Best card machine for grocery stores and convenience retail UK 2026
See the pick and alternatives for grocery stores and convenience retail below, then ask our card-payments broker partner for 2 to 3 matched quotes.
The best UK card machine for grocery stores and convenience retail in 2026 is Dojo Go Max, on Dojo. Typical transaction size, cashflow and contactless use for this trade are in the table below, and the alternatives are listed after it.
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Our pick
Dojo Go Max
Acquirer: Dojo
High-volume convenience retail benefits from Dojo's same-next-day settlement (cash-float matters in low-margin grocery) and multi-network connectivity (busy counter, peak-time WiFi congestion). 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. Below that, SumUp Solo usually wins because there is no contract.
Read full Dojo Go Max reviewWhat grocery stores and convenience retail card payments look like
- Cashflow shape
- Steady daily cycle with end-of-week and benefit-payment-day spikes. Christmas, Eid, Diwali, Chinese New Year surges depending on customer base.
- Typical transaction (our estimate)
- £8 to £35
- Contactless use (our estimate)
- High, with most in-person payments tapped
- Recommended acquirer
- Dojo
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 grocery stores and convenience retail
Headline rate, hardware cost and contract at a glance, from our full terminal reviews.
| Rank | Terminal | Rate | Hardware | Contract |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Dojo Go Max Our pick | 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 |
| #2 | SumUp Solo | 1.69% per transaction | £79 + VAT list price (SumUp often discounts it) | No contract |
| #3 | Square Terminal | 1.75% per transaction (UK) | £149 + VAT | No contract |
Prices and rates checked on the provider's own page: Dojo pricing page (2026-09-25); SumUp card readers page (2026-09-25); Square Terminal page (2026-09-25); Stripe UK pricing page (2026-10-02); Zettle card reader page (2026-09-25).
Alternatives for grocery stores and convenience retail
- SumUp Solo (smaller stores below £10k monthly)
- Square Terminal (stores running Square POS)
Watch outs specific to grocery stores and convenience retail
- Off-licence age-verification flow integration with the till.
- Stock-management for ethnic-food SKUs may require specialist POS.
- Some acquirers underwrite alcohol-licensed retail differently from non-licensed.
- Religious-festival surge management.
FAQs
What is the best card machine for grocery stores and convenience retail in the UK?
The best UK card machine for grocery stores and convenience retail in 2026 is Dojo Go Max on Dojo. High-volume convenience retail benefits from Dojo's same-next-day settlement (cash-float matters in low-margin grocery) and multi-network connectivity (busy counter, peak-time WiFi congestion).
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. Below that, SumUp Solo usually wins because there is no contract.
How much does a card machine cost for grocery stores and convenience retail?
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?
£8 to £35, 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 grocery stores and convenience retail?
High, with most in-person payments tapped, 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 grocery stores and convenience retail?
Off-licence age-verification flow integration with the till. Also check the contract length, exit fees, chargeback handling and how quickly money settles into your account.
Need a full till, not just a card machine?
If you also need stock, menus or kitchen tickets, see retail EPOS systems compared on published UK pricing.
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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