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 £4,000-£5,000 a month in card sales.
Above that volume, £0/month usually costs you more overall: a negotiated rate of typically 1.2%-1.9% plus £20/month terminal rental beats 1.75% flat once takings pass about £3,600-£8,000 a month, depending on the rate you land.
Rates checked: 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 − negotiated rate)
Assumptions:flat-rate reader at 1.75% (Square/Zettle) or 1.69% (SumUp); negotiated deal with £20/month terminal rental (Dojo's rental starts at £20/month; its bespoke rates are typically 1.2% to 1.9% depending on card turnover, with quotes as low as 0.29% seen for high-turnover businesses).
That is why the practical rule of thumb sits at roughly £4,000-£5,000/month: below it the £0-monthly-fee readers almost always win, above it a well-negotiated rate usually does. Concrete case: at £6,000/month, Zettle costs £6,000 × 1.75% = £105, while 1.2% + £20 costs £72 + £20 = £92, so the "free" reader is £13/month (£156/year) dearer.
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 ~£4,000-£5,000/month by card: flat 1.69%-1.75% gets expensive at volume
- •Able to negotiate bespoke pricing (typically 1.2%-1.9% with turnover-based providers like Dojo)
- •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 ~£4,000/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 £4,000-£5,000 a month in card sales, a negotiated rate with a monthly fee usually works out cheaper than 1.69%-1.75% flat. For example, against a bespoke rate of 1.2% with £20/month terminal rental, the break-even versus Square or Zettle at 1.75% is about £3,636/month in card sales. Above that, the £0/month reader is the more expensive option.
How do I work out the crossover point for my business?
Divide the monthly fee by the difference in rates. Example: £20 monthly rental ÷ (1.75% − 1.2%) = £20 ÷ 0.0055 = roughly £3,636 of monthly card sales. Take more than that and the monthly-fee deal wins; take less and the £0-monthly-fee reader wins. Against a smaller rate gap (say 1.75% vs 1.5%) the crossover rises to £8,000/month.
Who should not choose a no-monthly-fee card machine?
Businesses taking more than roughly £4,000-£5,000 a month by card, since 1.69%-1.75% flat becomes expensive at volume; businesses that can negotiate bespoke pricing (Dojo, for example, typically prices at 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); and table-service venues that need pay-at-table terminals and EPOS integration rather than a basic pocket reader.
Past the Crossover Point?
If you take more than £4,000 a month by card, tell us your numbers and we'll compare negotiated quotes against your current 1.69%-1.75% flat rate. Free, no obligation.
Compare Rates at My VolumeOr call: 0333 041 3933