Card Machines With No Monthly Fee in the UK
Three card machines charge £0 monthly fee in the UK: SumUp at 1.69% per transaction, and Square and Zettle by PayPal at 1.75% per transaction.
You buy the reader outright and pay only when you take a payment, which makes them the cheapest option below roughly £3,060 a month in card sales.
Above that volume, £0/month usually costs you more overall: Dojo's 1.2% all-in rate plus a rented Dojo Wired at £15/month beats 1.75% flat once takings pass about £2,730 a month (£15 ÷ (1.75% − 1.2%)), and beats SumUp's 1.69% above about £3,060.
Rates checked: 27 August 2026
SumUp vs Square vs Zettle: £0/Month Head-to-Head
| Provider | Transaction fee | Monthly fee | Cost on £1,000 of card sales |
|---|---|---|---|
| SumUp | 1.69% flat | £0 | £16.90 |
| Square | 1.75% flat | £0 | £17.50 |
| Zettle by PayPal | 1.75% flat | £0 | £17.50 |
SumUp's 0.06 percentage-point edge is worth 60p per £1,000 of card sales. Beyond price, the choice comes down to ecosystem. We break that down in our three-way SumUp vs Square vs Zettle comparison, and provider-by-provider in Zettle vs Square.
When £0/Month Actually Costs You More: the Crossover Maths
A monthly-fee deal wins when the per-transaction saving covers the fee. The break-even formula:
Break-even monthly volume = monthly fee ÷ (flat rate − lower rate)
Assumptions: flat-rate reader at 1.75% (Square/Zettle) or 1.69% (SumUp); Dojo's 1.2% all-in blended transaction rate for all card transactions (for businesses under £100,000 a year in card turnover) plus a rented Dojo Wired at £15/month, Dojo's cheapest rental (Dojo Go Max £25/month). Through MerchantSwitch the terminal is £0 with no monthly rental, so there is no fee to cover and 1.2% is cheaper at every volume; the break-even below applies when you rent direct.
That is why the practical rule of thumb sits at roughly £3,060/month: below it the £0-monthly-fee readers almost always win, above it Dojo does. Concrete case: at £3,000/month, Zettle costs £3,000 × 1.75% = £52.50, while Dojo costs £3,000 × 1.2% + £15 = £51.00, so the "free" reader is £1.50/month (£18.00/year) dearer. And at £2,000/month the sums flip: Zettle costs £35, SumUp £33.80, Dojo £39.00, so stay put on pay-as-you-go.
All the rates used above, for every provider we track, are on the full UK card machine rates table.
Who Should NOT Choose a No-Monthly-Fee Card Machine
Skip £0/month if you are:
- •Taking more than ~£3,060/month by card: flat 1.69% to 1.75% gets expensive at volume
- •Able to get a better deal (Dojo charges 1.2% all-in under £100k/year card turnover; custom quotes above)
- •Running table service that needs pay-at-table terminals and EPOS integration
- •Dependent on rock-solid connectivity: pocket readers lean on your phone or Wi-Fi
£0/month is right if you are:
- Below ~£3,060/month in card takings
- Seasonal or occasional: you pay nothing in months you don't trade
- New and unsure of volume: no contract to regret
- A market trader, mobile hairdresser, tradesperson or side business
If you sit in the first column, the volume bands and worked examples in our guide to the best card machine for a small business show exactly where the switch pays off.
Common Questions
Which card machines have no monthly fee in the UK?
The three main no-monthly-fee card machines in the UK are SumUp (1.69% per transaction), Square (1.75% per transaction) and Zettle by PayPal (1.75% per transaction). All three charge £0 monthly fee: you buy the reader outright and pay only when you take a payment.
Is a no-monthly-fee card machine always cheapest?
No. Above roughly £3,060 a month in card sales, a lower rate plus terminal rental usually works out cheaper than 1.69%-1.75% flat. For example, Dojo charges 1.2% all-in under £100,000 a year in card turnover, and with its Dojo Wired rented at £15/month the break-even versus Square or Zettle at 1.75% is £15 ÷ (1.75% − 1.2%) = roughly £2,730/month in card sales, and versus SumUp at 1.69% roughly £3,060. Above that, the £0/month reader is the more expensive option. With the terminal free through MerchantSwitch there is no rental to cover, and 1.2% is cheaper at any volume.
How do I work out the crossover point for my business?
Divide the monthly fee by the gap between the flat rate and the lower rate. Example: Dojo's 1.2% plus its Dojo Wired rented at £15/month, against Square or Zettle at 1.75%: £15 ÷ (0.0175 − 0.012) = roughly £2,730 of monthly card sales. Against SumUp at 1.69% it is £15 ÷ (0.0169 − 0.012) = roughly £3,060. Take more than that and Dojo wins; take less and the £0-monthly-fee reader wins.
Who should not choose a no-monthly-fee card machine?
Businesses taking more than roughly £3,060 a month by card, since 1.69%-1.75% flat becomes expensive at volume (Dojo charges 1.2% all-in for businesses under £100,000 a year in card turnover, and above £100,000 a year Dojo quotes custom rates, with quotes as low as 0.29% seen for high-turnover businesses); and table-service venues that need pay-at-table terminals and EPOS integration rather than a basic pocket reader.
Past the crossover point? Check a bespoke rate
Free Dojo terminal (no rental) through MerchantSwitch. We respond in under 5 minutes.
Past the Crossover Point?
If you take more than roughly £3,060 a month by card, tell us your numbers and we'll run the comparison against your current 1.69% to 1.75% flat rate. Free, no obligation.
Compare Rates at My VolumeOr call: 0333 041 3933