Best Card Machines for Hotels & B&Bs UK 2025

Unique Needs for Accommodation Businesses

Hotels and B&Bs have specialized payment requirements:

• Deposit collection: Take £50-£100 deposits at booking (50-100% of room rate)
• No-show protection: Charge cards for cancellations within 24-48 hours
• Card pre-authorization: Hold £100-£200 for incidentals
• Multi-currency: Accept EUR, USD for international guests
• Booking system integration: Sync with Airbnb, Booking.com
• Split payments: Room + extras (meals, bar tab)

Top 5 Card Machines for Hotels

1. Worldpay - Best for Full-Service Hotels

Rating: 9.1/10 for Hotels

Worldpay specializes in hospitality with pre-authorization holds, multi-currency, and integration with property management systems (PMS).

Pricing:

• Fee: From 0.85% (negotiable based on volume)
• Monthly: £25-£35
• Terminal: FREE

Hotel-Specific Features:

• Pre-authorization holds (hold £150 on check-in, charge actual on checkout)
• Multi-currency processing (GBP, EUR, USD at point of sale)
• Integration with Opera, Fidelio, RoomRaccoon PMS
• Group bookings and split billing
• Corporate billing accounts
• Dynamic Currency Conversion (DCC) for international guests

2. Dojo - Best for Budget Hotels & B&Bs

Rating: 8.6/10

0.9% + 9p with no monthly fees makes Dojo cost-effective for smaller hotels and B&Bs processing £10,000-£30,000 monthly.

Pricing:

• Fee: 0.9% + 9p
• Monthly: £0
• Terminal: FREE

Features:

• Fast processing for quick check-ins
• Card storage for deposits
• Email receipts
• Multi-location for small chains

3. Elavon - Best for Hotel Groups

Rating: 8.5/10

Elavon offers enterprise hospitality solutions with centralized management for hotel groups and chains.

Pricing:

• Fee: Negotiable (from 0.70% for large groups)
• Monthly: £25-£40 per property

4. Square - Best for Boutique Hotels

Rating: 8.2/10

Modern boutique hotels use Square for sleek terminals and online booking integration.

Pricing:

• Fee: 1.75%
• Online bookings: 2.5% + 25p
• Terminal: £269

5. Zettle - Best for Airbnb Hosts

Rating: 7.9/10

Airbnb hosts and small B&Bs use Zettle for PayPal integration (many guests book via PayPal).

Pricing:

• Fee: 1.75%
• Reader: £29

Handling Deposits & No-Shows

No-shows cost UK hotels £380 million annually (AA Hospitality Services). Card machines help:

• Booking deposits: Charge 50-100% at booking (Square, Worldpay)
• Card pre-authorization: Hold £100-£200 without charging
• Late cancellation fees: Charge one night if cancelled < 48 hours
• No-show charges: Full room rate charged automatically

Multi-Currency for International Guests

Hotels in tourist areas need multi-currency capability:

• Worldpay: Process EUR, USD, JPY at terminal
• myPOS: Best multi-currency rates
• Dynamic Currency Conversion (DCC): Let guests pay in home currency (you earn 1-2% commission)

Integration with Booking Systems

Ensure your card machine integrates with your PMS:

• Booking.com: Works with most providers via API
• Airbnb: Manual or use Zettle (PayPal integration)
• Opera PMS: Worldpay, Elavon
• Little Hotelier: Square, Dojo
• Cloudbeds: Multiple provider integrations

Conclusion

Best for most hotels: Worldpay or Dojo depending on volume
Best for boutique hotels: Square (modern, integrated)
Best for B&Bs: Dojo or Square (low fees, simple)
Best for hotel groups: Worldpay or Elavon (enterprise features)