Best card terminals UK 2026

Best card machine for small business UK 2026

The best card machine for a small business in the UK in 2026 is SumUp Solo (£79 + VAT hardware, 1.69% flat, no contract, free 4G SIM) for sole traders and sub-£10k monthly card volume, Square Terminal (all-in-one with built-in printer, 1.75%, no contract) for an independent shop or café, and Tap to Pay on iPhone (zero hardware, choose any supported acquirer) for mobile trades. Dojo Go Max (same-next-day settlement, 12-month contract) is the contract alternative: Dojo publishes 1.2% blended below £100,000 a year in card takings, which pays back its £25 monthly machine fee against SumUp's flat 1.69% from about £5,100 a month; above £100,000 a year the rate is quoted per merchant. Picks scored on rate, contract terms, hardware cost and settlement speed for a small UK business.

Best card terminals UK 2026

The best card terminal in the UK in 2026 is Dojo Go Max for £10k+ monthly card volume (same-next-day settlement, 1.2% blended below £100,000 a year in card takings (custom rate above), 12-month contract), SumUp Solo for sub-£10k no-contract (1.69% flat, £79 + VAT hardware), Square Terminal for independent retail all-in-one (no contract, 1.75%, built-in printer), and Tap to Pay on iPhone for mobile traders with zero hardware. Whole-of-market editorial pick, scored on rate, hardware, contract terms, settlement timing and acquirer reliability.

Best mobile card terminals UK 2026

The best mobile card terminal in the UK in 2026 is Tap to Pay on iPhone (zero hardware, iPhone XS or newer running iOS 16.4+, choose any supported acquirer) for traders with a compatible phone, or SumUp Solo at £79 + VAT with the free 4G SIM for traders without one. For mobile trades on a fixed bank stack: Tide Card Reader (£49, 1.5%, Tide Business customers) or Revolut Card Reader (£49, 0.8% to 1.0%, Revolut Business customers). Built for plumbers, electricians, mobile beauticians, dog groomers, food trucks and van-based trades.

Best low-fee card terminals UK 2026

The lowest published UK card-terminal headline rates in 2026 are Revolut Card Reader at 0.8% (Premium and Enterprise Revolut Business plans), SumUp at 0.99% for Charity Commission registered charities, Tyl by NatWest at 1.39% + 5p standard (bespoke pricing for higher-turnover NatWest Business customers), and Tide Card Reader at 1.5% (Tide Business customers, no contract). Above £30k monthly volume (over £100,000 a year) Dojo quotes a custom blended rate on a 12-month contract; below £100,000 a year it publishes 1.2% blended. Headline rate is only one input: contract length, monthly fees and hardware cost change the total.

Best card terminals for UK hospitality 2026

The best card terminal for UK hospitality (pubs, restaurants, gastropubs, cafés, bars) in 2026 is Dojo Go Max, on the strength of same-next-day weekend settlement, proven peak-hour throughput, table-side split-bill and tip handling, and competitive blended pricing above £10k monthly volume. Small independents and pop-up hospitality at sub-£10k monthly get better economics from Square Terminal (no contract, 1.75%) or SumUp Solo (no contract, 1.69%). Hospitality is the highest-volume UK card-acceptance segment and the cashflow effect of weekend settlement usually outweighs the headline rate.

Best card terminals for UK charities 2026

Registered charities, churches, and not-for-profits collecting donations. Distinct from commercial acceptance because of Gift Aid, lower-volume seasonality, and different acquirer underwriting. SumUp publishes a 0.99% rate for registered charities; that is the strongest mainstream offer in 2026.

Best contactless card terminals UK 2026

All UK card terminals support contactless in 2026. The right one depends on contactless throughput at peak hours, mobile-wallet support (Apple Pay, Google Pay above £100), and the business sector. Contactless share is now above 50% in retail and 70%+ in fast-service hospitality.

Best first card terminals for new UK businesses 2026

Your first card terminal as a new UK business. The right answer is almost always no-contract, low upfront cost, and an acquirer that can onboard a brand-new merchant without 12 months of trading history. These are the strongest options for sole traders, new Ltd companies, and freshly-launched SMBs.

