Buy a card machine or rent one? The UK costs compared
Buy a card machine outright: a Square Reader costs £19 + VAT and a SumUp Solo Lite £25 ex VAT, once, against £180.00 a year to rent even Dojo's cheapest terminal (£15/month). Dojo's own prices make buying cheaper than renting within 12 months on every device. Rent only if you need a contract terminal and cannot spare the upfront cost.
Hardware prices checked 25 August 2026 (Dojo November 2026); contract terms checked 25 August 2026. Prices are as each provider lists them: SumUp quotes ex VAT, Square and Tide plus VAT.
Card machines to buy, with UK prices
| Provider | Buy outright | Transaction rate |
|---|---|---|
| SumUp | Solo Lite £25 ex VAT; Solo £79 ex VAT; Terminal £135 ex VAT | 1.69% |
| Square | Reader £19 + VAT | 1.75% |
| Zettle | First reader £29 (then £69); Terminal £149; Terminal with scanner £199 | 1.75% |
| Tide | Nano £25 + VAT (from £11 on a subscription plan); Reader £49 + VAT; Reader Plus £69 + VAT | 1.5% + 5p (domestic consumer debit cards; other card types priced per Tide terms) |
| Dojo | Dojo Go Max £149 (launch offer, usually £229); Dojo Pocket £239; Dojo Wired £179 | 1.2% blended under £100,000 a year |
Card machines to rent
- Dojo: Dojo Go Max £25/month, Dojo Pocket £20/month, Dojo Wired £15/month. Minimum term: 12 months, then monthly rolling (under £1m annual card turnover; negotiated above).
- Lloyds Cardnet: Terminals are rented (£23/month Castles Saturn, £21/month Clover Flex, + VAT); return terms not published.
- Clover: Devices advertised at £15-£30/month; rental and return terms not published.
- Through MerchantSwitch: Free Dojo terminal: £0 upfront and no monthly terminal rental for the life of your contract when arranged through MerchantSwitch.
Worldpay, Barclaycard and Elavon do not publish a terminal rental price. Ask for it in writing, alongside the minimum term, before you compare.
Dojo's own payback periods, rent vs buy
Divide the purchase price by the monthly rental to find when buying overtakes renting:
- Dojo Go Max: £149 ÷ £25 = 6.0 months
- Dojo Pocket: £239 ÷ £20 = 11.9 months
- Dojo Wired: £179 ÷ £15 = 11.9 months
Keep the terminal longer than that and buying is cheaper. A year of renting the Dojo Go Max costs 12 × £25.00 = £300.00, against £149 to buy it.
First-year cost for the £5,000 a month shop
Device price, plus twelve months of transaction fees and any rental:
| Option | Sum | First year |
|---|---|---|
| SumUp Solo Lite, bought (£25 ex VAT) | £25.00 + 12 × (£84.50) | £1,039.00 |
| Square Reader, bought (£19 + VAT) | £19.00 + 12 × (£87.50) | £1,069.00 |
| Zettle first reader, bought (£29) | £29.00 + 12 × (£87.50) | £1,079.00 |
| Dojo Go Max, bought (£149) | £149.00 + 12 × (£60.00) | £869.00 |
| Dojo Go Max, rented (£25/month) | £0.00 + 12 × (£60.00 + £25.00) | £1,020.00 |
| Dojo Wired, bought (£179) | £179.00 + 12 × (£60.00) | £899.00 |
| Dojo Wired, rented (£15/month) | £0.00 + 12 × (£60.00 + £15.00) | £900.00 |
| Dojo terminal free through MerchantSwitch | £0 + 12 × £60.00 | £720.00 |
At £5,000 a month the transaction rate matters more than the hardware: SumUp's £84.50 a month in fees outweighs anything you save on the reader. Dojo's fees schedule also lists a minimum monthly payment and other fees whose amounts it does not publish, so get them on the quote.
When renting loses, on the £2,000 a month stall
At £2,000 a month the SumUp Solo Lite costs £25.00 + 12 × £33.80 = £430.60 in the first year. Renting a Dojo Wired costs 12 × (£24.00 + £15.00) = £468.00, and buying it £467.00. Below about £3,060 a month a bought pay-as-you-go reader is the cheaper card machine, so if that is you and you already own one, stay put.
The costs that come with renting
- Dojo: Return card machines within 30 days of ending the agreement; non-return fee up to £400 + VAT per machine.
- Tide: Cancel a subscription early: pay the remaining subscription charges; rented-device tool adds a £50 administration fee.
- Lloyds Cardnet, Worldpay, Elavon: return terms Not published.
A bought reader carries none of these. Its risk is replacement: if it breaks outside warranty you buy another, which at £19 + VAT or £25 ex VAT costs about one or two months of Dojo's rental.
Which to choose
Buy if you take under about £3,060 a month, trade seasonally, or want to be able to leave at any time. Rent or take a free terminal on contract if your volume is higher and the lower rate covers the commitment. Our POS hardware guide prices registers and till kits, the EPOS systems comparison covers terminals that link to a till, and what a PDQ machine is explains the older terms. For the whole market, see the card machines hub, provider comparison and cheapest card machines. Already on a rental contract? A free statement review shows what it is costing you.
Not sure whether to buy or rent?
Tell us your monthly card takings and we will price buying and renting side by side. Free, no obligation.
Buying or renting a card machine: questions
Is it cheaper to buy or rent a card machine?
Buying is cheaper if you keep the machine longer than its payback period. Dojo's own prices show it: the Dojo Go Max costs £149 to buy or £25/month to rent, so buying wins after 6.0 months; the Dojo Wired (£179 or £15/month) after 11.9. Pay-as-you-go readers such as the SumUp Solo Lite (£25 ex VAT) cannot be rented at all.
Where can I buy a card machine in the UK?
Straight from the provider. SumUp sells the Solo Lite at £25 ex VAT, Square its Reader at £19 + VAT, Zettle a first reader at £29 and Tide the Nano £25 + VAT (from £11 on a subscription plan). Dojo sells its terminals outright too, from £149. A used terminal from a marketplace is only worth having if the provider agrees to activate it on your account, so ask before you buy one.
How much does it cost to rent a card machine?
Dojo publishes £15/month for the Dojo Wired, £20/month for the Dojo Pocket and £25/month for the Dojo Go Max. Lloyds Cardnet: Terminals are rented (£23/month Castles Saturn, £21/month Clover Flex, + VAT); return terms not published. Most other contract providers do not publish a rental price, so it appears only on the quote.
What is PDQ machine hire?
PDQ is an older name for a card terminal, and hire means rental. PDQ hire costs the same as renting any card machine: a monthly charge on top of the transaction rate, usually tied to a minimum term. Dojo's minimum term, for example: 12 months, then monthly rolling (under £1m annual card turnover; negotiated above).
Can I buy a card machine with no monthly fee?
Yes. SumUp, Square and Zettle sell readers outright and charge only per transaction (1.69%, 1.75% and 1.75%), with no minimum term in their published terms. On the £5,000 a month shop that is £84.50 a month at SumUp's rate.