Merchant services
POS systems: point of sale machines for UK businesses.
A POS system, short for point of sale, is the till software and hardware that records sales and takes payment. Here is what UK providers charge, read 26 October 2026.
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A POS system, short for point of sale, is the till software and hardware that records sales and takes payment. Here is what UK providers charge, 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 POS system is a till that records each sale, tracks stock and takes card payments in one place. Square's point of sale app starts at £0 a month, with Plus plans from £29. SumUp POS Plus costs £39 a month. Flatpay POS Pro costs £1,495 for onboarding and installation at 1.69% per transaction. Clover devices rent from £15 + VAT a month. Prices 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% |
| Zettle Source | 1.75% all major cards | £0 | PayPal Reader from £29; Terminal £149 (ex VAT) | None | Within minutes to PayPal balance |
| Flatpay Source | 1.49% all cards (terminal, under £200k a year) | £0 | Payment terminal free to start | Not published | Daily |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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% |
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.
A POS system replaces the old till. You tap items on a screen, the system adds up the bill, takes the card payment and records the sale. Most also track stock, manage staff and show reports on what sold and when. A POS card machine is a card machine with this till software built in, so you can take orders and payments on one device.
Some POS systems are software only, running on a tablet or phone you already own. Others come as a complete kit with a screen, a card machine and sometimes a receipt printer and cash drawer. Hospitality businesses often add a kitchen display, a screen that shows orders to the kitchen, and a kiosk, a self-service screen where customers order themselves.
Square offers free point of sale apps, with Plus plans from £29 a month. Its Kitchen Display System is from £15 per device a month and Square Kiosk £35 per device a month. Hardware includes Square Register at £699 + VAT or £59 + VAT a month for 12 months, and Square Stand at £99 + VAT. SumUp includes a free app with basic till features on pay-as-you-go, and POS Plus costs £39 a month excluding VAT.
Flatpay sells complete packages for a one-off onboarding and installation fee: mPOS £995, POS Pro £1,495 and POS Premium £2,495, each at 1.69% per transaction with no monthly fee. Clover rents devices: Clover Mini £20 + VAT a month and Clover Station Duo £30 + VAT a month, with rates by quote. Barclaycard Smartpay Touch is £29 + VAT a month on a 12-month contract. Zettle's PayPal POS app has no additional cost.
Take a coffee shop with £8,000 a month in card sales, mostly UK debit cards. On Square's free plan at 1.75% with a Square Terminal at £149 + VAT, fees are £140.00 a month, so £1,829 in the first year. Moving to a Square Plus plan from £29 a month brings that to £2,177.
On SumUp Payments Plus at 0.99% on domestic cards, fees are £79.20 a month, plus £19 for the plan and £39 for POS Plus, so £137.20 a month. With a SumUp Terminal at £135, the first year comes to £1,781.40. On Flatpay POS Pro at 1.69%, fees are £135.20 a month with no monthly charge, so £3,117.40 in the first year including the £1,495 package, falling to £1,622.40 a year after that. The right choice depends on how long you plan to stay.
Start with your day. A café with one till and a queue at 8am needs speed and a simple menu. A restaurant needs table plans, split bills and a kitchen screen. A shop needs stock control and barcodes. Pick the POS that fits your service first, then compare the card rate that comes with it.
Check whether the POS ties you to one payment provider. Square, SumUp, Flatpay and Clover bundle their own payments. Teya lists more than 200 ePOS integrations, so you can keep your till software and change only the card machine. Stripe lets businesses build a custom POS integration or use its no-code option, which suits firms with a developer. Revolut offers a Point of Sale app for iPad, price not stated.
Buying costs more on day one and less over time. Square Register at £699 + VAT is cheaper than £59 + VAT a month for 12 months, which totals £708. Flatpay's one-off packages avoid monthly POS fees but cost £995 to £2,495 upfront.
Renting spreads the cost and often includes repairs or replacements, but can come with a contract. Clover Station Duo at £30 + VAT a month is £360 a year before card fees. Barclaycard Smartpay Touch at £29 + VAT a month on a 12-month contract is £348 a year. Ask what happens at the end of the term, whether the price rises, and what it costs to leave early. Remember that card fees are charged on top of any rental, so a cheap rental with a high rate can cost more overall.
A POS decision locks in your card rate for years, so the two should be chosen together. We compare the whole market on your takings and the way you work, including POS providers that integrate with many card machines, and negotiate the rate and monthly fees for you. We also check what each POS costs to run each month once kitchen screens, extra devices and add-ons are included.
We handle the switch and the setup so you are not without a till, including moving your menu or product list where the provider allows, and you get a named account manager who stays with you after setup and helps when you add a site or a till. You pay us nothing. We may receive a fee from the provider you choose.
A POS system, short for point of sale, is the till software and hardware a business uses to ring up sales, take card payments and record what sold. Most also track stock, manage staff and show sales reports. It can run on a tablet, a dedicated screen or a card machine.
Square's point of sale app starts at £0 a month, with Plus plans from £29. SumUp POS Plus is £39 a month. Flatpay packages cost £995 to £2,495 one-off. Clover devices rent from £15 + VAT a month. Card fees are charged on top. Prices read 26 October 2026.
It depends on takings and how long you plan to stay. On £8,000 a month, SumUp Payments Plus with POS Plus comes to £137.20 a month, Square's free plan to £140.00 in fees, and Flatpay POS Pro to £135.20 a month after a £1,495 package. Speed at the counter matters as much as price.
A card machine takes payments. A POS machine also records what was sold, tracks stock and produces reports. Many modern card machines include basic POS features, such as SumUp's free app. A full POS adds a larger screen, menus, table plans and kitchen screens.
Often, yes. Teya lists more than 200 ePOS integrations, which lets you keep your till and change only the payment provider. Bundled systems such as Square, SumUp, Flatpay and Clover use their own payments, so changing provider usually means changing the till too.
Buying is usually cheaper over time. Square Register costs £699 + VAT to buy or £59 + VAT a month for 12 months. Renting suits businesses that want low upfront cost or repairs included, but check the contract length and exit fees before signing.
Tell us what you need and where you operate.