10 card payment machines ideal for small business

The useful part

Tim Adler In an increasingly cashless society, if you don't have card payment machines, you risk losing out on sales. Every one of the card payment machines on this page accepts debit, mobile and card payments. There are differences in features, fees and upfront costs which will make some more or less suitable for your business than others.

How it works

• The phrase 'cash is king' has never been truer, but how can small businesses like yours ensure a healthy inflow of money to cover costs and make profits?
• How to optimise cash flow with cashless payments Fees Transaction fees are taken by your card payment provider as a percentage of every payment made through your card machine.
• Mobile card readers are even more compact, battery-powered devices that use a 4G/eSIM/Wi-Fi signal to take card payments wherever you are.
• It works over Wi-Fi or its built-in 4G connection, and Tide includes lifetime 4G connectivity with the device.
• If you have lower revenue, or if you prefer more predictable pricing, you can choose the simplicity pricing tariff, which rolls all the standard charges into one transparent monthly cost.

What to take from it

They're higher for the simple reason that there's a greater risk of fraud during these kinds of payments. This article will break down the hardware and functionality of the best card payment machines currently on the market to help you choose the one that's right for you. Card Payment Machine Reviews Jump straight to a particular card machine or discover our full ranking of the 10 best card payment machines for small UK businesses in 2025.

Example or evidence

• Card payment machine costs are made up of the cost of the device and the cost of payment processing fees.
• Device cost Mobile card readers generally cost between £20 and £60, countertop card machines cost between £40 and £250.
• You can either buy the device outright or rent the device for a monthly cost.
• They're typically between 1.5 per cent and 2 per cent of the value of the transaction, and sometimes have a fixed amount in pennies (e.g.

Details worth keeping

10 card payment machines ideal for small business. The 2025 UK Payment Markets report, found that debit card payments are by far the country's most popular type, accounting for more than half of all payments (26.1 of 49 billion transactions) made in 2024, while 39% of all payments were made using contactless cards or mobiles. By contrast, less than 10% of all payments were made in cash.

Related coverage

• Mytunbridgewells: Most "best card machine" roundups are written for businesses with dedicated finance teams and monthly turnovers well into five figures. They compare enterprise POS systems and pricing tiers that make […]
• Smallbusiness: By Anna Jordan on Small Business UK - Advice and Ideas for UK Small Businesses and SMEs Cutting costs is a key focus for a lot of small businesses at the moment.
• Finextra: Finix, the full-stack payment processor enabling businesses to accept and send payments online and in-store, today announced the addition of a new Android-enabled payment tablet to its suite of in-person...