A chip and PIN card reader is a terminal with a card slot and a keypad, certified to one acquirer's platform. That certification is why a reader bought with one provider cannot be moved to another, and it is a switching cost that never appears on a pricing page. Published UK prices run from 11 pounds plus VAT upward.
Certified to one platform, and what that costs you
Card readers are certified against a specific acquirer, so the hardware has no resale value outside that provider. If you switch, you buy again. That makes a free or heavily discounted terminal a retention device as much as a gift, and it is worth asking directly what the hardware is worth to you if you leave.
What the reader must support
Chip and PIN, contactless, phone wallets, and a PIN bypass path for accessible use where the cardholder cannot enter a PIN. Every certified UK terminal does all four. What varies is the keypad quality, whether the screen is readable in daylight and whether the device works without a paired phone.
Prices across the shelf
Tide lists the Nano from 11 pounds plus VAT and the Card Reader from 69 pounds plus VAT. Zettle starts at 29 pounds excluding VAT for new business users. myPOS prices the Go 2 at 39 pounds excluding VAT. Elavon's entry plan carries a 5 pounds one-off device cost. VAT and delivery are extra on most of these and the pages say so.
Questions people ask about chip and pin card reader
Can a chip and PIN reader be used with any provider?
No. Readers are certified to one acquirer's platform, so switching provider means new hardware. It is a real switching cost that pricing pages never show.
What must a chip and PIN reader support?
Chip and PIN, contactless, phone wallets and an accessible path for cardholders who cannot enter a PIN. Every certified UK terminal covers all of those.
How much do chip card readers cost?
Published UK prices run from 11 pounds plus VAT to 179 pounds excluding VAT depending on connectivity, screen and printing. Delivery and VAT are usually extra.