Published monthly fees for a UK credit card machine run from zero to about 18 pounds plus VAT. Published transaction rates run from 0.79% to 1.75%, and several carry a fixed charge per transaction on top: 7p at myPOS, 5p at Tyl, 3p or 11p at Tide, 2p at Revolut Business. On small baskets that fixed element can cost more than the percentage.
Credit card machine fees: the fixed pence element, and who it hurts
On a 3 pound coffee, a 5p per transaction charge is 1.67% of the sale on its own, before the percentage is applied. On a 60 pound restaurant bill the same 5p is under 0.1%. Businesses with small average sales should compare a typical basket in pence rather than the headline percentage, and businesses with large baskets can largely ignore it.
Credit card machine charges on the bill that were not on the quote
Authorisation fees, minimum monthly service charges, PCI compliance fees, chargeback fees and refund fees. Teya's published schedule prices ATM withdrawals, transfers and cash deposits. Lopay's published add-on schedule prices tap to pay, payment links and accounting integration separately. These are on the providers' own pages and almost never in a headline comparison. Few cards are swiped now, but what used to be called credit card swipe machine charges are the same list: the rate, the fixed pence and these extras.
Card machine running costs: where a monthly fee is worth paying
A monthly fee buys a lower percentage, so it pays for itself above a certain turnover and costs money below it. Tide's table shows the trade off directly: a monthly fee against a rate roughly two thirds lower. Work the crossover out on your own takings rather than accepting either shape as generally cheaper.
Questions people ask about cost of credit card machine
How much do card machines charge per transaction?
Published in-person rates in this index run from 0.79% to 1.75%, with several adding a fixed charge of 2p to 11p per transaction. Rates for commercial, American Express and non UK cards are higher and are published separately by some providers.
How much does a credit card machine cost per month?
Published monthly fees run from zero to about 18 pounds plus VAT. Rented terminals from bank owned acquirers are printed at 15 to 18 pounds a month per machine on the plans that publish.
Are there charges beyond the rate and the monthly fee?
Usually. Authorisation fees, minimum monthly charges, PCI compliance fees, chargeback and refund fees are all common, and most are published somewhere on the provider's own site even when they are absent from the pricing page.
Are there card machine data charges for a machine with its own SIM?
Somebody pays for the mobile connection. A machine with its own SIM keeps working away from wifi, and its data cost is either printed by the provider or folded into the rate. A wifi terminal uses your own network and a Bluetooth reader uses the paired phone's data, so neither carries a separate charge for it.