Best Card Machine for a Small Business in the UK
Under about £2,000 a month in card sales, buy a pay-as-you-go reader outright: SumUp charges 1.69% per transaction, Square and Zettle 1.75%, all with £0 monthly fee.
Between £2,000 and £5,000 a month, pay-as-you-go still usually wins: the fixed monthly cost of a rented terminal outweighs the per-transaction saving.
Above roughly £4,000-£5,000 a month, a negotiated rate plus a monthly fee usually works out cheaper: for example Dojo's bespoke pricing, typically 1.2% to 1.9% depending on card turnover (we have seen quotes as low as 0.29% for high-turnover businesses), with terminal rental from £20/month.
Rates checked: August 2026
Verdict by Monthly Card Volume
| Monthly card takings | Best option | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Under ~£2,000 | Pay-as-you-go reader (SumUp 1.69%, Square or Zettle 1.75%) | £0 monthly fee; at low volume the flat rate costs less than any rental |
| ~£2,000-£5,000 | Pay-as-you-go usually still wins | A £20+/month rental needs a meaningful rate cut to pay for itself |
| Above ~£4,000-£5,000 | Negotiated rate + monthly fee (e.g. Dojo, bespoke 1.2%-1.9%) | The per-transaction saving outgrows the monthly fee at this volume |
The bands overlap because bespoke pricing varies with your card turnover and card mix. The full data behind this table (every provider we track, with fees checked August 2026) is on our UK card machine rates page.
Worked Example: £3,000/Month in Card Sales
Assumptions: £3,000/month card turnover; costs shown are card processing only (transaction fees plus any terminal rental).
Even at the very bottom of Dojo's typical 1.2%-1.9% range, the £20/month rental keeps the total above the flat-rate readers at this volume.
Worked Example: £10,000/Month in Card Sales
Assumptions: £10,000/month card turnover; Dojo shown across its typical bespoke range of 1.2%-1.9% plus terminal rental from £20/month.
At £10,000/month a negotiated 1.2% rate saves £29/month (£348/year) against SumUp and £35/month (£420/year) against Square or Zettle. At the top of the bespoke range it costs more, which is exactly why you should compare quotes at your real volume rather than assume a monthly-fee deal is automatically cheaper.
The Main Small-Business Options Compared
| Provider | Transaction fee | Monthly fee | Setup fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| SumUp | 1.69% flat | £0 | Buy reader outright |
| Square | 1.75% flat | £0 | Buy reader outright |
| Zettle by PayPal | 1.75% flat | £0 | £0 |
| Dojo | Bespoke, typically 1.2%-1.9% depending on card turnover | Terminal rental from £20 | £0 |
For a closer look at the flat-rate trio, see our SumUp vs Square vs Zettle shootout, or the head-to-head Dojo vs SumUp comparison if you're weighing pay-as-you-go against a negotiated deal. If your priority is simply the lowest headline cost, start with the cheapest card machines in the UK.
Common Questions
What is the best card machine for a small business in the UK?
It depends on your monthly card volume. Under roughly £2,000/month, buy a pay-as-you-go reader outright: SumUp charges 1.69% per transaction and Square and Zettle charge 1.75%, all with £0 monthly fee. Between £2,000 and £5,000/month, pay-as-you-go still usually wins. Above roughly £4,000-£5,000/month, a negotiated rate with a monthly fee usually works out cheaper: Dojo, for example, prices bespoke at typically 1.2% to 1.9% depending on card turnover, and we have seen quotes as low as 0.29% for high-turnover businesses, with terminal rental from £20/month.
How much does a card machine cost a small business taking £3,000 a month?
At £3,000/month in card sales, SumUp at 1.69% costs £50.70/month (£608.40/year) and Square or Zettle at 1.75% cost £52.50/month (£630/year), with no monthly fee. A bespoke-priced provider like Dojo at the bottom of its typical 1.2%-1.9% range would cost £36 in transaction fees plus terminal rental from £20/month, totalling £56 or more, so pay-as-you-go is cheaper at this volume.
How much does a card machine cost a business taking £10,000 a month?
At £10,000/month, SumUp at 1.69% costs £169/month (£2,028/year) and Square or Zettle at 1.75% cost £175/month (£2,100/year). Dojo-style bespoke pricing at 1.2%-1.9% plus terminal rental from £20/month works out at roughly £140-£210/month. If you negotiate towards the lower end of that range, the negotiated deal saves £29 or more per month versus the cheapest flat-rate reader.
At what card volume should a small business switch from pay-as-you-go?
Above roughly £4,000-£5,000 a month in card takings, a negotiated rate with a monthly fee usually works out cheaper than the 1.69%-1.75% flat rates charged by pay-as-you-go readers. Below that, no-monthly-fee readers tend to win because the fixed monthly cost outweighs the per-transaction saving.
Quick Sanity Checks Before You Choose
- Growing fast? If you expect to pass £4,000-£5,000/month within a year, it can be worth getting quotes now: bespoke rates improve with turnover.
- Seasonal trade? A £0-monthly-fee reader costs nothing in quiet months; a rented terminal charges you whether you trade or not.
- Already paying a monthly fee? Work out your effective rate first. Our guide to reducing card processing fees shows the calculation.
Get a like-for-like quote at your card volume
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