Handepay Review UK 2026
Handepay's own published quote puts the £5,000 a month shop at £72.49 to £78.49 a month: cheaper than SumUp or Square at that volume, but tied to a terminal hire contract with a separate company.
Our verdict
Handepay is a sales and service company, not a payment provider: it introduces you to Lloyds Bank Cardnet or EVO Payments UK and puts the terminal on a hire agreement with Merchant Rentals Limited. Its published card rates are reasonable for a small shop, but the £21.99 monthly terminal hire and £25.00 minimum monthly service charge make it dearer than SumUp below about £3,400 a month of card takings.
Shops taking £5,000 a month or more who want a rented terminal with round the clock support
You take under about £3,400 a month on cards, or want one contract with one company instead of two
Handepay figures checked 1 November 2026 on handepay.co.uk · flat rates checked 25 August 2026
We have not used Handepay ourselves. This review reads Handepay's own published quote tool and terms documents; see our editorial standards.
What Handepay is
Handepay sells card machines, but the payments themselves run through someone else. Handepay is not an acquirer: it introduces card acquiring from Lloyds Bank plc trading as Cardnet and EVO Payments UK. Terminal hire contracts are provided by Merchant Rentals Limited (FCA FRN 720500), a separate company and a separate contract. Handepay Ltd is authorised by the FCA under FRN 673564 for credit broking. Handepay's own Price Challenge terms describe it as part of the PayPoint group.
That structure is the single most useful thing to understand before you sign. Your card rates and settlement come from the acquirer; the terminal rental and its minimum term come from Merchant Rentals; Handepay sits in front of both as the sales and support team. When you later want to leave, you have two contracts to end.
What Handepay costs
Handepay publishes an indicative quote tool on its site, which it says the Payment Systems Regulator requires. The quote is priced on Cardnet, Handepay's primary acquirer. When we ran it, only the annual card turnover changed the rates; the average sale and business sector made no difference. These are the figures for a business taking £50,000 to £74,999.99 annual card turnover:
| Charge (in person) | Handepay indicative quote |
|---|---|
| Visa personal debit | 0.91% |
| Mastercard personal debit | 0.93% |
| Visa personal credit | 1.01% |
| Mastercard personal credit | 1.03% |
| Visa and Mastercard business debit | 1.47% and 1.99% |
| Authorisation fee | 2p per transaction |
| Terminal hire | £21.99 per terminal per month |
| Minimum monthly service charge | £25.00 |
| Online gateway (if you take payments online) | £19.99 per month |
| PCI DSS fee | £0.00 |
| Chargeback fee | £15.00 |
| Settlement | Transaction date plus 1 banking day |
| VAT on monthly charges | Not published |
Source: handepay.co.uk/psr-indicative, checked 1 November 2026. In the smallest band (under £12,000 annual card turnover) Visa debit is 1.04% and Mastercard credit 1.17%. Handepay says a personalised quote will in most cases be lower than the indicative quote.
Two things on that list cost more than they look. The terminal is hired, so you pay £21.99 every month for as long as the hire runs, and you never own it. And the £25.00 minimum monthly service charge applies in any month your transaction charges fall short of it, which is what makes Handepay expensive for a quiet business.
Worked example: the £5,000 a month shop
Our house example takes £5,000 a month on cards in person at a £20 average sale, which is 250 transactions. That is £60,000 a year, so it falls in Handepay's £50,000 to £74,999.99 annual card turnover band. Card mix moves the answer, so we show the cheapest and dearest personal card rates as a range.
- • Handepay, every sale on Visa debit: £5,000 × 0.91% = £45.50, plus 250 × £0.02 authorisation = £5.00, plus £21.99 terminal hire = £72.49 a month
- • Handepay, every sale on Mastercard credit: £5,000 × 1.03% = £51.50, plus £5.00, plus £21.99 = £78.49 a month
- • SumUp pay as you go: £5,000 × 1.69% = £84.50 a month, plus a reader bought once
- • Square: £5,000 × 1.75% = £87.50 a month, plus a reader bought once
The minimum monthly service charge does not bite here: transaction charges of £45.50 already clear £25.00. Handepay beats SumUp by £84.50 − £78.49 = £6.01 to £84.50 − £72.49 = £12.01 a month, and Square by £87.50 − £78.49 = £9.01 to £87.50 − £72.49 = £15.01. Over a year that is £72.12 to £144.12 against SumUp. Business debit cards at 1.47% to 1.99% would push Handepay's figure up; a personalised quote, which Handepay says is usually lower, would pull it down.
| Option | Monthly cost | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Handepay, all Visa debit (0.91%) | £72.49 | Includes £5.00 authorisation and £21.99 terminal hire |
| Handepay, all Mastercard credit (1.03%) | £78.49 | Includes £5.00 authorisation and £21.99 terminal hire |
| SumUp (1.69%) | £84.50 | Plus a reader bought once |
| Square (1.75%) | £87.50 | Plus a reader bought once |
Lower down, the fixed costs take over. Solving £21.99 ÷ (1.69% − 0.94% − £0.02 ÷ £20) gives a break-even with SumUp of about £3,400 a month, using Handepay's Visa debit rate for the £24,000 to £49,999.99 annual card turnover band. Credit cards push it higher. At £1,000 a month, the £25.00 minimum monthly service charge plus £21.99 terminal hire is at least £46.99 before a single authorisation fee, against £16.90 on SumUp. A business that size should not be on rented hardware with a monthly minimum.