Best card terminals for high-volume UK businesses 2026

For UK merchants doing £30k+ monthly card volume, the no-contract products (SumUp, Square, Zettle) become uncompetitive on rate. Contract-based products with blended or interchange-plus pricing win on cost. These are the strongest options for high-volume retail, hospitality groups, and growing SMBs.

Best no-contract card machine UK 2026

The best no-contract UK card machine in 2026 is SumUp Solo (£79 + VAT hardware, 1.69% flat, free 4G SIM), Square Terminal (£149 + VAT, 1.75%, built-in receipt printer), Zettle Reader 2 (£29 to £69, 1.75%, Bluetooth-paired) or Tap to Pay on iPhone (zero hardware on iPhone XS or newer). All four take pay-as-you-go pricing with no monthly fee, no contract, no exit fee. The contract trade-off only starts winning above around £15,000 monthly card volume where blended Dojo or Tyl rates beat 1.69%.

Best card machine for low monthly volume UK 2026

For UK merchants doing under £5,000 monthly card volume. Sole traders, market stalls, weekend market sellers, occasional traders, side-businesses, just-launched startups. The right card machine is no-monthly-fee, no-contract, pay-as-you-go, low hardware cost. Anything else over-charges you.

Best card machine for new businesses UK 2026

For brand-new UK businesses opening their first card-accepting trading day. Limited companies in their first year, sole traders going self-employed, just-incorporated startups, businesses with no card-volume trading history. Most acquirers prefer 6+ months of trading; these are the products that approve day-one.

Best card payment setup for UK online businesses 2026

For UK ecommerce stores, marketplaces, subscription billing, donation platforms and any business taking card payments via a website checkout. Payment gateway rather than physical card machine. The right answer depends on your platform (Shopify, WooCommerce, custom), volume, B2B-vs-B2C mix and whether you also trade in-person.

Cheapest UK card machine 2026

The cheapest UK card machines on total 12-month cost in 2026. Hardware cost plus monthly fee plus per-transaction rate plus chargeback fee plus scheme fees. Headline rate alone is misleading; this guide ranks on blended Total Cost of Acquiring (TCA) at three volume bands: £2k, £10k and £30k monthly.

Best card machine for taxi drivers UK 2026

For UK taxi drivers taking card payments in-cab. Self-employed black cab, private hire, minicab, Uber, Bolt, Veezu, Addison Lee, executive chauffeur. The right answer is mobile, full-day battery, 4G capable, Apple Pay and Google Pay supported. Most UK taxi drivers do under £8,000 monthly card volume so no-contract no-monthly-fee pricing wins on TCA.

Best card machine for private hire UK 2026

For UK private hire (PHV) drivers licensed by their local authority. Operates by pre-booking rather than hail. Often via dispatch companies (Addison Lee, Veezu, Andy's Cars), independent ops, or platforms (Uber, Bolt, Free Now). Card-payment requirements differ from black cabs: no statutory mandate but commercial reality says you take card.

Best card machine for black cab drivers UK 2026

For licensed London black cab (Hackney carriage) drivers. TfL has mandated card acceptance since October 2016: every licensed taxi must accept Visa, Mastercard, AMEX, contactless, Apple Pay and Google Pay. Card-machine must be visible to passenger, accept contactless above £100 via chip-and-PIN, and not surcharge the fare.

Best card machine for Uber drivers UK 2026

For UK Uber drivers taking off-platform card payments. Uber fares settle in-app via the Uber Rider payment method, so platform earnings need no extra device. The use case is the off-platform private hire: a customer flags you, a hotel concierge calls you directly, a corporate account books you off the app.

Best card machine for Bolt drivers UK 2026

For UK Bolt drivers taking off-platform card payments. Bolt platform fares settle in-app, so platform earnings need no extra hardware. The use case is the off-platform fare: pre-booked corporate accounts, hotel concierge, customer-direct booking, or shifts split with non-platform private hire work.

