Merchant services
How to take card payments on your phone.
Tap to Pay turns an iPhone or Android phone into a card machine for contactless payments. Here is how it works and what 12 UK providers charge, read 26 October 2026.
WhatsApp and Telegram +44 7563 115980
[email protected]
Tap to Pay turns an iPhone or Android phone into a card machine for contactless payments. Here is how it works and what 12 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
To take card payments on your phone, download a provider's app, open an account and switch on Tap to Pay. Customers then tap their card or phone on yours. No reader is needed. SumUp charges 1.69% with no monthly fee, Square from 1.75% per tap, myPOS from 1.10% + 7p, and Stripe its card rate plus 10p per tap, 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 |
| 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 |
| takepayments Source | Quote only | Not published | Not published | 12 months | Next day |
| Teya Source | Quote only | Not published | Not published | No lock-ins stated | Next day, weekends included |
| myPOS Source | From 1.10% + 7p (under £10k a month) | £0 | Device prices not on fees page | Not published | Instant to myPOS account |
| 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% |
| Viva Source | 1.69% UK consumer cards | £0 to £15.99 plans (min £3.99) | Not published | Change plan monthly | Real time |
| 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 |
| 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 |
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.
Tap to Pay uses the contactless chip already inside most modern phones. You download the provider's app, sign up for an account, and turn on Tap to Pay. When a customer pays, you enter the amount and they hold their card, phone or watch against the back of your phone. The money goes to your provider account like any other card payment.
Most providers support both iPhone and Android. Square states iPhone XS or above. Dojo lists Tap to Pay on iPhone and does not list Android. Revolut lists Tap to Pay on iPhone. Teya describes it as a way to turn your phone into a card machine for contactless payments. Because it is contactless only, customers cannot insert a card, so a separate reader is still useful for some sales.
Most providers charge no hardware fee for Tap to Pay, since your phone is the machine. SumUp lists it at £0 and charges 1.69%, or 0.99% on its monthly Payments Plus plan. Square charges from 1.75% per tap. Zettle charges its standard 1.75% card rate. myPOS uses the same pricing as its card readers, from 1.10% + £0.07, with no extra Tap to Pay fee.
Some add a fixed fee for each tap. Stripe adds 10p per authorisation on top of 1.4% + 10p, so 1.4% + 20p in total for EEA cards. Lloyds Accept charges 1.5% + 20p. Revolut's fee schedule shows 0.8% plus a £0.10 flat fee for UK consumer Visa and Mastercard. Viva Wallet applies a £0.10 minimum per transaction for Terminal app users. Tyl by NatWest says transaction fees only, with no monthly hire or PCI fees.
Take a mobile hairdresser taking £1,500 a month on her phone, at an average of £15 a sale, so 100 sales. On SumUp at 1.69% she pays £25.35 a month. On Square or Zettle at 1.75% she pays £26.25. On myPOS at 1.10% + 7p she pays £23.50. On Revolut's fee schedule at 0.8% + £0.10 she pays £22.00.
Fixed fees matter more on small sales. On Stripe at 1.4% + 20p she pays £41.00, because the pence charge adds £20.00. On Lloyds Accept at 1.5% + 20p she pays £42.50. If her average sale were £50 instead, the fixed fee would weigh far less. Always work out the cost at your own average sale, not just the percentage. A café selling £3 coffees feels a 20p fixed fee far more than a plumber taking £150 a job.
A phone works well if you are mobile, take a modest number of payments, or want to start taking cards today without buying anything. Tradespeople, mobile beauty, market stalls and pop-ups often start this way.
Add a reader or a full card machine when customers need to insert a card and enter a PIN, when you want printed receipts, or when your phone is busy with other work. Tyl by NatWest notes that Tap to Pay acceptance of American Express is not currently available on its service, so check card types too. A small reader is not expensive: Square Reader is £19 + VAT and SumUp Solo Lite £25 excluding VAT. SumUp, Square and Zettle all sell readers alongside Tap to Pay, so you can start on your phone and add a reader later.
Some people searching for this mean taking a card payment over a phone call, where the customer reads out their card number. That is different from Tap to Pay. It is a manually entered payment, sometimes called a card-not-present or MOTO payment (mail order or telephone order).
These usually cost more because the card is not in front of you and fraud risk is higher. Square charges 2.5% per manually entered transaction. SumUp lists 2.5% for online payments. Zettle lists 2.5% for invoices and payment links. If you take many payments over the phone, a payment link sent by text or email is often safer, since the customer enters their own details. Ask your provider which option it supports and what each costs before you start.
Tap to Pay rates look similar until you add the fixed fee per tap and your average sale. We compare the whole market on your own numbers, including whether you need a reader as well, and negotiate the rate with the provider for you. We also check which phones and card types each provider supports, so nothing catches you out at the counter, such as a card type your customers use that a phone cannot take.
We set up the account, handle any switch from your current provider, and give you a named account manager who stays with you after setup. If your takings grow and a reader or full card machine becomes cheaper, we tell you. You pay us nothing. We may receive a fee from the provider you choose.
Yes. Tap to Pay lets an iPhone or Android phone accept contactless cards, phones and watches with no extra hardware. SumUp, Square, Zettle, myPOS, Stripe, Teya, Viva Wallet, Tyl by NatWest and Lloyds Accept all offer it. Dojo and Revolut list Tap to Pay on iPhone.
There is usually no hardware cost. Fees are per payment: SumUp 1.69%, Square from 1.75%, Zettle 1.75%, myPOS from 1.10% + 7p, Stripe 1.4% + 20p and Lloyds Accept 1.5% + 20p, read 26 October 2026. On a £20 sale, SumUp takes about 34p and Stripe 48p.
Choose a provider that supports Tap to Pay on iPhone, download its app and open an account. Turn on Tap to Pay in the app, enter the amount and let the customer tap their card or phone on the top of your iPhone. Square states it needs iPhone XS or above.
Tap to Pay uses contactless card payments, the same way customers pay on a standard card machine. Payments are processed by your provider: SumUp, Square, Teya and myPOS, for example, state they are authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority. Keep your phone locked and the app updated.
Tap to Pay is built for contactless payments, so customers cannot insert a card into your phone. If you often take larger payments or customers prefer chip and PIN, add a small reader. Square Reader is £19 + VAT and SumUp Solo Lite £25 excluding VAT.
It depends on your average sale. For small sales, fixed fees matter: Revolut's schedule shows 0.8% + 10p and myPOS 1.10% + 7p. SumUp at 1.69% with no fixed fee is competitive on small amounts. Stripe and Lloyds Accept add 20p per tap, which costs more on low-value sales.
Tell us what you need and where you operate.