Best card machine for London Knowledge driver UK 2026
Compare the UK shortlist below, then get matched quotes from the acquirers most likely to approve you and beat your current pricing.
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.
Based on MerchantHQ terminal reviews and our ranking methodology.
The ranking
Ranked on fit for this use case. The score beside each pick is that terminal's overall review score across all uses, so a lower-scored terminal can rank higher here when it suits this job better. The rate, hardware and contract lines come from the same terminal data as the comparison table below.
1. SumUp Solo
Review score 4.2 / 5Best Knowledge driver reader
Portable standalone touchscreen terminal (no built-in printer; Solo Lite is the cheaper phone-paired version) · 1.69% per transaction · No contract
SumUp Solo at £79 + VAT with 1.69% rate. Its own 4G SIM means the driver does not need to tether it to a phone.
2. Tap to Pay on iPhone (no terminal)
Review score 4.2 / 5Best low-overhead Knowledge driver setup
Software on an iPhone Xs or later, no separate terminal · Set by the provider you use it with; see that provider's own pricing page · No fixed term for the feature itself; any contract is with your provider
Tap to Pay on iPhone via SumUp, Square or Stripe. £0 hardware, ideal for drivers in their first year post-Knowledge keeping fixed costs down while paying off the cab loan.
3. Verifone V200c / V400m
Review score 3.5 / 5Best meter-integrated for LEVC TX electric Knowledge
V200c countertop with built-in printer; V400m portable handheld with printer · Acquirer-dependent; blended or interchange-plus negotiated per merchant · Not published; often 12 to 48 months via the acquirer (our estimate)
Verifone V200c (Cabvision) is the standard meter-integrated terminal on the LEVC TX London Electric Vehicle Co. Knowledge fleet. Auto-prints receipt with metered fare. Higher cost but the long-tenured cab-yard standard.
4. Tide Card Reader
Review score 3.8 / 5Best for Tide Business banking Knowledge driver
Compact Bluetooth-paired reader (similar to Zettle / SumUp) · 1.5% per transaction (UK) · No contract
Tide Card Reader at £49 with 1.5% per transaction settles same-day to Tide Business banking. Cheapest dedicated hardware rate if you bank with Tide for the Knowledge-driver Ltd or sole-trader.
Quick comparison
Headline rate, hardware cost, contract and form factor at a glance.
| Rank | Terminal | Rate | Hardware | Contract |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | SumUp Solo | 1.69% per transaction | £79 + VAT list price (SumUp often discounts it) | No contract |
| #2 | Tap to Pay on iPhone (no terminal) | Set by the provider you use it with; see that provider's own pricing page | £0 hardware (you already have the iPhone) | No fixed term for the feature itself; any contract is with your provider |
| #3 | 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) |
| #4 | Tide Card Reader | 1.5% per transaction (UK) | £49 hardware | No contract |
FAQs
Do all green-badge Knowledge drivers need a card machine?
Yes. TfL's card-payment rules for licensed taxis mandates card acceptance on every London Hackney carriage in service since October 2016. Green-badge (all-London Knowledge) and yellow-badge (suburban Knowledge) both included. Refusing card is a licensing offence.
Can Knowledge drivers refuse card payment for short fares?
No. TfL's card-payment rules for licensed taxis prohibit refusing card for any metered fare regardless of distance or value. Some drivers historically asked for cash on short fares due to per-transaction fees making low-value fares unprofitable; this is now a licensing offence. Solution: pick a per-transaction rate (Tide at 1.5%, SumUp at 1.69%) that keeps short fares profitable.
How do Knowledge drivers handle international tourist cards?
All UK acquirers (SumUp, Square, Stripe, Adyen, Tide, Revolut, Verifone Cabvision) authorise international Visa, Mastercard and AMEX transparently. Tourist card declines are typically the tourist's home bank flagging international use, not the cab's acquirer rejecting. Suggest the tourist try their backup card.
What is the average card-acceptance rate for Knowledge drivers in 2026?
Every London black cab must accept card payments, and TfL does not publish a card share of fares that we can cite. What the driver pays is set by the acquirer: 1.69% with SumUp or 1.75% with Square on pay-as-you-go, for example.
How we rank
Rankings are built by desk research from each provider's published rates, upfront costs, contract lengths and settlement terms, held in a dated record per terminal (last-reviewed date shown on this page) and re-checked when published pricing changes. We do not hands-on test every device; specs are taken from provider documentation and cited. No provider pays for inclusion or position. MerchantHQ is an introducer. 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. See our methodology and how we are funded.
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