Best card machine for chauffeur UK 2026

For UK chauffeur, executive-transport, wedding-car and corporate-VIP drivers. Higher-ticket fares (£80 to £800 typical), corporate accounts, AMEX-heavy, often pre-booked through Premium Cars, Tristar, Addison Lee Premium, or independent chauffeur companies. Card-machine needs differ from standard taxi: higher-ticket support, AMEX, receipt printing, sometimes invoice billing.

Best card machine for airport taxi UK 2026

For UK airport-taxi drivers covering Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester, Stansted, Luton, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Glasgow. Mix of business travellers (AMEX, US dollar cards, corporate cards), tourists (international cards, multi-currency), and hotel-transfer routes. Higher-ticket than regular taxi fares (£40 to £200 typical), more multi-currency.

Best card machine for minicab UK 2026

For UK minicab drivers, both independent private hire and dispatched via local minicab firms. Minicab is the colloquial UK term for licensed private hire vehicle (PHV) in most regions, with the practical difference that minicab is the everyday word and PHV is the licensing term. Card-payment setup is identical.

Best card machine for funeral directors UK 2026

For UK funeral directors and funeral-arrangement businesses. High-ticket transactions (£3,000 to £15,000 typical funeral cost), often paid by relatives via the deceased estate. Mix of in-person deposit collection, phone-quote payments, and invoice-billed estates. Different from regular retail card payment: chargeback risk is structurally high (family disputes, estate executor changes), so the right acquirer matters more than the rate.

Best card machine for photographers UK 2026

For UK photographers and videographers: wedding, portrait, family, commercial, event, real-estate. Self-employed sole traders, family-run studios, larger creative houses. Card-payment needs: deposit collection at booking (often £500 to £2,000), balance collection on or after the shoot, occasional in-person print sales at galleries or fairs.

Best card machine for driving instructors UK 2026

For UK ADIs (Approved Driving Instructors), driving schools and learner-driver-tuition businesses. Self-employed sole traders mostly, sometimes franchise-affiliated (RED, BSM, AA Driving School), occasionally Ltd. Card-payment needs: in-car payment at end of lesson, occasional block-booking pre-payment, paying-by-the-hour mobile setup.

Best card machine for tradesmen UK 2026

For UK self-employed tradesmen: plumbers, electricians, builders, roofers, plasterers, painters, decorators, carpenters, joiners, kitchen fitters, bathroom fitters, gas engineers. Mobile work site, customer payment at completion or via staged invoices, sometimes emergency callouts. Card-machine needs to be mobile, 4G capable, no-contract for the typical sub-£40k-monthly volume trader.

Best card machine for aesthetics clinic UK 2026

For UK aesthetics clinics: Botox, dermal fillers, laser hair removal, microneedling, lip enhancement, skin treatments. Mix of single-treatment-fee structure, course-package pre-payment, monthly membership models. Mid-ticket transactions (£100 to £600 typical), some high-ticket (£1,500 for laser packages), occasional aesthetics-specific compliance considerations.

Best card machine for yoga or pilates studio UK 2026

For UK yoga and pilates studios: drop-in class fees, class packs (5 / 10 / 25 class blocks), monthly unlimited memberships, retreat deposits, private-instructor sessions. Mix of online booking (Mindbody, ClassPass, Glofox, OfferingTree) and in-studio drop-in card payment. Mid-ticket transactions (£15 to £160 typical), with retreat deposits up to £500.

Best card machine for mobile cleaners UK 2026

For UK domestic cleaners, mobile cleaning teams, carpet cleaners, window cleaners, oven cleaners, end-of-tenancy specialists. Mostly sole traders or 2 to 5-person teams. Card-payment needs: weekly or monthly recurring fee for regular clients, one-off pre-payment for deep cleans, occasional emergency callouts.

Best UK online payment for Shopify stores 2026

For UK Shopify storefronts: native Shopify Payments vs Stripe Checkout vs PayPal vs Klarna vs the Shopify-surcharge alternatives. The right choice depends on whether you want native checkout, ecosystem integration, BNPL, or want to avoid the Shopify 0.5% to 2% surcharge on non-Shopify-Payments gateways.

