Alternatives to PAX A77: 5 Better-Fit UK Card Machines in 2026
If you are looking at alternatives to PAX A77, the usual reason is one of two things: almost always rented (not bought), lock-in via acquirer contract, or the fact that PAX A77 is the wrong fit for no-contract economics. The five UK card machines below solve one or both of those problems. Dojo Go Max is our strongest-fit alternative (rate: 1.2% blended below £100,000 a year in card takings (custom rate above); contract: 12 months minimum). SumUp Solo runs with no contract if lock-in is the blocker. The rest of this page is the 5-card shortlist, then a short "when to stick with PAX A77" block for balance, then how we picked, then FAQs. Rates, contracts and hardware prices come from the same terminal data as our full reviews.
Top 5 alternatives to PAX A77
| Alternative | Rate | Hardware | Contract | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Dojo Go Max | 1.2% blended below £100,000 a year in card takings (custom rate above) | £149 upfront on a launch offer (£229 full price) or £25 a month | 12 months minimum | Hospitality (restaurants, pubs, cafés) |
| 2. SumUp Solo | 1.69% per transaction | £79 + VAT list price (SumUp often discounts it) | No contract | Sole traders, mobile traders, market stalls |
| 3. BBPOS WisePOS E | 1.4% + 10p EEA cards, 2.9% + 10p non-EEA cards when used with Stripe | Not listed on Stripe's UK pricing page (checked 2 Oct 2026); the Stripe Reader S700 is £229 excl. VAT | No contract when used with Stripe | Tech-led businesses with developer resource |
| 4. PAX A920 Pro | Acquirer-dependent | Often rented through the acquirer or ISO; confirm the price with them | Not published; often 12 to 36 months via the acquirer or ISO (our estimate) | Hospitality, retail and salons via a broker or ISO |
| 5. Verifone V200c / V400m | Acquirer-dependent; blended or interchange-plus negotiated per merchant | Usually rented through the acquirer; the price is set by the acquirer (not published) | Not published; often 12 to 48 months via the acquirer (our estimate) | Existing Worldpay, Barclaycard or Elavon merchants |
1. Dojo Go Max
1.2% blended below £100,000 a year in card takings (custom rate above) · £149 upfront on a launch offer (£229 full price) or £25 a month · 12 months minimum
Dojo Go Max is the strongest UK card terminal for hospitality and retail at £10k+ monthly card volume in 2026.
- Same-next-day settlement (unusual in UK).
- Robust hardware tested across hospitality.
- 12-month minimum contract.
2. SumUp Solo
1.69% per transaction · £79 + VAT list price (SumUp often discounts it) · No contract
SumUp Solo is the strongest no-contract UK card terminal for sole traders, mobile businesses and sub-£15k monthly card volume in 2026. £79 + VAT hardware at list price, 1.69% per transaction on pay-as-you-go, no contract, no monthly fee, free 4G SIM.
- No contract, no monthly fee.
- Single transparent rate (1.69%).
- 1.69% is uncompetitive at higher volumes.
1.4% + 10p EEA cards, 2.9% + 10p non-EEA cards when used with Stripe · Not listed on Stripe's UK pricing page (checked 2 Oct 2026); the Stripe Reader S700 is £229 excl. VAT · No contract when used with Stripe
BBPOS WisePOS E is a countertop reader built for Stripe Terminal apps, which you customise through the Stripe Terminal SDK.
- Customisable via the Stripe Terminal SDK.
- Countertop reader designed for Stripe Terminal apps.
- Not a standalone product; needs Stripe or another acquirer's software.
4. PAX A920 Pro
Acquirer-dependent · Often rented through the acquirer or ISO; confirm the price with them · Not published; often 12 to 36 months via the acquirer or ISO (our estimate)
PAX A920 Pro is an Android-based handheld payment terminal with a built-in receipt printer, supplied in the UK through acquirers, ISOs and brokers.
- Android platform that acquirers can customise.
- Receipt printer built in.
- Often rented rather than bought, with lock-in through the acquirer contract.
