A POS terminal is the screen and computer that runs your till software. In the UK it is sold three ways: bundled with software at a discount tied to a term, bought outright as components, or replaced entirely by a tablet running the same software. The third is now the commonest and the cheapest by a wide margin.
What a counter build actually needs
A screen, a receipt printer, a cash drawer and a card terminal, plus a scanner in retail. EPOS Direct publishes indicative bands per component, which is the clearest published UK guide to what each part costs on its own. Adding them up is the fair comparison against a bundle, and the gap is usually service and financing rather than hardware.
Bundles and their conditions
Epos Now advertises a complete solution at a heavily discounted price and prints the condition beneath it: the discount requires a twelve month payments, care and support subscription at a stated monthly figure. Over the term the subscription is worth several times the discount. Read the two numbers together, because separately each is accurate and together they are the price.
Tablets, and what you give up
A tablet running the supplier's app costs a fraction of a dedicated terminal and is portable, which is why most current UK EPOS is sold that way. What you give up is ruggedness, guaranteed availability of a specific model, and a supplier who will replace it next day. For a busy site, plan for a spare rather than assume support covers it.
Questions people ask about pos terminals
How much does a POS terminal cost in the UK?
EPOS Direct publishes indicative bands for a touchscreen till terminal, a thermal receipt printer and a barcode scanner, each in its own range. A tablet based build is materially cheaper and is what most current suppliers sell.
Should I buy a POS machine for sale outright or rent one?
Buy if the software is priced separately and you may switch. Rent or bundle if the discount is genuinely larger than the subscription it is conditional on, which is worth calculating over the full term rather than the first month.
What POS hardware do I actually need?
A screen, a printer, a drawer and a card terminal, plus a scanner in retail. Everything else, customer displays, kitchen screens, weighing scales, is trade specific and should be justified by the workflow rather than bought as part of a package.