Merchant services
Card machine for a café or coffee shop.
A café takes lots of small payments, fast, often with a queue. That changes which card machine is cheapest. Here is what to look for, with published prices read 26 October 2026.
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A café takes lots of small payments, fast, often with a queue. That changes which card machine is cheapest. Here is what to look for, with published prices read 26 October 2026.
Published rates from every major UK card machine provider, plus the quoted rates that only come on request. You see them side by side, on your own takings.
The short answer
Cafés take many small payments, so a fee per payment costs far more than it looks. On £8,000 a month at £5 a sale, published card fees are £96.00 with Dojo at 1.2%, £119.20 with Flatpay at 1.49% and £135.20 with SumUp, but £200.00 with myPOS at 1.10% plus 7p. Pick a percentage-only rate (read 26 October 2026).
Published prices read 26 October 2026 from each provider's own pricing page. Quote only means the provider gives rates on request; we obtain those for you.
| Provider | In-person card rate | Monthly fee | Card machine | Contract | Payouts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dojo Source | 1.2% blended under £100k a year; custom above | £0 Essential; Plus £11.99 new customers (£25 list) | Go Max £149 or £25 a month; Pocket £239 or £20; Wired £179 or £15 | 30-day rolling or 12-month fixed (custom rate) | Next day |
| SumUp Source | 1.69% pay as you go, or 0.99% on Payments Plus (domestic cards) | £0, or £19 on Payments Plus | Solo Lite £25, Solo £79, Terminal £135 (ex VAT), bought outright | None, cancel anytime | Next day, 7am, weekends included |
| Flatpay Source | 1.49% all cards (terminal, under £200k a year) | £0 | Payment terminal free to start | Not published | Daily |
| Square Source | 1.75% UK cards; +1.5% non-UK cards | £0, or Plus £29+ | Reader £19; Terminal £149 (ex VAT) | None, cancel anytime | Next day free; instant for 1.95% |
| Teya Source | Quote only | Not published | Not published | No lock-ins stated | Next day, weekends included |
| Revolut Source | From 0.8% + 2p (UK consumer Visa and Mastercard) | £0 for the reader | Reader £49; Terminal £169 + VAT | None | Within 24 hours |
VAT is excluded where the provider states it. Rates are for in-person UK consumer cards unless stated. Our service is free to you. We may receive a fee from the provider you choose; it never changes the price you pay.
Tell us about your business. We compare the whole market, including the providers that only quote on request, and come back with the lowest total cost for your takings and the right machine. You keep a named account manager who looks after you after setup.
Our service is free to you. We may receive a fee from the provider you choose; it never changes the price you pay.
Speed comes first. A morning queue moves only as fast as each payment, so contactless, where the customer taps a card or phone, should be quick and reliable. A countertop machine or one on a stand by the till usually works best, with a second portable machine if you serve tables or a terrace.
Average sale size is the next thing to know. A coffee and a pastry might be £4 to £8. Small sales mean many payments, and that makes any fixed charge per payment expensive. A 7p charge on a £5 sale adds 1.4% on top of the rate.
Then think about the rest of the day. Many cafés open early, so check that support is available before 8am. If you sell through a till system, also called EPOS, the card machine should link to it, so amounts are not typed twice. A coffee shop POS system, the till software, should handle quick-tap buttons for common items, simple tips and a loyalty scheme if you run one. Check how the machine behaves if the wifi drops during the rush.
Percentage-only rates suit cafés best. Dojo publishes 1.2% on all cards for businesses under £100,000 a year, with the Dojo Wired at £179 upfront or £15 a month. Flatpay publishes 1.49% on all cards under £200,000 a year with a PAX A920 Pro terminal at £0 and no monthly fee. SumUp publishes 1.69% with no monthly fee, or 0.99% on UK debit and credit cards with Payments Plus at £19 a month.
