Best card machine for post offices and newsagents UK 2026
See the pick and alternatives for post offices and newsagents below, then ask our card-payments broker partner for 2 to 3 matched quotes.
The best UK card machine for post offices and newsagents 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
A newsagent with a Post Office counter sees a steady run of small retail payments, with queues at peak times. Dojo's same-next-day settlement helps the daily cash float, and multi-network connectivity reduces dropout risk on a busy counter. Post Office counter services themselves are paid through Post Office's own branch equipment, so this card machine covers the retail side of the shop.
Read full Dojo Go Max reviewWhat post offices and newsagents card payments look like
- Cashflow shape
- Daily cycle with morning rush and end-of-day post collection. Christmas-card and benefit-payment-day spikes. Local-event lottery surges.
- Typical transaction (our estimate)
- £5 to £25
- 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 post offices and newsagents
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 | Square Terminal | 1.75% per transaction (UK) | £149 + VAT | No contract |
| #3 | SumUp Solo | 1.69% per transaction | £79 + VAT list price (SumUp often discounts it) | No contract |
Prices and rates checked on the provider's own page: Dojo pricing page (2026-09-25); Square Terminal page (2026-09-25); SumUp card readers page (2026-09-25); Stripe UK pricing page (2026-10-02); Zettle card reader page (2026-09-25).
Alternatives for post offices and newsagents
- Square Terminal (smaller newsagents)
- SumUp Solo (single-counter newsagents)
Watch outs specific to post offices and newsagents
- Keep retail card takings separate from Post Office counter transactions, which run on Post Office's own branch systems.
- National Lottery sales run through the operator's own terminal (Allwyn since February 2024), not your retail card machine.
- High contactless share means rate impact is acute on every transaction.
- Multi-counter branches need terminals to share a daily cash-up flow.
FAQs
What is the best card machine for post offices and newsagents in the UK?
The best UK card machine for post offices and newsagents in 2026 is Dojo Go Max on Dojo. A newsagent with a Post Office counter sees a steady run of small retail payments, with queues at peak times. Dojo's same-next-day settlement helps the daily cash float, and multi-network connectivity reduces dropout risk on a busy counter. Post Office counter services themselves are paid through Post Office's own branch equipment, so this card machine covers the retail side of the shop.
How much does a card machine cost for post offices and newsagents?
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?
£5 to £25, 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 post offices and newsagents?
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 post offices and newsagents?
Keep retail card takings separate from Post Office counter transactions, which run on Post Office's own branch systems. 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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