Comparing card machines properly takes five columns: the published in-person rate, the monthly fee, the hardware price, the minimum term and what happens to a non UK or commercial card. Eleven of the thirty two UK providers read for this index fill all five in public. For the rest the row cannot be completed without a phone call, and that is itself a comparison result.
The comparison that actually decides it
Multiply your monthly card takings by each published rate, add the monthly fee, and multiply by thirty six. Add the hardware price once. That number is what the machine costs you over a typical term, and it reorders most shortlists: subscription plans with low percentages win at volume, and no fee plans with higher percentages win below roughly 2,000 pounds a month.
Free card machines, and what pays for them
A free terminal is paid for somewhere: a higher rate, a monthly service fee that begins after an introductory period, or a longer minimum term with an exit charge. None of those is dishonest, and all of them mean the machine is not the thing being priced. Compare the total over the term rather than the price on the box, and ask what the hardware is worth if you leave.
What cannot be compared, and why that matters
takepayments, UTP Group, Nexi and Global Payments publish no figure. Dojo refuses automated reading. Paymentsense now asks for turnover, average transaction value and merchant category before showing anything. A buyer can still get quotes from all of them; what they cannot do is shortlist before committing time, which is a real cost even though it never appears on an invoice.
Questions people ask about compare card machines
What is the best way to compare card machines?
On total cost over the contract term using your own card takings, not on the advertised percentage. Add the monthly fee, the hardware, and the surcharge on any card type that is a meaningful share of your traffic.
Are free card machines worth taking?
Sometimes, if the rate and the term are also competitive. Treat the free hardware as a discount worth its retail price, which on this shelf is between 11 and 179 pounds, and check that the account is not more expensive than that over a year.
How many quotes should I get?
Enough to include both kinds of provider: at least two that publish a rate and at least one that quotes bespoke. The published ones set your benchmark, and the bespoke ones will often price against it once you can state a number.