Mobile card machine, mobile card reader and mobile PDQ all describe the same category: a terminal that works away from a fixed counter. What differs between them is whether the device carries its own connection or borrows a phone's. Published prices run from 11 pounds plus VAT for a paired reader to 179 pounds excluding VAT for a ruggedised standalone.
Three names, one category
PDQ is British retail shorthand, reader usually implies a paired device, and machine usually implies a standalone. Suppliers mix all three freely, and no manufacturer sells a product called a PDQ. Read the specification rather than the noun, and look for whether the device has its own SIM.
What makes a good mobile machine
Its own mobile data, a battery measured in transactions rather than standby hours, a screen readable in daylight, and a case that survives being dropped. Those four are what separate the 39 pound entry model from the 179 pound ruggedised one on published prices, and outdoors the difference is repaid quickly.
Rate considerations for mobile trades
Small average sales make the fixed pence element matter more than the percentage. Published fixed charges here run from 2p to 11p per transaction. A mobile trade doing many small sales should compare a typical basket in pence, while a trade doing a few large jobs should compare the percentage and the treatment of commercial cards.
Questions people ask about card machine mobile
What is the best mobile card machine in the UK?
For trades away from wifi, a standalone terminal with its own SIM and a full shift battery. Published prices for those start at 39 pounds excluding VAT and rise with ruggedness and printing.
Is a mobile PDQ the same as a mobile card machine?
Yes. PDQ is the older British word for a card terminal and suppliers use it interchangeably with card machine and card reader.
Does a mobile machine cost more per transaction?
No. Providers read here charge the same in-person rate whichever terminal is used, though a few price tap to pay on a phone separately.