Paymentsense Review UK 2026: Fees and Contract Terms
Paymentsense suits a business above £150,000 a year on cards that can negotiate a bespoke rate and wants a rented terminal with 24/7 support; anyone below that on its standard price list should look elsewhere, because at £5,000 a month on personal cards the list costs £104.95, which is £20.45 a month more than a SumUp reader.
Editorial review of published pricing and terms. We have not tested Paymentsense hardware and we do not score providers.
Verdict
Paymentsense deserves credit for publishing a full price list, which most rented terminal providers do not. The list itself is the problem: 1.40% plus 5p a sale plus £20 a month rental never undercuts a 1.69% no-contract reader on personal cards at a £25 average sale, at any turnover the list applies to. Only businesses with average sales above about £55, taking close to the £150,000 ceiling, come out ahead.
Larger venues with a bespoke quote, businesses that want 24/7 terminal support and free till integration, and existing customers whose statement already beats the list
You are under £150,000 a year and would pay the standard list, or your takings are low enough that the £24.95 minimum charge bites
Paymentsense site, help centre and terms checked 1 November 2026; flat-rate comparisons checked 25 August 2026. Sources are linked in each section.
Paymentsense and Dojo: who you are dealing with
Paymentsense did not disappear when Dojo launched. Both brands belong to one company, Paymentsense Limited (No. 06730690, FCA reference 738728), and both websites say so in their footers (paymentsense.com, dojo.tech). paymentsense.com still takes new customers under the Paymentsense name, with its own price list, card machines and help centre. Its footer also names the acquiring relationship: Paymentsense Limited is registered with Mastercard and Visa as an Independent Sales Organisation and Member Service Provider of First Data Europe Limited trading as Clover.
So moving from a Paymentsense contract to Dojo keeps you with the same company on a different set of terms. That can still be the right move, but it is a change of plan, not a change of provider. Dojo's own pricing and terms are covered in our Dojo review.
What Paymentsense costs
These are the figures paymentsense.com shows once you enter a turnover and pick a business category. The table is the same whatever you enter; above £150,000 annual card turnover, pricing is a bespoke quote.
| UK Visa and Mastercard | Debit | Credit | Business |
|---|---|---|---|
| In person | 1.40% | 1.40% | 1.99% |
| Online | 1.40% | 1.40% | 1.99% |
| Phone | 1.40% + 50p | 1.90% | 2.49% |
| Authorisation fee, per sale | 5p |
| Refund fee / chargeback fee | 50p / £28.00 |
| Terminal, per month | £20.00 + VAT per terminal |
| PCI DSS service fee, per month | £4.95 + VAT |
| Minimum monthly service charge | £24.95 |
| Reporting fee | £12.95 a month, free for the first 3 months |
| Account on File fee | £3.99 a month, charged 12 months in advance |
| Online gateway | from £9.95 a month or £99.45 a year (online payments; higher charges may apply depending on card turnover) |
| PCI non-compliance | £35.00 + VAT a month |
| Amex | Accepted; no Amex rate shown |
| Set up | No set up costs; set up in 3 days from signup |
| Settlement | 24 working hours (next working day) |
Source: paymentsense.com/uk/pricing, checked 1 November 2026. Compare every provider in our card machine rates table.
Worked example: the £5,000 a month shop
Our house example takes £5,000 a month on cards. We assume 200 sales averaging £25, all on UK personal debit and credit cards in person, which is the cheapest line on the list. Business cards at 1.99% would push the bill up.
Paymentsense standard list, ex VAT
- • Rate: £5,000 × 1.40% = £70.00
- • Authorisation: 200 × 5p = £10.00
- • Minimum charge: transaction charges of £80.00 are above £24.95, so no top-up (£0.00)
- • Terminal: £20.00
- • PCI DSS service fee: £4.95
- • Total: £104.95/month, an effective rate of £104.95 ÷ £5,000 = 2.10%
- • Once the reporting fee's free period ends, if it applies to you: £104.95 + £12.95 = £117.90
Against no-contract readers
- • SumUp: £5,000 × 1.69% = £84.50, so Paymentsense costs £20.45 a month more (£245.40 a year)
- • Square: £5,000 × 1.75% = £87.50, so Paymentsense costs £17.45 a month more
Where does the list catch up with SumUp? Each pound of takings costs 1.40% plus 5p ÷ £25 = 1.60%, against 1.69%, and the fixed £24.95 has to be earned back from that gap: £24.95 ÷ (1.69% − 1.60%) = about £27,722 a month. The standard list only covers businesses under £150,000 a year, about £12,500 a month, so on this card mix the list never catches up. With bigger sales the authorisation fee shrinks per pound: above an average sale of about £55, the crossover falls inside the list's range.
