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A chip and PIN machine, or payment terminal, can be bought outright for under £20 or rented by the month. Here is every terminal UK providers publish a price for, and what each costs over three years, 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
A chip and PIN machine, also called a payment terminal, costs from £19 + VAT to buy (Square Reader) or from £13.99 + VAT a month to rent (Tyl by NatWest PAX A80). Flatpay offers its PAX A920 Pro terminal free to start. Standalone terminals start at £135 to buy: SumUp Terminal £135, Square Terminal and Dojo Go Max £149, Revolut Terminal £169 + VAT, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| 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% |
| 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 |
| Flatpay Source | 1.49% all cards (terminal, under £200k a year) | £0 | Payment terminal free to start | Not published | Daily |
| Revolut Source | From 0.8% + 2p (UK consumer Visa and Mastercard) | £0 for the reader | Reader £49; Terminal £169 + VAT | None | Within 24 hours |
| Tyl by NatWest Source | 1.39% + 5p personal cards (under £50k a year) | Machine hire from £13.99 + VAT | PAX A920 Pro £19.99, A50 £14.99, A80 £13.99 a month + VAT | 12 months | Next business day |
| Paymentsense Source | 1.40% debit and credit (price tool); bespoke over £150k | Terminal £20 + VAT; minimum service charge £24.95 | Rental, £20 a month + VAT | Not published | 24 working hours |
| Clover Source | Quote only | Rental only | Flex Pocket £15, Mini £20, Station Duo £30 a month + VAT | Not published | Next business day |
| Barclaycard Source | Quote only (example 0.7% + 3p, representative) | £16 to £29 + VAT service fee | Smartpay Anywhere £29 + VAT | 12 to 18 months, or none for Anywhere | Next day |
| Stripe Source | 1.4% + 10p EEA cards; 2.9% + 10p non-EEA | £0 | WisePad 3 £49; S700 or S710 £229 (ex VAT) | Pay as you go | Standard free; instant 1% |
| Lloyds Cardnet Source | Cardnet quote only; Lloyds Accept 1.5% + 20p | £10 minimum monthly charge (Cardnet) | Saturn £23 or Clover Flex £21 a month + VAT | Not stated; Lloyds Accept none | Not published |
| Zettle Source | 1.75% all major cards | £0 | PayPal Reader from £29; Terminal £149 (ex VAT) | None | Within minutes to PayPal balance |
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.
Every modern terminal takes chip and PIN, contactless cards and phone wallets. Older names still appear in searches: a swipe machine read the magnetic stripe on the back of a card, which UK cards now rarely use, and an EFTPOS machine, short for electronic funds transfer at point of sale, is the Australian name for a card machine. The real choice is about where and how you take payments.
Buying suits businesses that want low fixed costs and no contract. Prices exclude VAT where stated. Flatpay's terminal is free to start rather than bought.
Renting spreads the cost, but it adds a fixed monthly charge and is often tied to a contract. All prices are per terminal per month.
When you compare, add any monthly charges that come with the rental. Paymentsense also publishes a minimum monthly service charge of £24.95, a PCI fee of £4.95 + VAT and a reporting fee of £12.95 after three free months. Lloyds Cardnet has a £10 minimum monthly charge.
A business takes £4,000 a month at an average of £25, so 160 payments, or £48,000 a year. Here is the total over 36 months of card fees plus the terminal, at published prices read 26 October 2026, before VAT and on UK consumer cards.
In this example, buying a terminal with a low rate wins over three years. Renting only pays off when the rental comes with a much lower card rate, which you usually need a quote to get.
Price is only part of the decision. A terminal you cannot use outside, or one that ties you into a long contract, can cost more in the end. Use this list before you order.
Warranty and returns differ too. Teya includes a lifetime warranty on its card machine. SumUp gives a 30-day money-back guarantee from delivery. If you rent, ask what happens when the machine breaks and how fast a replacement arrives.
The terminal price is easy to see. The rate and monthly charges behind it are where the money goes. We compare the whole UK market, including Dojo, SumUp, Teya, Flatpay, Paymentsense, Square, Worldpay and others, on your takings, and work out whether buying or renting costs less for you. Then we negotiate the rate with the provider. We also compare the rental and contract terms side by side, so you see the full three-year cost.
We order the terminal, handle the switch from your current provider, and give you a named account manager who stays with you after setup. If the terminal breaks or you need a second one, your account manager arranges it with the provider. You pay us nothing. We may receive a fee from the provider you choose.
It depends on your takings and where you serve. On published prices, Revolut Terminal at £169 + VAT with rates from 0.8% + 2p, Dojo Go Max at £149 with 1.2%, and Flatpay's free terminal at 1.49% are strong value. SumUp and Square suit low volumes with no contract.
To buy, from £19 + VAT for a Square Reader to £249 excluding VAT for a Stripe T600, read 26 October 2026. To rent, from £13.99 + VAT a month for Tyl by NatWest's PAX A80 to £30 + VAT for Clover Station Duo. Flatpay's terminal is free to start.
For most small businesses, buying costs less over three years. On £4,000 a month, a bought Dojo Go Max costs £1,877 over 36 months against £2,628 rented. Renting makes sense when it comes with a much lower card rate.
A swipe machine is an old name for a card machine, from when cards were swiped through a magnetic stripe reader. UK cards now use chip and PIN and contactless instead. Any modern payment terminal does the same job.
EFTPOS stands for electronic funds transfer at point of sale. It is the name used in Australia and New Zealand for a card machine. In the UK the same device is called a card machine, payment terminal, PDQ machine or chip and PIN machine.
It is a smart payment terminal with a touch screen that runs apps, often on Android, so it can take orders, manage tables and track stock as well as take payments. Examples include Clover Flex, Square Handheld at £169 + VAT and the PAX A920 Pro.
Tell us what you need and where you operate.