Contract and exit terms
Handepay publishes almost nothing about leaving. From our exit terms table, checked against Handepay's site:
- Minimum term
- Not published
- Exit fee
- Own exit fee not published (Handepay advertises contributing to your OLD provider's exit fees when you switch in)
- Notice
- Not published
- Hardware
- Terminal hire runs through Merchant Rentals Limited, a separate contract; return terms not published
The acquirer's terms apply on top. If you are on Cardnet, the minimum term, exit fee and notice period are all Not published by Lloyds. If you are on EVO, EVO's own published agreement sets the term as follows. Term: The fixed term in your Customer Summary; if none is given, 1 year. Then automatic 1-year renewals. Exit: Ready Made plans: £150 termination fee on early closure. Any plan closed before the contract term ends: terminal rental for the rest of the term. The Agreement adds that no extra early termination fee applies after the first 6 months.
The one published term is in the switching offer. To claim Handepay's contribution towards your old provider's exit fees you must take a new 12 month or 18 month terminal hire agreement. Handepay can recover the whole payment if, in the 12 months after it is paid, you give notice to end or close your new acquiring agreement, or stop using it for 30 days in a row. That clause matters more than the headline: if you take the payment and leave within a year, expect to hand it back. Our how to cancel Handepay guide covers ending both agreements in the right order.
Hardware
Handepay leads with the Saturn Android Smart Terminal: 5.5 inch colour touch screen, Wi-Fi and 4G with a roaming SIM, built-in printer, 6000mAh battery. It links to EPOS systems including NuEpos, ShopMate, Hike and Register. The purchase price is Not published; the indicative quote prices a terminal on hire at £21.99 per terminal per month. Genius Mobile Pay, which turns a phone into a second payment device, costs £5 per month, is charged at the same rate as your Handepay terminal, and needs EVO Payments UK acquiring and the Saturn Android terminal.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Published indicative rates: 0.91% to 1.03% on personal cards at £60,000 a year
- Next banking day settlement on the indicative quote
- Exit fee help up to £1,000, at Handepay's discretion
- 24/7/365 UK-based terminal support
Cons
- Two contracts, two companies: acquiring with Cardnet or EVO, terminal hire with Merchant Rentals
- Fixed costs hurt small businesses: £46.99 a month of minimum charge and hire before any authorisation fees
- Exit terms Not published: no minimum term, exit fee or notice period on the site
- Switching money comes back if you leave within 12 months of receiving it
Who should stay put, and who should switch
Stay put if you took Handepay's switching payment in the last 12 months: leaving now means repaying it on top of any exit charge. Stay put too if your statement shows rates at or below the indicative table above and you take well over £5,000 a month, because at that volume the £21.99 hire is a small share of the bill and moving saves little.
Switch when your hire term ends if you take under about £3,400 a month, where the hire and minimum charge outweigh the lower rates. And switch if your statement shows card rates above Handepay's own indicative figures for your turnover band: that is a price you can challenge with the published numbers in hand. Send us a statement through the free statement review and we will tell you which side of that line you are on.
Alternatives to Handepay
A provider that is also the acquirer gives you one contract instead of two. See Dojo, and our Dojo vs Handepay compared.
Going to the acquirer direct cuts out the middle layer. Our card machine rates table lists what each provider publishes.
SumUp (1.69%) and Square (1.75%) suit the low-volume business that Handepay's fixed costs punish: a reader you buy once and no monthly minimum. See Square vs SumUp.
Get a quote to hold against Handepay's
Leave your details and we will call back with a like-for-like quote at your turnover, including what leaving Handepay would cost. Free, no obligation.
On Handepay now?
Send us your last statement and we will check your rates against Handepay's own published figures and tell you whether moving is worth it. Free, no obligation.
Frequently asked questions
Is Handepay a bank or an acquirer?
Neither. Handepay is not an acquirer: it introduces card acquiring from Lloyds Bank plc trading as Cardnet and EVO Payments UK. Terminal hire contracts are provided by Merchant Rentals Limited (FCA FRN 720500), a separate company and a separate contract. So a Handepay customer usually signs two agreements: one with the acquirer and one for the terminal.
How much does Handepay charge?
Handepay's published indicative quote, priced on Lloyds Cardnet, charges 0.91% on in-person Visa debit and 1.03% on Mastercard personal credit for a business in the £50,000 to £74,999.99 annual card turnover band, plus 2p per transaction, £21.99 per terminal per month and a £25.00 minimum monthly service charge. On £5,000 a month that comes to £72.49 to £78.49 a month. Handepay says a personalised quote is usually lower.
Does Handepay pay your exit fees when you switch?
Sometimes, up to £1,000. Its January 2026 Switcher Promotion terms require a new 12 month or 18 month terminal hire agreement and a claim within 90 days of your first live transaction. Handepay can recover the whole payment if, in the 12 months after it is paid, you give notice to end or close your new acquiring agreement, or stop using it for 30 days in a row.
How long is a Handepay contract?
Handepay does not publish its own minimum term. The switching offer terms require a new 12 month or 18 month terminal hire agreement. If your acquiring is with EVO, EVO's published agreement says: The fixed term in your Customer Summary; if none is given, 1 year. Then automatic 1-year renewals. Cardnet's term is Minimum 6 months: "Your joining fee covers setting up your account and includes a minimum 6-month agreement". Card machine rental is a separate agreement.
How do I cancel Handepay?
You end two things: the acquiring agreement with Cardnet or EVO, and the terminal hire with Merchant Rentals on 01942 407 980, 9am to 5.15pm Monday to Friday. Handepay's own exit fee and notice period are Not published, so read both signed agreements first. Our step-by-step cancellation guide covers the order to do it in.
Who owns Handepay?
Handepay's own Price Challenge terms describe it as part of the PayPoint group. Handepay Ltd itself is FCA authorised only as a credit broker (FRN 673564); the card acquiring is done by Lloyds Bank Cardnet or EVO Payments UK.