| Option | Monthly cost | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Paymentsense standard list | £104.95 | Rate, 5p authorisation, terminal and PCI fee |
| Paymentsense with the reporting fee | £117.90 | After the free period, if the £12.95 reporting fee applies to you |
| SumUp (1.69%) | £84.50 | |
| Square (1.75%) | £87.50 |
| Card takings a month | Paymentsense | SumUp | Square |
|---|---|---|---|
| £1,000 | £49.90 | £16.90 | £17.50 |
| £2,500 | £64.95 | £42.25 | £43.75 |
| £5,000 | £104.95 | £84.50 | £87.50 |
| £7,500 | £144.95 | £126.75 | £131.25 |
| £10,000 | £184.95 | £169.00 | £175.00 |
Contract and exit terms
Paymentsense publishes less here than on price. What its own pages state:
- Minimum term
- Not published
- Notice
- Not published: the help centre cancellation article says to contact Paymentsense for the next steps and gives no notice period
- Main agreement
- Not published: the Bolt-On terms refer to a Merchant Services Agreement that paymentsense.com does not link to
- Leased terminals
- Cancel during the life of a Leased Terminal (which ends when its PCI compliance expires): £250 per Leased Terminal, payable immediately
- Terminal return
- Return every Leased Terminal within 28 days of cancelling, or pay an additional £450 per terminal not returned
- Price changes
- Bolt-On prices can change on at least 4 weeks' notice; a materially adverse change or a rise above RPI lets you drop that Bolt-On by written notice within 4 weeks
Sources: Bolt-On Terms and Conditions, help centre: Cancelling your contract; checked 1 November 2026.
Put numbers on it. A shop with 2 leased terminals that cancels during their life owes 2 × £250 = £500 straight away, and £900 more if neither terminal is back within 28 days. Whatever else your Merchant Services Agreement adds is on your copy only.
For comparison, our exit-terms table (checked 25 August 2026) records Dojo, the same company's other brand, as: minimum term 12 months, then monthly rolling (under £1m annual card turnover; negotiated above); an early account closure fee can apply if you leave before your minimum term; the amount is not published ("based on your agreed plan"). No early closure fee if you end within the first month. The full exit process is in our guide to cancelling Paymentsense.
Hardware
- Portable: WiFi and Bluetooth, for taking payments around the shop or at tables
- Mobile: 3G/4G and WiFi, for taking payments with no WiFi connection
- Countertop: Ethernet or WiFi, with receipt printing, for the till
Device models: Not published in the page copy (models are named only in image file names). Rental: £20.00 + VAT per terminal per month on the standard price list. Support: 0800 103 2959; terminal support 24/7; account and billing help Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 6pm.
Who should stay put, and who should switch
Stay put if
- Your statement shows rates below the standard list. Divide last month's total bill by your card takings: if it is under 1.69%, you are beating a no-contract reader.
- Your leased terminals are mid-life and the £250 each to leave is more than a year of savings.
- You are over £150,000 a year and on a bespoke quote you have checked against at least one rival.
Switch if
- You pay the standard list and take under £150,000 a year: at £5,000 a month that is £245.40 a year over SumUp.
- Your takings are under about £1,559 a month, where the £24.95 minimum charge sets your bill.
- You were never told your minimum term or notice period. Ask for both in writing before you decide.
Alternatives to Paymentsense
SumUp (1.69%) and Square (1.75%) beat the Paymentsense list on personal cards with no contract and no rental. See our SumUp review and Square vs SumUp.
Dojo is the same company's other brand with different plans; compare it with the flat-rate readers in Dojo vs SumUp and Dojo vs Square.
takepayments rents terminals too but publishes no prices at all; our takepayments review shows how to cost a quote. If you want your current bill checked, send us a statement for a free statement review.
Paying the Paymentsense list price?
Send us your takings and we will cost your Paymentsense bill against published alternatives at your volume. Free, no obligation.
On a Paymentsense contract now?
We will read your statement, work out your effective rate and tell you straight if staying put is cheaper.
Frequently asked questions
Is Paymentsense the same company as Dojo?
Yes. Paymentsense and Dojo are both trading names of the same company, Paymentsense Limited (same company number and FCA reference in both site footers). paymentsense.com still sells under the Paymentsense name. Both footers give the same company number (06730690) and the same FCA reference (738728). The Paymentsense footer adds: Paymentsense Limited is registered with Mastercard and Visa as an Independent Sales Organisation and Member Service Provider of First Data Europe Limited trading as Clover.
What are Paymentsense’s transaction fees?
On its published standard price list: 1.40% for UK personal debit and credit cards in person, 1.99% for business cards, plus a 5p authorisation fee on every sale. Phone payments cost 1.40% + 50p on debit and 1.90% on credit. A 50p refund fee and £28.00 chargeback fee also apply. Above £150,000 annual card turnover, pricing is a bespoke quote.
Does Paymentsense have a minimum monthly charge?
Yes: a minimum monthly service charge of £24.95, which is the minimum you pay each month in transaction charges; it does not apply once your transaction charges are higher. At a £25 average sale, your rate plus authorisation fees only pass £24.95 once you take about £1,559 a month on cards, so a quieter month costs the floor regardless.
How much does it cost to cancel Paymentsense?
Paymentsense's published Bolt-On terms charge £250 for each Leased Terminal if you cancel during its life (which ends when its PCI compliance expires), with every terminal back within 28 days or a further £450 each. The minimum term and notice period are Not published, and the help centre cancellation article simply asks you to call. Get the exit figure in writing before you serve notice.
Will Paymentsense pay my old provider’s exit fees?
Up to £3,000 excl. VAT towards cancellation fees from your previous card payment provider; claim with a VAT invoice from the old provider, paid within 10 days of the claim, according to its Cancellation Protection page. You cancel your old contract first, so read your current agreement before signing anything new.
How quickly does Paymentsense pay out?
The price list states a settlement time of 24 working hours (next working day). Its card machine page describes next working day payouts as part of the standard plan at no extra cost.