Shift4 Review UK 2026
Shift4 publishes no UK card rates, and its own UK terms tie you in for 24 months with 60 days' notice to leave, so you cannot judge it from its website. You can judge a Shift4 quote, and this review shows how.
Our verdict
Shift4 Dine (the system formerly sold as SkyTab) is a restaurant till and payments package, and it is only worth signing for if you will use the till. Its UK homepage shows £39.99 per month without saying what that buys, card rates are quote only, and the contract runs 24 months before renewing automatically.
Restaurants and pubs that want the till and the card machine from one supplier on one contract
You run a shop rather than a restaurant, or you only need a card machine and already have a till you like
Shift4 figures checked 1 November 2026 on shift4.com and dine.shift4.com/en-GB · flat rates checked 25 August 2026
We have not used Shift4 ourselves. This review reads Shift4's own UK terms, fee definitions and UK product pages only; see our editorial standards.
What Shift4 is in the UK
Shift4 acquires card payments in the UK through Shift4 Payments UK Limited (the contracting entity in the UK acquiring terms). In the UK it sells two things that usually come together: card acquiring, under its Acquiring Services Online Terms and Conditions, version 6.1, effective 12 August 2026, and Shift4 Dine, a restaurant point of sale system. SkyTab is now sold as Shift4 Dine; skytab.com redirects to dine.shift4.com, which is why searches for SkyTab POS now land on Shift4 Dine pages.
Shift4 Dine is designed exclusively for the restaurant industry. If you run a shop or a salon, there is no UK Shift4 product page aimed at you, and you would be buying acquiring on its own from a company whose UK sales pitch is built around restaurants.
What Shift4 costs
Card processing rates for UK merchants are Not published. Any UK Shift4 rate you see quoted online that did not come from your own Shift4 quote is not from Shift4's published pricing. Here is everything Shift4 does publish:
| Item | What Shift4 publishes |
|---|---|
| Card processing rates | Not published |
| Pricing model | Blended (one percentage on every transaction), Interchange+ or Interchange++, as agreed with you |
| Fee types | Set-up Fee, Monthly Maintenance Fee, Monthly Minimum Fee, Annual Service and Maintenance Fee, authorisation fees and chargeback fees, among others; no amounts are published |
| Monthly minimum | If your Shift4 service fee in a month is below the minimum in your agreement, you pay the difference. No Monthly Minimum Fee in the first 90 days from go-live |
| Annual fee | An Annual Service and Maintenance Fee is charged once a year; the amount is Not published |
| Settlement | Settlement on UK business days at the funding delay in your Schedule 1 (Not published); seven-day settlement only where agreed |
| Shift4 Dine upfront | Get started for £0 |
| Shift4 Dine monthly | £39.99 per month shown on the UK homepage; what it covers is Not published |
| What the monthly fee includes | POS software and updates, POS hardware with a lifetime warranty, 24/7 support and cloud back office reporting. Third-party Marketplace integrations cost extra |
Sources: shift4.com/s4i-fees (Definition of Fees, version 4, effective 28 October 2026), shift4.com/s4i-otc and dine.shift4.com/en-GB, checked 1 November 2026. Advertised pricing is only for new customers; terms and conditions apply.
The line that catches people out is the monthly minimum. If a quiet month leaves your Shift4 service fee under the minimum in your agreement, you pay the gap. The first 90 days from go-live are exempt and Shift4 charges it from the first full calendar month after that, so it shows up months after the sales conversation is over.
Worked example: the £5,000 a month business
Our house example takes £5,000 a month on cards at a £20 average sale, which is 250 transactions. Because Shift4 Dine is sold to restaurants, picture a small café. With no published Shift4 rates, the useful sum is the reverse one: how much can a Shift4 quote charge for card processing before the alternatives win?
Shift4 monthly cost = Shift4 Dine fee + (£5,000 × your quoted rate) + (250 × any per-transaction fee) + any monthly minimum top-up + annual fee ÷ 12
- • SumUp: £5,000 × 1.69% = £84.50. Taking the £39.99 Shift4 Dine figure as the fee, room for Shift4 processing: £84.50 − £39.99 = £44.51, or £44.51 ÷ £5,000 = 0.89%
- • Square: £5,000 × 1.75% = £87.50. Room for Shift4 processing: £87.50 − £39.99 = £47.51, or £47.51 ÷ £5,000 = 0.95%
This is not a like-for-like contest, and it cuts both ways. Shift4's £39.99 is shown as covering till software and hardware; the SumUp and Square figures above are card payments only, so add what you pay for a till before comparing. Against that, Shift4 does not say which devices or how many the £39.99 covers, so get it itemised.
| Option | Monthly cost | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Shift4 card processing | Not published | Shift4 publishes no UK card rates |
| Shift4 Dine monthly figure | £39.99 | Shown as £39.99 per month, with no statement of devices, VAT or card fees |
| SumUp card fees (1.69%) | £84.50 | Card payments only; add a till before comparing |
| Square card fees (1.75%) | £87.50 | Card payments only; add a till before comparing |
To use this with a real quote, take Shift4's Schedule 1, multiply each card rate by your takings on that card type, add per-transaction fees at 250 a month, add the annual fee divided by 12, and add the monthly Shift4 Dine fee. If the processing part comes out above £44.51 on £5,000 and you do not need the restaurant till, a pay as you go reader is cheaper with no 24 month commitment.
