How Much Does a Card Machine Cost in the UK?
Pay-as-you-go readers charge a flat 1.69%-1.75% per transaction with no monthly fee. Negotiated providers typically charge 1.2%-1.9% plus £10 to £60 monthly rental.
Which wins depends on your volume:
below roughly £2,300 a month in card sales, a no-monthly-fee reader is usually cheapest; above that, a monthly plan (e.g. Dojo's Fix at £39.99 a month under £100,000 a year in card turnover, covering card turnover up to £3,999 a month, then 1% flat; custom quotes above £100,000, as low as 0.29% seen for high-turnover businesses) usually works out cheaper overall.
Rates checked: 27 August 2026
Complete Cost Breakdown
1. Transaction Fees (Main Cost)
Debit cards: 0.29% to 1.75% (lower for higher volumes)
Credit cards: 0.7% to 2.75% (typically 0.3-0.5% higher than debit)
Authorization fee: 0p to 3p per transaction
Example: £40,000 monthly sales at a negotiated 1.2% = £480/month; the same sales at 1.75% flat = £700/month
2. Monthly Fees
No monthly fee providers (SumUp, Square, Zettle): £0
Monthly-plan and negotiated providers: Dojo's Fix plan is £39.99/month all-in under £100k/year card turnover; others charge £10-30/month terminal rental
Premium providers: £30-60/month
Best value: £0 monthly fee at low volume; above ~£2,300/month, a monthly plan or a negotiated rate usually beats no monthly fee
3. Setup & Hardware Costs
Setup fee: £0 to £200 (best providers: £0)
Terminal cost: £0 to £300 (many providers offer free with contract)
Installation: £0 to £100 (we provide free installation)
4. Hidden Costs to Watch For
No PCI compliance fee: £5-15/month (should be included)
No Minimum monthly charge: £20-50 (avoid these)
No Early exit penalty: £100-500 (Dojo pays up to £3,000 towards it when you switch through MerchantSwitch; eligibility confirmed at quote)
No Statement fee: £3-8/month (should be free)
How Much Can You Save?
Typical savings when switching: 20-30% of total card processing costs
Based on 1,200+ UK business comparisons processed by MerchantSwitch
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