For businesses looking to scale, keeping transaction fees low is key. While upfront card reader prices and monthly fees matter, transaction costs can significantly impact profitability – especially for high-volume businesses like subscription services, digital products, and online retail.
To help you find the best value, we’ve weighed up all the associated costs and features to bring you the most cost-effective card readers available for growing businesses.
SumUp Air
Transaction fee: From 0.99%
Features:
- Free business account available for payouts
- Receive funds within one day for a limited time
- Free bank transfers
The SumUp Air card reader costs £22 for your first device, with subsequent readers priced at £34. Choose between pay-as-you-go (1.69% per in-person transaction, 2.5% for online) or subscription pricing (£19 per month, 0.99% per transaction).
Revolut
Transaction fee: From 0.8% + 2p (UK consumer cards), 1% + 20p for in-person payments
Features:
- Customisable product catalogue within the Revolut app
- Next-day access to funds
- No-fee refunds
- Fraud monitoring included
- Receive and settle payments in over 25 currencies
The Revolut reader costs £49.
MyPOS
Transaction fee: 1.10% – 2.85% + 7p per transaction
Features:
- Built-in SIM card for 3G/4G connectivity
- Send digital receipts via email or SMS
- Instant payment settlement
- E-money and IBAN account in over 14 currencies
The MyPOS Go 2 card reader starts from £39. Businesses processing over £10,000 per month can request custom rates.
Dojo Go
Transaction fee: Fixed 1% rate or flat monthly fee from £39.99
Features:
- Next-day transfers
- 24-hour card machine replacement
- 10-hour battery life
- Next working day terminal delivery
The terminal fee starts from £15 per month. A flat £39.99 rate covers transaction fees up to £3,999, with additional sales charged at 1%.
Tyl by NatWest
Transaction fee (up to £50,000 turnover): UK/Europe personal cards – 1.39% + 5p; all other cards – 1.99% + 5p
Features:
- No international card payment fees
- Free refunds
- Integrates with accountancy software
Devices start at £9.99 per month, and the first three months are free. Businesses processing over £50,000 per month can request custom pricing.
Square
Transaction fee: 1.75% per in-person transaction
Features:
- Accepts Apple Pay and Google Pay
- No charge for payment dispute management
- One-year warranty
- Bluetooth-enabled
The Square card reader costs £19. Custom rates are available for businesses processing over £200,000 in annual card sales.
Zettle
Transaction fee: 1.75% per transaction (including Amex)
Features:
- Create and sell gift cards
- Point-of-sale integrations
- Use PayPal debit card anywhere MasterCard is accepted
- Cashback on eligible purchases
The PayPal card reader (formerly the Zettle card reader) starts at £29 for new businesses (£59 for additional readers).
Barclaycard Anywhere
Transaction fee: 1.6% per transaction
Features:
- No contract – pay-as-you-trade
- Could cover up to £3,000 in exit fees from your current provider
- Supports up to 700 sales per day on a full charge
- Next-day payments
- Free FreshBooks account
The terminal costs £29.
Need an affordable card payment solution?
Find the cheapest payment provider for your business today. Simply fill in our free merchant account quote form —it takes less than a minute.
See also: Mobile payment systems for events and festivals – A mobile payment system is a point-of-sale device that accepts payment via cards and mobile phones – here are some of the best options on the market