Contract and exit terms
Unlike its card rates, Shift4 publishes its UK contract length. From our exit terms table, checked against Shift4's UK Online Terms:
- Minimum term
- 24 months from the date you sign, then automatic 12-month renewals
- Exit fee
- Not published. The Online Terms set no early termination fee; any charge would sit in your signed Merchant Application Form
- Notice
- 60 days' written notice; 90 days' written notice if you qualify as a micro-enterprise, consumer or charity under the PSRs
- Hardware
- Not published for UK merchants
Exit terms checked 30 October 2026.
The automatic renewal is the term to diarise. Miss the notice window before an anniversary and you are in for another year. Our how to cancel Shift4 guide walks through serving notice and returning equipment.
Hardware: Shift4 Dine (SkyTab)
Shift4's UK hardware page lists 5 devices. Prices for each are Not published. Lifetime warranty: Shift4 says it will replace hardware that breaks.
- POS Workstation: countertop till with an integrated customer display
- Shift4 Duo: handheld terminal for orders and payments, with a built-in receipt printer
- Kitchen Display System: 16 and 22 inch screens, optional bump bar
- Customer-Facing Display: order check, loyalty and tip prompts
- Kiosk: self-service ordering with digital receipts
The Shift4 Duo is the card machine most UK operators will handle day to day: orders and payment at the table on one handheld. On leaving, hardware return terms are Not published for UK merchants, so ask who owns the devices before you sign.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Till and payments from one supplier, built for restaurants
- Published UK contract terms, so you know the term before you sign
- Lifetime hardware warranty on Shift4 Dine devices
- Get started for £0 on Shift4 Dine
Cons
- No published UK card rates, so every comparison starts from a quote
- 24 month term with automatic renewals
- Monthly minimum fee after the first 90 days, amount set in your agreement
- Restaurant only: no UK product aimed at shops or services
Who should stay put, and who should switch
Stay put if you run your restaurant on Shift4 Dine and use it, kitchen screens and Duo handhelds included. Changing card provider then means changing tills and retraining staff, and a cheaper card rate rarely pays for that mid-contract. Wait for the renewal window and use it to negotiate.
Switch at the renewal window if you only use Shift4 to take cards, or if the processing part of your bill sits above the break-even rates in the worked example. Monthly minimum top-ups on your statements are a sign the contract was sized for a busier business than yours. Send us a statement through the free statement review and we will work out the numbers against your actual card mix.
Alternatives to Shift4
A standalone card machine is the thing to compare if you keep your own till. See Dojo, and our Dojo vs Shift4 compared.
Other restaurant systems bundle a till with payments the way Shift4 Dine does. See our guide to the best card machines for restaurants.
SumUp (1.69%) and Square (1.75%) have no contract at all, which makes them the safe choice for a small café that does not need kitchen screens. See Square vs SumUp and the card machine rates table.
Get a quote to hold against Shift4's
Leave your details and we will call back with a like-for-like quote at your turnover, and check when your Shift4 notice window opens. Free, no obligation.
Holding a Shift4 quote?
Send it to us with a recent statement and we will run the sum above on your real figures. Free, no obligation.
Frequently asked questions
How much does Shift4 charge in the UK?
Shift4 does not publish UK card processing rates. Its UK fee definitions name these fee types: Set-up Fee, Monthly Maintenance Fee, Monthly Minimum Fee, Annual Service and Maintenance Fee, authorisation fees and chargeback fees, among others; no amounts are published. The pricing model is Blended (one percentage on every transaction), Interchange+ or Interchange++, as agreed with you. Your actual figures sit in Schedule 1 of your own agreement, so ask for that schedule before you sign.
Is SkyTab the same as Shift4 Dine?
Yes. SkyTab is now sold as Shift4 Dine; skytab.com redirects to dine.shift4.com. The UK version is at dine.shift4.com/en-GB. Shift4 Dine is designed exclusively for the restaurant industry.
How long is a Shift4 contract in the UK?
Shift4's UK Online Terms set 24 months from the date you sign, then automatic 12-month renewals. Exit fee: Not published. The Online Terms set no early termination fee; any charge would sit in your signed Merchant Application Form.
How much notice do I need to give Shift4?
60 days' written notice; 90 days' written notice if you qualify as a micro-enterprise, consumer or charity under the PSRs. Serve it in writing and keep proof of delivery. With automatic renewals, work back from your contract anniversary so the notice lands in time.
Does Shift4 charge a monthly minimum?
It can. If your Shift4 service fee in a month is below the minimum in your agreement, you pay the difference. No Monthly Minimum Fee in the first 90 days from go-live. The minimum amount itself is Not published; it is in your agreement.
Is Shift4 Dine hardware free?
Shift4's UK site says "Get started for £0" and shows £39.99 per month, but does not say which devices or how many that covers, or whether VAT is included. Its pricing page says the monthly fee includes POS software and updates, POS hardware with a lifetime warranty, 24/7 support and cloud back office reporting. Device prices are Not published.