Best card machine for carpet and flooring retailers UK 2026
See the pick and alternatives for carpet and flooring retailers below, then ask our card-payments broker partner for 2 to 3 matched quotes.
The best UK card machine for carpet and flooring retailers in 2026 is Tap to Pay on iPhone, on Stripe. Typical transaction size, cashflow and contactless use for this trade are in the table below, and the alternatives are listed after it.
MerchantHQ is owned and operated by Best Business Loans Ltd, directed by Oliver Mackman.
Our pick
Tap to Pay on iPhone
Acquirer: Stripe
In-home consultation and quote-acceptance is the main card-acceptance moment. Tap to Pay on iPhone for the visiting fitter or surveyor; Stripe online for invoice-pay-by-card. Dojo Go Max for the showroom counter.
Read full Tap to Pay on iPhone (no terminal) reviewWhat carpet and flooring retailers card payments look like
- Cashflow shape
- Steady year-round with January and September peaks (new-home moves, post-summer redecoration). Larger installations stage across deposit and balance.
- Typical transaction (our estimate)
- £400 to £4,000+
- Contactless use (our estimate)
- Low, as high-value payments go by chip and PIN
- Recommended acquirer
- Stripe
Transaction sizes and contactless use are our working estimates for sizing a quote, not published statistics. Your own card statements give the real figures.
Card machines compared for carpet and flooring retailers
Headline rate, hardware cost and contract at a glance, from our full terminal reviews.
| Rank | Terminal | Rate | Hardware | Contract |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Tap to Pay on iPhone (no terminal) Our pick | 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 |
| #2 | 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 |
| #3 | Stripe Reader S700 | 1.4% + 10p EEA cards, 2.9% + 10p non-EEA (Stripe standard Terminal pricing) | £229 excl. VAT | No contract (Stripe standard pay-as-you-go terms) |
Prices and rates checked on the provider's own page: Apple Tap to Pay on iPhone (UK) (2026-10-02); Dojo pricing page (2026-09-25); Stripe UK pricing page (2026-10-02); SumUp card readers page (2026-09-25); Square Terminal page (2026-09-25); Zettle card reader page (2026-09-25).
Alternatives for carpet and flooring retailers
- Dojo Go Max (showroom counter)
- Stripe Reader S700 (multi-site retailers)
Watch outs specific to carpet and flooring retailers
- Deposit-on-order refund policy needs to be in writing.
- Installation-appointment cancellation chargebacks happen.
- High-value transactions trigger SCA more often.
- Cross-border supplier-fabric card flow runs separately.
FAQs
What is the best card machine for carpet and flooring retailers in the UK?
The best UK card machine for carpet and flooring retailers in 2026 is Tap to Pay on iPhone on Stripe. In-home consultation and quote-acceptance is the main card-acceptance moment. Tap to Pay on iPhone for the visiting fitter or surveyor; Stripe online for invoice-pay-by-card. Dojo Go Max for the showroom counter.
How much does a card machine cost for carpet and flooring retailers?
Hardware runs from nothing (Tap to Pay on iPhone, on a phone you already own) to £229 + VAT (Stripe Reader S700), with SumUp Solo at £79 + VAT and Square Terminal at £149 + VAT. Published pay-as-you-go rates on UK cards are 1.69% at SumUp, 1.75% at Square and 1.75% at Zettle, with no monthly fee; contract providers quote a blended or bespoke rate and usually charge monthly terminal rental instead. Your blended monthly cost depends on card volume and average transaction size, so model it on your own numbers with our fees calculator rather than relying on a flat figure.
What is the average transaction size in this trade?
£400 to £4,000+, on our working estimate. Your own card statements give the real figure, and it matters because percentage fees and fixed per-transaction fees weigh differently on small and large payments.
How much contactless use is typical for carpet and flooring retailers?
Low, as high-value payments go by chip and PIN, on our working estimate. Your own card statements show the real split between tap and chip and PIN, which is worth checking before you choose between a phone-paired reader and a standalone terminal.
What should I watch out for when choosing a card machine for carpet and flooring retailers?
Deposit-on-order refund policy needs to be in writing. Also check the contract length, exit fees, chargeback handling and how quickly money settles into your account.
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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