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Many UK customers pay by debit card, and it is usually the cheapest card to accept. Here is how debit machines work and what each provider charges on debit cards, 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 debit machine is a card machine that takes debit cards, and almost all also take credit cards and phone wallets. Debit cards are usually the cheapest to accept. Published rates read 26 October 2026: Revolut from 0.8% + 2p on UK consumer Visa and Mastercard, SumUp Payments Plus 0.99% on domestic debit and credit cards, and Paymentsense 1.40% on debit cards.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revolut Source | From 0.8% + 2p (UK consumer Visa and Mastercard) | £0 for the reader | Reader £49; Terminal £169 + VAT | None | Within 24 hours |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| Flatpay Source | 1.49% all cards (terminal, under £200k a year) | £0 | Payment terminal free to start | Not published | Daily |
| 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 |
| 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% |
| Zettle Source | 1.75% all major cards | £0 | PayPal Reader from £29; Terminal £149 (ex VAT) | None | Within minutes to PayPal balance |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
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.
No. Debit machine is the everyday name in Canada and is used in the UK too, but the device is the same card machine that takes credit cards, contactless and Apple Pay or Google Pay. You do not need a separate machine for debit cards.
What does differ is the price. The fee the card issuer charges on each payment, called interchange, is lower on UK consumer debit cards than on credit cards and much lower than on business or overseas cards. Some providers pass that saving on with a separate debit rate. Others charge one blended rate for every card, which is simpler but means debit payments cost the same as credit.
So if most of your customers pay by debit card, as at a corner shop, newsagent or takeaway, it is worth looking at providers that price debit cards separately, as well as those with a low flat rate.
Two bank-backed services show debit examples rather than prices. Barclaycard shows an example of 0.7% + 3p on a personal debit card and says the rates are representative only. Lloyds Cardnet shows an example of 0.5% on Visa debit with a 3p authorisation fee, just to give an idea. Both need a quote. takepayments, whose site footer says Global Payments is a trading name of Takepayments Ltd, also quotes only and states a 12-month contract.
A corner shop takes £9,000 a month by card at an average of £12, so 750 payments, or £108,000 a year, nearly all on UK debit cards. That puts it over Dojo's £100,000 and Tyl by NatWest's £50,000 published thresholds, so both would quote. Card fees only, at published rates read 26 October 2026.
Barclaycard's and Lloyds Cardnet's examples would come to £85.50 and £67.50 in card fees on these figures, plus monthly service or rental fees of £16 to £29 + VAT and £21 to £23 + VAT. Those are examples, not offers, but they show what a quote can achieve for a debit-heavy shop.
If you take payments away from a counter, you have three options. A portable debit machine works around your shop or restaurant on Wi-Fi. A mobile or wireless debit machine uses a SIM card or your phone's data so it works anywhere. A debit machine for your phone is a small reader that pairs with an app.
The cheapest readers to buy are Square Reader at £19 + VAT, SumUp Solo Lite at £25 excluding VAT, the PayPal Reader from £29 excluding VAT and the Revolut Reader at £49. Portable full machines include Dojo Pocket at £239 or £20 a month and Barclaycard portable at £18 + VAT a month.
You can also accept debit cards on your phone with Tap to Pay, with no reader at all. SumUp lists Tap to Pay at £0 with its 1.69% rate, Square charges from 1.75% per tap and Tyl by NatWest charges transaction fees only, with no monthly hire. Square's 1.75% covers any contactless, mobile or chip and PIN payment with UK cards, debit included.
Several providers advertise a free machine or no monthly fee. That is real, but it shifts the cost into the rate per payment, so check both.
A free machine is best when your takings are modest or uneven. Once you take more than a few thousand pounds a month, a slightly lower rate usually saves more than the cost of buying a machine. On £9,000 a month, the difference between 1.49% and 0.99% is £45 a month, or £26 after SumUp's £19 plan fee, which still covers a £25 reader in the first month.
Debit-heavy businesses are where a quote most often beats the published price. We compare the whole UK market, including Dojo, SumUp, Teya, Flatpay, Paymentsense, Square, Worldpay and others, on your real share of debit, credit and business cards, and negotiate a debit rate that reflects it. Where a provider only quotes, we request the quote for you. We also check authorisation fees and minimum monthly charges, which weigh heavily on shops with many small debit payments.
We handle the application and any switch, so you keep taking payments, and give you a named account manager who stays with you after setup. If your mix of cards changes, we review the rate with you. You pay us nothing. We may receive a fee from the provider you choose.
A debit machine is a card machine that takes debit card payments. The name is common in Canada. In the UK the same device takes debit cards, credit cards, contactless and phone wallets, and is usually called a card machine or payment terminal.
To buy, from £19 + VAT for a Square Reader or £25 excluding VAT for SumUp Solo Lite. Flatpay's terminal is free to start. To rent, from £13.99 + VAT a month with Tyl by NatWest. Prices read 26 October 2026.
Usually, because the card issuer's fee is lower on UK consumer debit cards. Providers with tiered prices pass this on, such as SumUp Payments Plus at 0.99% on domestic cards. Blended providers such as Dojo at 1.2% charge the same on all cards.
Yes. Square charges 1.75% on any contactless, mobile or chip and PIN payment with UK cards, which includes debit cards, and 1.75% plus 1.5% on non-UK cards, read 26 October 2026. The Square Reader costs £19 + VAT.
Yes, with Tap to Pay. SumUp, Square, Teya, myPOS, Revolut, Stripe, Tyl by NatWest and Lloyds Accept all offer it. Customers tap a contactless debit card or phone on yours. SumUp lists it at £0 hardware cost with its 1.69% rate.
Flatpay's PAX A920 Pro terminal is free to start, with 1.49% per payment and no monthly fee. Tap to Pay needs no hardware at all. Free machines still charge per payment, so compare the rate on your takings before choosing.
Tell us what you need and where you operate.