Best UK online payment for WooCommerce 2026

For UK WooCommerce stores running on WordPress. Unlike Shopify, WooCommerce has no preferred-gateway monetisation, so you pick the cheapest UK acquirer outright. Stripe, Square, Adyen, PayPal, Klarna, Mollie all have first-party WooCommerce plugins. WooCommerce-specific extensions like WooCommerce Subscriptions add recurring billing.

Best UK online payment for subscription SaaS 2026

For UK SaaS businesses, software-as-a-service, monthly or annual recurring revenue. Card-on-file with SCA at sign-up, recurring billing via Merchant Initiated Transaction exemption. Stripe Billing is the standard; Adyen Subscriptions wins at enterprise; GoCardless wins on B2B Bacs recurring.

Best UK online payment for online courses 2026

For UK online course creators selling via Teachable, Thinkific, Kajabi, Podia, Udemy or custom Membership-WordPress setups. Mix of one-off course purchases, monthly membership packages, and high-ticket coaching programmes (£500 to £5,000). Course-creator card-payment needs differ from SaaS: course-purchase chargeback risk is structurally high (buyer's remorse, course-not-as-described disputes).

Best UK online payment for marketplaces 2026

For UK marketplaces: multi-vendor commerce where the platform takes a commission and the rest goes to the seller. Examples: Etsy-like crafts marketplace, OnlyFans-like creator platform, Airbnb-like rental platform, freelance services platform. Card-payment needs are split: platform receives the customer payment then forwards the seller share. Requires "split payment" or "Connect" infrastructure.

Best UK online payment for charity donations 2026

For UK registered charities, CICs, social enterprises and community-foundation organisations taking online donations. Card payment needs differ from commercial: lower acquirer rates available (most acquirers discount for charities), Gift Aid declaration capture at donation, regular monthly Direct Debit donations alongside one-off card donations, donor-receipt issuance for tax reasons.

Best UK online payment for membership sites 2026

For UK membership sites: paid community platforms (Discord-with-Stripe, Circle, Mighty Networks), exclusive-content sites (Patreon-like), gated-content WordPress (MemberPress, Memberful), professional-membership organisations (CIPD, ACCA-style continuing education). Card-on-file recurring with SCA at sign-up, monthly or annual billing, occasional one-off upgrades.

Best UK online payment for online tutoring 2026

For UK online tutors and coaches: 1-to-1 Zoom-based academic tuition (GCSE, A-level, university), executive coaching, language tutoring (Italki, Preply-style), business coaching, sports coaching. Card payment for one-off hourly sessions, package deals (10-hour blocks), monthly retainer for ongoing coaching.

Best UK online payment for B2B invoicing 2026

For UK B2B businesses invoicing corporate customers with 30-day, 60-day or 90-day payment terms. Card payment vs Bacs Direct Debit vs traditional bank transfer. The right choice depends on transaction size (commercial-card interchange runs 1.0% to 2.5%, materially higher than consumer), invoice frequency, and customer preference.

Best UK online payment for mobile app 2026

For UK mobile-app developers: iOS App Store and Google Play in-app purchase rules, server-to-server card payment for non-digital goods, web-purchase circumvention for digital goods (Spotify-style), embedded SDK payment (Uber-style). Different rules than website ecommerce because Apple and Google take a cut on digital goods.

Best card machine for London taxi UK 2026

For London licensed black cab (Hackney carriage) drivers and PCO-licensed private hire (PHV) drivers operating in Greater London. TfL has mandated card acceptance on black cabs since October 2016: Visa, Mastercard, AMEX, contactless, Apple Pay, Google Pay, no surcharging, card-machine visible to passenger. PHV drivers no statutory mandate but most platform fares settle in-app anyway.

Best card machine for Veezu drivers UK 2026

For UK Veezu private hire drivers operating via the Veezu app across Cardiff, Bristol, Newport, Birmingham, Wolverhampton, West Yorkshire, Bradford and the wider Veezu franchise network. Platform fares settle via Veezu in-app; this guide covers off-platform fares: corporate accounts, direct bookings, customer-hails outside the app.

