Card reader machine covers three different products in UK usage: a Bluetooth reader paired to a phone, a standalone machine with its own screen and SIM, and a countertop terminal wired beside a till. They cost between 11 and 179 pounds on published prices. The account behind them costs between 0.79% and 1.75% of everything you take, which is the number to compare.
The three machines, and who each suits
A Bluetooth reader is cheapest and depends on a phone for its connection, which suits a shop counter and frustrates a market trader. A standalone machine with a SIM works anywhere with mobile coverage and prints its own receipt. A countertop terminal wired to a till is fastest at volume and least portable. Most small businesses buy the wrong one first by shopping on price alone.
How to run a comparison that holds up
Put four columns beside each provider: the printed in-person rate, the monthly fee, the hardware price, and the minimum term. Then add a fifth for what a non UK or commercial card costs, because that is where the quoted rate stops applying. Eleven of the thirty two providers read here fill all five in public. The rest need a phone call before the row can be completed.
Personal use and sole traders
A sole trader or a one person business can open an account with most of the app based providers here on the same terms as a limited company, with identity checks rather than company documents. What none of them will do is accept a card machine used for genuinely personal payments between individuals; the account is a business account and the terms say so.
Questions people ask about card reader machine
Is a card reader machine the same as a card machine?
In everyday use, yes. Reader usually implies the smaller Bluetooth device and machine the standalone terminal, but suppliers use both words for both products, so read the specification rather than the noun.
Can I get a card machine for personal use?
Not from the providers here. These are business accounts with business terms, and taking payments from friends is what a bank transfer or a personal payment app is for. A sole trader taking money for work is a business and is fine.
What is the cheapest card reader machine to buy?
On printed hardware prices in this index, Tide's Nano at 11 pounds plus VAT, then Zettle's reader at 29 pounds excluding VAT for new business users and the myPOS Go 2 at 39 pounds excluding VAT. The account rate behind each is different and matters more over a year.