Acquirer-dependent; blended or interchange-plus negotiated per merchant · Usually rented through the acquirer; the price is set by the acquirer (not published) · Not published; often 12 to 48 months via the acquirer (our estimate)
Verifone V200c and V400m are countertop and portable terminals supplied by traditional UK acquirers. The customer experience is set by the acquirer rather than Verifone, so pricing and service vary widely.
- Long-running hardware platform.
- Supplied by many UK acquirers.
- Usually supplied through an acquirer or ISO rather than sold direct, so pricing is set by them.
When to stick with PAX A77
PAX A77 is still the right choice for mobile traders via ISO / broker and counter-side acceptance where digital receipts are fine. The two strongest reasons buyers stay: android platform supports acquirer customisation and third-party apps, and compact form factor; lighter and cheaper than the A920 Pro.
If your business sits inside mobile traders via ISO / broker, switching is friction without upside. The alternatives above are for buyers who hit a real blocker on PAX A77, not for buyers who are just shopping rate.
Read the full PAX A77 review for the year-one cost model, hardware detail and full verdict.
How we picked these alternatives
Each shortlist starts from a hand-curated seed of the 4 most-considered alternatives for the source terminal in UK 2026 buyer journeys, then tops up to 5 with the next-highest-rated terminal in our database that shares at least one best-fit cluster with the source. The intent is to keep the shortlist semantically meaningful: an alternative to a sole-trader reader is another sole-trader reader, not an enterprise platform.
Ratings, rates, contracts and hardware costs are pulled from the MerchantHQ terminals dataset. Headline rates are verified against each acquirer's public pricing; bespoke rates apply above roughly £20k monthly card volume so always verify the live commercials before signing.
MerchantHQ is owned and operated by Best Business Loans Ltd (16833937), directed by Oliver Mackman. Editorial methodology: how we score UK card terminals.
FAQ
What is better than PAX A77 in 2026?
Dojo Go Max is the strongest-fit of the five alternatives to PAX A77. Rate: 1.2% blended below £100,000 a year in card takings (custom rate above). Contract: 12 months minimum. Hardware: £149 upfront on a launch offer (£229 full price) or £25 a month. The honest caveat: "better" depends on your card volume and trade. For mobile traders via ISO / broker, PAX A77 still holds up.
Is there a free alternative to PAX A77?
SumUp Solo runs with no contract; hardware is £79 + VAT list price (SumUp often discounts it). No UK card terminal is truly free once you account for the transaction rate, but SumUp Solo at 1.69% per transaction has the lowest commitment of the five alternatives on this page. Best fit: sole traders, mobile traders, market stalls.
What is the cheapest alternative to PAX A77?
Of the alternatives that publish a percentage rate, Dojo Go Max starts lowest (1.2% blended below £100,000 a year in card takings (custom rate above); hardware £149 upfront on a launch offer (£229 full price) or £25 a month; contract 12 months minimum). Alternatives priced per merchant are not directly comparable until you have a quote.
Cheapest on rate is not always cheapest on year-one cost once you factor in hardware, monthly fees and ecosystem lock-in (12-month minimum contract). Use the MerchantHQ quote tool for a modelled comparison against your actual volume.
Which alternative is best for mobile traders via ISO / broker?
Dojo Go Max is the strongest pick on the shortlist for mobile traders via ISO / broker. Its main strength: same-next-day settlement (unusual in UK); the main watch-out: 12-month minimum contract. The card above has the detail.
Should I switch from PAX A77?
Switch if you are hitting almost always rented (not bought), lock-in via acquirer contract or if no-contract economics. Stay if your business is in mobile traders via ISO / broker and the current contract is reasonable. MerchantHQ runs switching support across 40+ UK card-payment providers. Quote enquiries go to one card-payments broker, Merchant Advice Service, which pays us a fee for each introduction; acquirers do not pay us commission on quote enquiries. That fee never affects a ranking.
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Get matched →Last updated: . Written by Adam Parker for Best Business Loans Ltd (16833937).