Card readers for vending machines
A vending machine needs an unattended card reader that connects to the machine over MDB or pulse, not an ordinary card machine. In the UK, Nayax is the maker that publishes prices: the VPOS Touch is £395 per unit (1 to 9 units), with an optional £10.00 a month software plan. Nobody we checked publishes the processing fee per vend, so that is the number to get in writing.
Prices from each maker's own UK site, checked 1 November 2026.
Vending machine card readers and UK prices
| Maker and reader | Price | Machine connection |
|---|---|---|
| Nayax VPOS Touch (card reader set with 4G SIM, cable and antenna) | £395 per unit (1 to 9 units) | MDB and pulse machines (MDB, DEX, DDCMP, Pulse, VCCS, ccTalk and IVMA protocols listed) |
| Nayax ONYX (4G full set with SIM, cable and antenna) | £325 | Not stated on the devices page |
| Nayax VPOS Media 4 Set | £435 | MDB machines |
| Nayax VPOS Media 4 Mini Set | £295 | Pulse and Marshall machines |
| Payter Apollo family (Apollo, Apollo Max, Apollo Polar) and the P6X line | Not published | Through Payter's partners and acquirers |
| myPOS Unattended: card machines for vending, parking and ticketing (shown as myPOS Integra and myPOS Mini) | Not published | Not published |
The shop does not state whether prices include VAT. Nayax monthly plan: £10 per month for the Cashless, Operations & Inventory option (the shop does not say whether it is required). Payter says its solutions are certified for use in the UK; its UK listing names Monet+, Shift4 and NMI as gateways and Six/Worldline and Elavon as acquirers (P6X: NMI with Elavon).
Nayax also discounts by volume: the VPOS Touch drops from £395.00 for 1 to 9 units to £355.50 at 25 to 49 and £296.25 at 250.
Why a normal card machine will not work
Card payment on a vending machine is a two-way job: the reader takes the payment and then tells the machine's controller to release the product. That is what the MDB and pulse connections do, and Nayax lists both for the VPOS Touch. A SumUp, Square or Zettle reader takes the payment but has no connection to the vend mechanism, so it only works if someone is standing there to hand the product over. If you are buying vending machines with a credit card reader already fitted, ask which reader it is and which acquirer it settles through, because that decides your fees.
What contactless vending costs on £5,000 a month
Take five machines taking £5,000 a month on cards between them, average vend £1.50: that is £5,000 ÷ £1.50 = about 3,333 vends.
- Hardware: 5 × £395.00 = £1,975.00 once.
- Nayax monthly option, if you take it: 5 × £10.00 = £50.00 a month, £600.00 a year.
- Processing: not published by Nayax, so here is why the structure matters. A percentage-only fee like Square's 1.75% costs £5,000 × 1.75% = £87.50. A percentage plus fixed fee like Revolut Business's 0.8% + 10p costs £5,000 × 0.8% + 3,333 × 10p = £373.30, because the fixed fee alone is £333.30, or 6.7% of takings.
Those two rates are general card providers' published prices, used only to show the arithmetic; neither supplies vending readers. The lesson holds for any quote: on low-value vends, any fixed pence per transaction dominates the bill, so push the reader supplier for a percentage-only price or a low fixed fee.
Run vending alongside a shop or café?
We compare card machine providers for the staffed side of your business and check your existing statement. Free, no obligation.
Before you sign for a vending card reader
- Confirm the connection your machine uses (MDB or pulse) matches the reader.
- Get the processing fee in writing as a percentage plus any fixed pence, and whether it changes with your price range.
- Ask whether the monthly software plan is required or optional, and what it costs per machine.
- Check whether prices include VAT; Nayax's shop does not say.
- For outdoor machines, check the model is rated for it: Payter says its Apollo Max is not.
If you also run a staffed till, those card fees are where we can help: our free statement review checks what you pay now, and the Tap to Pay guide covers taking payments on a phone at events and pop-ups.
Frequently asked questions
How much is a card reader for a vending machine?
Nayax's UK shop lists the VPOS Touch at £395 per unit (1 to 9 units), falling to £296.25 each at 250 units, the ONYX at £325 and the VPOS Media 4 Mini at £295. The shop does not state whether prices include VAT. Payter and myPOS do not publish prices for their unattended readers.
What are the fees per vend?
Not published: Nayax says a per-transaction processing fee applies, calculated from the minimum and maximum product prices you enter. Payter's fee is not published (set by the acquirer you connect it to). Ask for the fee as a percentage plus any fixed pence per transaction, then work it out on your average vend, because a fixed fee on a £1.50 snack costs far more in percentage terms than on a £25 shop sale.
Can I use a SumUp or Square reader on a vending machine?
Not to run the machine. A vending reader has to tell the machine's controller that payment went through so it releases the product, which is what the MDB and pulse connections on Nayax's readers do. None of the high-street readers we checked lists an MDB or pulse connection.
Do vending card readers take contactless and Apple Pay?
Payter's documentation covers this most clearly: payter says most solutions need an Apollo terminal, the Apollo Max is not suitable for outdoor use, and the P6X line cannot take PIN-verified payments but suits lower-value uses such as vending (snacks, coffee). Nayax's UK shop does not list accepted wallets on the VPOS Touch page, so ask Nayax directly if Apple Pay matters to your customers.