PDQ card machine is British retail shorthand for a card terminal, and no provider sells a product under that name. What you are buying is a countertop, portable or handheld terminal plus the acquiring account behind it. Published hardware runs from 11 to 179 pounds outright, or 15 to 18 pounds a month rented.
The three types under one word
Countertop terminals sit by the till on power and network. Portable machines run on battery over wifi across a room. Handheld machines carry their own SIM and work anywhere with coverage. All three answer to PDQ, and providers use card machine or payment terminal in their own copy, so read the specification rather than the noun on a quote.
What they cost
Outright: Tide's Nano from 11 pounds plus VAT, Zettle from 29 pounds excluding VAT for new business users, myPOS Go 2 at 39 pounds excluding VAT, myPOS Ultra at 179 pounds excluding VAT. Rented: Elavon prints 15 pounds a month for a desk terminal and 18 pounds for a mobile one. VAT and delivery are extra on most of the outright prices.
The account is still the price
On 3,000 pounds of monthly card takings the difference between the cheapest and dearest published rate here is roughly 29 pounds a month. That is more per year than any terminal on this shelf costs to buy. Whatever the machine is called, choose the account first and let the hardware follow from where you actually trade.
Questions people ask about pdq card machine
How much is a PDQ card machine?
Published outright prices run from 11 pounds plus VAT to 179 pounds excluding VAT, and rented terminals are printed at 15 to 18 pounds a month on the plans that publish.
Is a handheld card machine the same as a PDQ?
Yes. PDQ is trade vocabulary for a card terminal of any shape, and handheld describes one of them. Suppliers use card machine and payment terminal in their own copy.
Do providers sell anything called a PDQ machine?
No manufacturer does. Sales teams recognise the word and will quote for a card terminal, which is the same product.