Square publishes 1.75% with free till software, the Square Stand for an iPad at £99 plus VAT and a self-order Square Kiosk. Teya quotes each café on volume, sector and average sale, and pays out every day including weekends.
Revolut publishes card fees starting from 0.8% plus 2p on consumer UK Visa and Mastercard, with American Express at 1.7%. The 2p is small enough to matter less than most fixed fees, but check the full fee schedule. myPOS, at from 1.10% plus 7p, is cheaper on larger sales than on coffee-sized ones.
Card fees only, on published rates read on 26 October 2026, before machine costs. SumUp Payments Plus assumes UK debit and credit cards at 0.99%. Revolut assumes consumer UK Visa and Mastercard at its starting rate.
If you want a coffee shop POS system and card machine from one supplier, Square publishes the full set: free till software, Plus plans from £29 a month, Square Stand at £99 plus VAT, Square Register at £699 plus VAT or £59 plus VAT a month for 12 months, and kiosk software at £35 per device a month. SumUp's free app has basic till features, and POS Plus is £39 a month excluding VAT. Flatpay's till packages start at £995 for mPOS, with card fees at 1.69%.
If you already have a till, check the card machine links to it. Teya lists more than 200 till integrations.
Payouts matter for weekly costs such as milk, coffee and wages. Teya pays every day including weekends and bank holidays. SumUp pays into its business account by 7am the next day, including weekends. Dojo says next day. Square pays as soon as the next day, usually one to two working days. Revolut states funds within 24 hours.
Ask how fast a contactless payment completes and whether the machine works if the wifi or broadband drops, since a lost connection in the morning rush is costly. Offline payments, taken and stored until the connection returns, were not described on the pricing pages we read, so ask directly.
Ask for every charge on one page: rate, any fee per payment, machine cost, monthly fees, PCI charges (the card industry's security checks) and chargeback fees when a customer disputes a payment. For a café, ask the provider to work out your monthly bill on your real number of payments, not just your total takings.
Finally, check the support hours against your opening hours. Teya and Flatpay state 24/7 support. SumUp's Payments Plus includes 24/7 priority support. Dojo promises a real person in the UK within minutes without stating hours.
For a café, the number of payments matters as much as the rate, so we price every option on your real sales pattern. We compare the whole UK card payment market, including Dojo, SumUp, Teya, Flatpay, Paymentsense, Square, Worldpay and others, against your real card sales, your average sale and the way you trade. Where a provider only gives quotes, we request the quote for you and negotiate the rate, so you compare real numbers rather than list prices.
When you have chosen, we handle the switch: the application, the paperwork and the timing with your current provider, so you keep taking payments throughout. You then get a named account manager who stays with you after setup, checks your statements and deals with the provider when something needs fixing. You pay us nothing. We may receive a fee from the provider you choose.
For small sales, choose a rate with no fixed fee per payment, or a very small one. On published rates, Dojo at 1.2% and Flatpay at 1.49% suit cafés under £100,000 a year. SumUp at 1.69% suits very small or seasonal cafés because it has no monthly fee.
They are not always higher, but fixed fees per payment hit small sales hard. A 7p fee on a £5 coffee adds 1.4% on top of the rate. On 1,600 payments a month that is £112.00. A percentage-only rate avoids this.
A POS system, or point of sale system, is the till software and screen that records orders, prices and stock. A coffee shop POS system usually has quick buttons for drinks and links to the card machine. Square, SumUp and Flatpay publish till options.
Flatpay's PAX A920 Pro is £0. SumUp readers are £25 to £135 excluding VAT. Dojo Wired is £179 upfront or £15 a month. Square Stand is £99 plus VAT. Prices read 26 October 2026.
Not always. SumUp states no long-term commitments, Square lets you cancel at any time, and Teya states no lock-ins. Dojo offers 30-day rolling or 12-month fixed plans for businesses over £100,000 a year. Flatpay does not publish contract terms.
Tell us what you need and where you operate.