47 | £34.40 | £68.80 |
| Tide pay-as-you-go (1.5% + 5p) | £15.33 | £46.00 | £92.00 |
| Tide Premium (0.69% + 3p + £19.99) | £27.09 | £41.29 | £62.59 |
| Revolut (0.8% + 2p + £10 Basic plan) | £18.13 | £34.40 | £58.80 |
Tide and Revolut rates are for UK consumer cards (Tide's for debit cards); business and overseas cards cost more. Tide's plan fees exclude VAT, and Tide says transaction and subscription fees will rise on 1 December 2026. Three things stand out. SumUp's Payments Plus only beats its own pay-as-you-go rate once you take roughly £2,700 a month (SumUp suggests it from £3,000). And the lowest percentages come with either a dearer device (Dojo) or a rate that varies by card type (myPOS), so check the rate for the cards your customers actually use. And the bank-linked readers (Tide, Revolut) have low percentages but only work with that provider's business account, and for Revolut the plan fee is part of the cost.
Which suits which business
- Occasional payments on jobs: a phone-paired reader with no monthly fee. Square, SumUp pay-as-you-go and Zettle all cost under £30 for the device, and Tide's Nano is £25 on pay-as-you-go. SumUp's Tap to Pay uses your phone with no reader at all.
- No phone signal on site: a standalone reader with its own SIM. myPOS says all its terminals come with a free data SIM.
- Steady takings at a counter: a blended rate can cost less. Dojo's 1.2% applies below £100,000 a year; above that it offers custom rates.
- Invoices and remote payments: fees are higher than in person. Square charges 2.5% for manually keyed payments; Zettle charges 2.5% for invoices and payment links.
Readers tied to a business account
Tide's readers work only with a Tide business account, which has a free plan; Tide says you save with a Sell In-Person plan if you take more than £2,900 a month by card. Revolut's terminals need a Revolut Business account; its Basic fees page lists the £10 monthly plan with in-person rates of 0.8% + 2p on UK consumer Visa and Mastercard. Revolut no longer sells its original Reader, so the cheapest device is now the £129 Lite Terminal. Already bank with one of them? Their reader may be the simplest choice.
Things to check before you buy
- Contracts and cancellation. Zettle and myPOS say there are no long-term contracts. For Dojo, check the terms of your package.
- Payout timing. Dojo says takings arrive next day; myPOS offers instant payouts; Square says free transfers take one to two working days, or instantly for a fee.
- Non-UK cards. Square adds 1.95% for non-UK cards in person.
- VAT on hardware. Most device prices above are excluding VAT.
If you take a lot of card payments for jobs, link the reader to your invoicing or accounts software so payments match invoices automatically. See best free invoicing apps and, for working out what to charge, the quote and VAT calculator. Compare any two readers side by side: SumUp vs Zettle, Square vs SumUp, Square vs Dojo, or see all card payment tools.
Sources for Tide and Revolut: Tide card readers, Revolut payment devices, Revolut Business Basic fees and Revolut Reader help, all read 15 October 2026.
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FAQ
What's the cheapest card reader in the UK?
On device price, SumUp's Tap to Pay is £0 (it uses your phone) and Square Reader is from £19 + VAT. On fees, myPOS and Dojo had the lowest headline percentages when we checked, but each has conditions.
Is there a card reader with no monthly fee?
Yes. Square's free plan, SumUp pay-as-you-go, Zettle, myPOS and Tide pay-as-you-go all showed no monthly fee on 15 October 2026.
When is SumUp Payments Plus worth it?
When the 0.70% saving on each payment outweighs the £19 a month: roughly £2,700 or more of monthly card takings.
Do card fees change?
Yes. Prices here were read from each provider's pricing page on 15 October 2026; check before you buy.