Best card machine for Free Now drivers UK 2026

For UK Free Now (formerly mytaxi, Hailo) drivers operating across London, Manchester, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Glasgow and the wider Free Now UK network. Platform fares settle via Free Now in-app; this guide covers off-platform fares: corporate accounts, direct bookings, hotel concierge referrals.

Best card machine for Addison Lee + executive UK 2026

For UK Addison Lee, Tristar, Veezu Premium, Sixt Ride and other executive private-hire fleet drivers running corporate, VIP and high-ticket transport. Mix of platform-fare in-app settlement and direct-account corporate billing. AMEX-heavy, higher per-trip fares (£60 to £400 typical), business-traveller customer base.

Best card machine for London black cab UK 2026

For London Hackney carriage (black cab) drivers. TfL's card-payment rules for licensed taxis has mandated card acceptance on every metered black cab since October 2016: Visa, Mastercard, AMEX, contactless, Apple Pay, Google Pay, no surcharging, card-machine visible to the passenger. Applies to Knowledge-holders on green badge (all-London) and yellow badge (suburban sector). This guide covers four common setups for London black cab drivers.

Best card machine for London Knowledge driver UK 2026

For green-badge London taxi drivers who have passed The Knowledge of London (320 standard routes plus 25,000 streets within 6 miles of Charing Cross) and are licensed to ply for hire anywhere in Greater London. Distinct from PCO-licensed private hire and from yellow-badge suburban-sector taxis. Same TfL card-acceptance mandate applies. This guide focuses on what works for the central-London Knowledge-driver workload.

Best card machine for London PCO driver UK 2026

For PCO-licensed (Private Hire Vehicle, PHV) drivers operating in London. Distinct from green-badge / yellow-badge Hackney carriage Knowledge drivers. PCO drivers cannot ply for hire on the street and must be pre-booked via Uber, Bolt, FreeNow, Wheely, Addison Lee, Veezu or a local operator. TfL does not mandate card acceptance on PHV the way it does on black cab, but off-platform corporate, hotel-concierge and direct-account fares need a card-reader.

Best card machine for London Uber driver UK 2026

For PCO-licensed London Uber drivers. Uber fares settle in-app on the customer's saved card so the driver does not handle the card on platform trips. This guide is for the off-platform side: corporate accounts, hotel concierge handoffs, repeat private customers booking direct, and family-and-friends fares where the driver wants a quick card-reader to avoid cash.

Best card machine for London Bolt driver UK 2026

For PCO-licensed London Bolt drivers. Bolt platform fares settle in-app, similar to Uber. Off-platform direct fares, hotel-concierge handoffs and repeat private customers need a card-reader. Bolt commission rate is typically lower than Uber so Bolt drivers retain more per platform fare; many cross-list with Uber and FreeNow to maximise utilisation across the working day.

Best card machine for London FreeNow driver UK 2026

For London FreeNow drivers. FreeNow (formerly MyTaxi, before that Hailo) is the platform built specifically for licensed Hackney carriage drivers in London, distinct from Uber and Bolt which are PHV-only. FreeNow fares can settle in-app or be charged on the cab's own TfL-compliant card-machine for street-hail or rank passengers. Driver retains direct relationship with the customer in-cab.

Best card machine for London chauffeur UK 2026

For London executive chauffeur sole-traders and small fleets: Wheely chauffeurs, Addison Lee executive, Tristar, Sixt Ride Black, Blacklane and independent corporate-account chauffeurs. Customer mix is law firms, banks, US-inbound executives, embassy and hotel concierge work. Average fare £80 to £400. AMEX-dominant. Standard expectation: printed-on-the-spot receipt at drop-off.

Best card machine for London wedding car UK 2026

For London-based wedding car operators, vintage Rolls-Royce and Bentley hire, classic wedding fleet hire, and chauffeur-driven luxury wedding transport. Pre-booked corporate-bridal customer, often through wedding-planner intermediary. Mix of large deposit (paid by card weeks ahead via Stripe Checkout) plus balance on the wedding day (paid in-vehicle by card or BACS).

