Including Zeller, Tide, and Worldpay, we break down the fees and functions of the best card payment machines for UK small businesses
In an increasingly cashless society, if you don’t have card payment machines, you risk losing out on sales.
The 2025 UK Payment Markets report, found that debit card payments are by far the country’s most popular type, accounting for more than half of all payments (26.1 of 49 billion transactions) made in 2024, while 39% of all payments were made using contactless cards or mobiles. By contrast, less than 10% of all payments were made in cash.
Every one of the card payment machines on this page accepts debit, mobile and card payments. But there are differences in features, fees and upfront costs which will make some more or less suitable for your business than others.
This article will break down the hardware and functionality of the best card payment machines currently on the market to help you choose the one that’s right for you.
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Card Payment Machine Reviews
Jump straight to a particular card machine or discover our full ranking of the 10 best card payment machines for small UK businesses in 2025.
- Zeller Terminal 1x
- Tide Card Reader
- Worldpay DX800
- TakePayments
- Square Reader
- Revolut
- Flatpay
- SumUp Solo Lite Card Reader
- MyPOS Go
- Barclaycard Smartpay Anywhere
How much does a typical card payment machine cost?
Card payment machine costs are made up of the cost of the device and the cost of payment processing fees.
Device cost
Mobile card readers generally cost between £20 and £60, countertop card machines cost between £40 and £250.
You can either buy the device outright or rent the device for a monthly cost. This changes from provider to provider.
The phrase ‘cash is king’ has never been truer, but how can small businesses like yours ensure a healthy inflow of money to cover costs and make profits?
Fees
Transaction fees are taken by your card payment provider as a percentage of every payment made through your card machine. They’re typically between 1.5 per cent and 2 per cent of the value of the transaction, and sometimes have a fixed amount in pennies (e.g. 20p) added on top.
So, if the customer buys an item costing £25, and your transaction fee is 1.75 per cent, you’ll be charged around 42p by your card payment provider.
Card payment providers will also advertise a card not present (CNP) transaction. A CNP transaction occurs when neither the cardholder or their card are present for the transaction – in other words, an online or phone payment, or a recurring payment.
CNP fees are usually around 2.5 per cent. They’re higher for the simple reason that there’s a greater risk of fraud during these kinds of payments.
Countertop vs portable vs mobile card readers
There are three types of card payment machine: countertop, portable, and mobile.
Countertop card machines are designed to be used at designated till points in your store. Although they don’t offer any portability, they’re usually very reliable in terms of their connectivity. They’re best for businesses with a fixed payment point such as a grocery or small retailer.
Portable credit card machines are battery-powered devices that use Wi-Fi to take card payments anywhere on your site. They’re best for cafes and restaurants.
Mobile card readers are even more compact, battery-powered devices that use a 4G/eSIM/Wi-Fi signal to take card payments wherever you are. They also usually have Wi-Fi functionality as well. They’re great for pop up shops, markets, festivals, street food vans – anywhere really.
This article will predominantly focus on mobile card readers, as they’re the most affordable and offer the most flexibility to growing small businesses.
Most of the providers below also sell other hardware such as charging docks, receipt printers, countertop systems and tills.
You only need the card payment device to start taking payments, but these items allow you to enhance your POS system as your business grows.
Take a look at this rundown of payment systems that are ideal for festivals, street food markets, pop-ups and promotional events
8 payment systems for festivals, pop-ups and street food markets
