Best Card Machine for a Small Business in the UK
Under about £2,300 a month in card sales, buy a pay-as-you-go reader outright: SumUp charges 1.69% per transaction, Square and Zettle 1.75%, all with £0 monthly fee.
Above roughly £2,300 to £2,400 a month, Dojo's Fix plan usually works out cheaper: £39.99 a month for businesses under £100,000 a year in card turnover, covering card turnover up to £3,999 a month, then a 1% flat rate above £4,000 a month, Amex included.
Above £100,000 a year (about £8,300 a month), the quote is custom: Dojo prices its Flex and Pro plans per business, and we have seen quotes as low as 0.29% for high-turnover businesses.
Rates checked: 27 August 2026
Verdict by Monthly Card Volume
| Monthly card takings | Best option | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Under ~£2,300 | Pay-as-you-go reader (SumUp 1.69%, Square or Zettle 1.75%) | £0 monthly fee; at low volume the flat rate costs less than any monthly plan |
| ~£2,300 to ~£8,300 | Dojo Fix plan (£39.99/month, 1% above £4,000/month of card turnover) | £39.99 beats 1.69% to 1.75% flat once takings pass ~£2,290 to £2,370/month |
| Above ~£8,300 (£100k/year) | Custom quote (Dojo Flex or Pro, or other acquirers) | Priced per business; we have seen quotes as low as 0.29% at high turnover |
The bands overlap because bespoke pricing varies with your card turnover and card mix. The full data behind this table (every provider we track, with fees checked 27 August 2026) is on our UK card machine rates page.
Worked Example: £3,000/Month in Card Sales
Assumptions: £3,000/month card turnover; costs shown are card processing only (transaction fees plus any terminal rental).
The Fix plan price assumes annual card turnover under £100,000. The terminal is a one-off purchase from £179 going direct, or £0 upfront with no monthly rental through MerchantSwitch, so there is no monthly hardware line in the sum.
Worked Example: £10,000/Month in Card Sales
Assumptions: £10,000/month card turnover. That is £120,000 a year, above the £100,000 ceiling for Dojo's Fix plan, so Dojo quotes a custom rate per business at this volume; we show a conservative 1% benchmark, and we have seen quotes as low as 0.29% for high-turnover businesses.
Even at the conservative 1% benchmark the custom quote saves £69/month (£828/year) against SumUp and £75/month (£900/year) against Square or Zettle. Compare quotes at your real volume: the quote is driven by turnover, average transaction value and card mix, and only your own quote confirms the number.
The Main Small-Business Options Compared
| Provider | Transaction fee | Monthly fee | Setup fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| SumUp | 1.69% flat | £0 | Buy reader outright |
| Square | 1.75% flat | £0 | Buy reader outright |
| Zettle by PayPal | 1.75% flat | £0 | £0 |
| Dojo | Fix plan covers card turnover up to £3,999/month, then 1% flat (under £100k/year card turnover); custom quote above | £39.99 (Fix, platform fee and Amex included); terminal bought upfront from £179 | £0 |
For a closer look at the flat-rate trio, see our SumUp vs Square vs Zettle shootout, or the head-to-head Dojo vs SumUp comparison if you're weighing pay-as-you-go against a negotiated deal. If your priority is simply the lowest headline cost, start with the cheapest card machines in the UK.
Common Questions
What is the best card machine for a small business in the UK?
It depends on your monthly card volume. Under roughly £2,300/month, buy a pay-as-you-go reader outright: SumUp charges 1.69% per transaction and Square and Zettle charge 1.75%, all with £0 monthly fee. Above roughly £2,300 to £2,400/month, Dojo's Fix plan usually works out cheaper: £39.99/month for businesses under £100,000 a year in card turnover, covering card turnover up to £3,999/month, then a 1% flat rate above £4,000/month, with Amex included and the terminal bought upfront from £179 (or free through MerchantSwitch). Above £100,000 a year, Dojo quotes a custom rate per business, and we have seen quotes as low as 0.29% for high-turnover businesses.
How much does a card machine cost a small business taking £3,000 a month?
At £3,000/month in card sales, SumUp at 1.69% costs £50.70/month (£608.40/year) and Square or Zettle at 1.75% cost £52.50/month (£630/year), with no monthly fee. Dojo's Fix plan costs £39.99/month, since £3,000 sits inside the £3,999 of card turnover the plan covers: a 1.33% effective rate, £10.71/month cheaper than SumUp. The terminal is a one-off from £179 bought upfront, or £0 through MerchantSwitch.
How much does a card machine cost a business taking £10,000 a month?
At £10,000/month, SumUp at 1.69% costs £169/month (£2,028/year) and Square or Zettle at 1.75% cost £175/month (£2,100/year). £10,000/month is £120,000 a year, above the £100,000 ceiling for Dojo's Fix plan, so Dojo quotes a custom rate per business at this volume. As a conservative benchmark, a 1% quote would cost £100/month (£1,200/year), saving £69 to £75/month against the flat-rate readers, and we have seen quotes as low as 0.29% for high-turnover businesses.
At what card volume should a small business switch from pay-as-you-go?
Above roughly £2,300 a month in card takings. Dojo's Fix plan at £39.99/month beats Square or Zettle's 1.75% flat above £39.99 ÷ 1.75% = roughly £2,290/month, and SumUp's 1.69% above roughly £2,370/month. Below that, no-monthly-fee readers win because the fixed monthly cost outweighs the per-transaction saving: at £2,000/month, £39.99 is a 2.0% effective rate against SumUp's £33.80, so stay put.
Quick Sanity Checks Before You Choose
- Growing fast? If you expect to pass roughly £2,300/month within a year, it can be worth getting quotes now; above £100,000 a year of card turnover, bespoke rates improve with turnover.
- Seasonal trade? A £0-monthly-fee reader costs nothing in quiet months; a rented terminal charges you whether you trade or not.
- Already paying a monthly fee? Work out your effective rate first. Our guide to reducing card processing fees shows the calculation.
Get a like-for-like quote at your card volume
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