Best card machine for London corporate-account driver UK 2026

For London taxi and chauffeur drivers and small fleets working on direct corporate-account contracts: law firms, banks, hedge funds, professional services, embassy and consulate work, hotel concierge networks. Monthly invoicing typical, with in-vehicle card-machine for ad-hoc upgrades, top-ups and customer-direct one-off payments off the corporate account.

Best card machine for yoga retreat operators UK 2026

For UK yoga, meditation, and wellness retreat operators: residential weekends, week-long retreats abroad, day-retreats. Customers typically pay 6 to 9 months ahead of arrival (deposit plus balance), which most UK acquirers price as elevated-risk because of the gap between authorisation and delivery.

Expect rolling reserves of 10 to 20 percent and settlement schedules of T+5 to T+14 at most mainstream acquirers. Retreats over the Package Travel Regulations threshold need ABTOT or similar bonding.

Best card machine for hen and stag weekend operators UK 2026

For UK hen and stag weekend operators: weekend party packages, activity packages, themed group experiences in cities like Edinburgh, Liverpool, Bristol, Brighton, Bournemouth. Customers book 3 to 9 months ahead, often through a hen or stag party organiser (single payer collecting from the group). Card-payment shape: large deposit at booking, balance closer to the weekend. Acquirers treat this as elevated risk because of the future-dated delivery and the group-payment structure.

Best card machine for boat charter and yacht hire UK 2026

For UK boat charter, yacht hire, narrowboat hire and day-sailing operators: bareboat charter, skippered charter, RYA-school-attached fleets, narrowboat holiday hire. Customers book 3 to 12 months ahead. Mix of single-day day-charter (settled close to delivery) and week-long holiday charter (booked months ahead with significant deposit). Boat-hire operators with cruise-style longer-duration trips face longer-lead-time chargeback exposure than day-charter operators.

Best card machine for walking and city tour operators UK 2026

For UK walking tour, city tour, ghost tour, foodie tour and themed urban-experience operators: London, Edinburgh, York, Oxford, Bath, Liverpool. Mix of tip-based free-walking-tour models, ticketed daily tours, and private group bookings. Most UK walking tour customers book within 1 to 7 days of the tour, which gives walking-tour operators a much shorter risk window than longer-lead-time travel verticals.

Acquirers typically price walking tours as standard in-person experience rather than travel.

Best card machine for experience-day companies UK 2026

For UK experience-day, gift-experience, adventure-day and themed-activity-day operators: supercar driving days, escape rooms (multi-venue), wine tastings, axe throwing, vintage tea experiences, helicopter tours, archery days. Gift voucher model means customers buy now, redeem 6 to 18 months later. Long redemption window is the headline risk for acquirers because the chargeback liability sits open across the entire voucher validity period.

Best card machine for cooking and wine holiday operators UK 2026

For UK-based cooking school holidays, wine-tour operators, gastronomy retreats, and food-and-wine-themed escorted trip operators: UK-based cookery retreats, Italian or French wine tours sold from the UK, escorted wine-region trips. Customers book 4 to 9 months ahead. Most package-priced trips fall under the Package Travel Regulations and need ABTOT or ATOL bonding. Reserves and settlement track the wider tour-operator pattern.

Best card machine for wildlife and safari tour operators UK 2026

For UK-headquartered wildlife tour operators, escorted safari operators, birdwatching tour operators, eco-tourism operators and natural-history tour operators: African safari, polar expedition, Galapagos cruise, UK wildlife week (Scottish Highlands, Pembrokeshire, Outer Hebrides). Higher ticket prices (£3,000 to £15,000+ per customer) and longer lead times (6 to 18 months) make this one of the highest-reserve sub-segments inside travel. ATOL essential for flight-inclusive itineraries.

Best card machine for sports and fitness camp operators UK 2026

For UK sports camps, fitness boot-camps, tennis camps, football camps, cycling camps, running camps, triathlon camps and adventure-sports camps: kids' multi-sport summer camps, adult fitness training camps, cycling training-camp weeks abroad. Mix of half-day non-residential local camps (low risk, short lead times) and residential or abroad camps (longer lead times, package-travel regulations apply). Acquirer treatment varies sharply between the two.