Can You Get a Free Dojo Card Machine?
Yes. Arranged through MerchantSwitch, the Dojo terminal comes with £0 upfront and no monthly rental for the life of your contract. Going to Dojo direct, businesses under £100,000 a year of card turnover buy the hardware upfront from £179 (pay-monthly hardware is not available at this size), so the offer removes that upfront purchase.
What you still pay is the plan: under £100,000 a year of card turnover, Dojo's Fix plan is £39.99 a month, covering card turnover up to £3,999 a month with a 1% flat rate above £4,000, Amex included. Above £100,000 a year the quote is custom, and we have seen rates as low as 0.29% for high-turnover businesses. The offer covers the hardware cost; it does not change the plan you are quoted. If you are locked into another provider's contract, it stacks with Dojo's switching cover: up to £500 towards your exit fees on the fixed-rate plan, or up to £3,000 on bespoke rates (eligibility confirmed at quote).
Rates checked: 27 August 2026
What “free” covers, and what it doesn't
Covered: the terminal
- £0 upfront for the Dojo terminal (direct, terminals are bought upfront from £179; Dojo does not publish per-device prices)
- No monthly hardware rental for the life of your contract
- £0 setup fee (standard with Dojo)
Still paid: the plan and the contract
- The Fix plan under £100,000 a year of card turnover: £39.99 a month, covering card turnover up to £3,999 a month, then 1% flat above £4,000, Amex and platform fee included. Above £100,000 a year the quote is custom, with rates as low as 0.29% seen for high-turnover businesses
- The standard Dojo contract: a 30-day no-commitment trial, then a 12-month price-locked plan; leaving inside the term costs the remaining costs of the contract
- The same plan pricing and terms as going direct
The saving is straightforward arithmetic: going direct, a business under £100,000 a year of card turnover buys the terminal upfront from £179 (Dojo's pay-monthly hardware, from £15/month, is only available above that turnover). Through us the hardware cost is £0 for the life of the contract, not just an introductory period.
Dojo direct vs Dojo via MerchantSwitch vs a PAYG reader
| Cost line | Dojo direct | Dojo via MerchantSwitch | PAYG reader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upfront cost | From £179 to buy the machine (pay-monthly hardware, from £15/month, only above £100k/year card turnover) | £0 | Buy the reader (e.g. Square Reader £19) |
| Monthly hardware rental | £0 once bought upfront (from £15/month where pay-monthly is available) | £0 for the life of the contract | £0 |
| Plan pricing | Fix at £39.99/month under £100k/year card turnover (1% above £4,000/month of card turnover); custom quote above | Fix at £39.99/month under £100k/year; custom quote above (unchanged) | Flat 1.69% (SumUp) to 1.75% (Square, Zettle) |
| Contract | 30-day no-commitment trial, then a 12-month price-locked plan | 30-day no-commitment trial, then a 12-month price-locked plan | None |
| Leaving early | Remaining costs of the contract inside the 12-month term; one month's notice after it | Same terms as direct | None (no contract) |
| Switching cover | Up to £3,000 towards exit fees when you switch through MerchantSwitch (eligibility confirmed at quote) | Same cover, and it stacks with the free terminal | None |
Figures are providers' published pricing, checked 27 August 2026; Dojo figures read from dojo.tech, August 2026. Custom-tier rates are quoted per business, and we have seen quotes as low as 0.29% for high-turnover businesses; always confirm with a current quote. Switching-cover eligibility is confirmed at quote.
Is a free terminal actually a good deal?
Honestly: only if the plan suits your volume too. The terminal is the small number: a one-off purchase from £179 going direct. On the Fix plan, the question that matters is whether £39.99 a month beats a flat-rate reader at your takings. At £3,000 a month it does: Fix costs £39.99 (a 1.33% effective rate) against SumUp's £3,000 × 1.69% = £50.70. At £2,000 a month it does not: Fix is still £39.99, a 2.0% effective rate, against SumUp's £33.80. On custom quotes the rate dominates: on £15,000 a month of card takings, every 0.1% on your rate is £15 a month, £180 a year, so a rate just 0.2% worse than it should be would cost more each year than the free terminal saves once.
So judge any quote (including a Dojo quote through us) on the effective rate: total monthly card fees divided by monthly card turnover. Our guide to reading your merchant statement shows how to compute it from your current statement, and our UK average card processing fees benchmarks tell you whether the number you get is competitive. The free terminal is the bonus on top of a plan that fits, not a substitute for one.
At low volume the calculus flips the other way. On the Fix plan at £39.99 a month, the break-even against SumUp (1.69% flat) sits around £2,370 a month of card takings (£39.99 ÷ 1.69%) and against Square or Zettle (1.75% flat) around £2,290 (£39.99 ÷ 1.75%). Below roughly £2,300 a month, a pay-as-you-go reader is cheaper overall and our advice is not to switch, free terminal or not.
How to claim the offer
- Tell us your monthly card takings: use the quote form or call 0333 041 3933. We respond in under 5 minutes.
- Get your Dojo plan: the Fix plan at £39.99 a month under £100,000 a year of card turnover, or a custom quote on your turnover, average transaction value and card mix above it. Check it against your current effective rate.
- Locked into another contract? Get your exit fee in writing. Dojo pays up to £3,000 towards it when you switch through MerchantSwitch (eligibility confirmed at quote).
- Terminal arrives with £0 upfront and no monthly rental, for the life of your contract, not an introductory period.
Still weighing Dojo up? Our Dojo card machines hub covers the pricing mechanics, the full terminal lineup and every Dojo head-to-head we publish.
MerchantSwitch is a free comparison service; we are paid by providers when we successfully match a business. The free-terminal offer does not change the plan pricing you are quoted. We are an introducer, not a lender or acquirer, and we are not regulated by the FCA.
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Free Dojo terminal (no rental) through MerchantSwitch. We respond in under 5 minutes.
Claim the free Dojo terminal
£0 upfront, no monthly rental for the life of your contract, and switching cover of up to £3,000 towards your exit fees through MerchantSwitch (eligibility confirmed at quote rates) if you are switching. We respond in under 5 minutes.