UK Card Fees Index 2026: 20 Providers Compared
Card machine pricing in the UK is a mess to compare. Some providers charge a flat percentage, some add a fixed fee per payment, some charge a monthly plan, and many won't publish prices at all. This index puts the published numbers side by side and turns them into a monthly bill you can compare.
We've included 20 well known UK providers. Thirteen plans from 10 providers have public in person rates we could check on their official UK pages in October 2026. Adyen publishes an Interchange++ model, and the other nine price by quote. You can download the full index as a CSV.
How the index works
For each published plan we calculated the monthly cost for two typical small businesses:
- Small: £1,000 a month on cards at a £10 average sale (100 payments)
- Growing: £4,000 a month on cards at a £25 average sale (160 payments)
Monthly cost = turnover x percentage rate + number of payments x fixed fee + monthly fee
We kept both examples under £50,000 a year so Tyl by NatWest's published rates apply, and under £10,000 a month so myPOS's standard rate applies. Monthly fees are shown before VAT. Where a provider has different rates by card type, we used its rate for UK consumer cards, which most customers use. Business cards, Amex and overseas cards usually cost more.
The index: growing business (£4,000 a month)
| Provider and plan | Rate | Monthly fee | Monthly cost | Effective rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revolut Business (Basic plan) | 0.80% + 2p | £10.00 | £45.20 | 1.13% |
| Tide Sell In-Person Premium | 0.69% + 3p | £19.99 | £52.39 | 1.31% |
| myPOS | 1.10% + 7p | £0 | £55.20 | 1.38% |
| Tide Sell In-Person Essential | 0.89% + 3p | £17.99 | £58.39 | 1.46% |
| SumUp Payments Plus | 0.99% | £19.00 | £58.60 | 1.47% |
| SumUp pay as you go | 1.69% | £0 | £67.60 | 1.69% |
| Tide pay as you go | 1.5% + 5p | £0 | £68.00 | 1.70% |
| Square | 1.75% | £0 | £70.00 | 1.75% |
| Zettle (PayPal Point of Sale) | 1.75% | £0 | £70.00 | 1.75% |
| Lloyds Cardnet mPOS | 1.75% | £0 | £70.00 | 1.75% |
| Viva.com (Default plan) | 1.69% | £3.99 | £71.59 | 1.79% |
| Stripe Terminal | 1.4% + 10p | £0 | £72.00 | 1.80% |
| Tyl by NatWest (PAX A80 hire) | 1.39% + 5p | £13.99 | £77.59 | 1.94% |
At £4,000 a month, the gap between the cheapest and dearest published option is about £32 a month, or £388 a year.
The index: small business (£1,000 a month)
| Provider and plan | Monthly cost | Effective rate |
|---|---|---|
| SumUp pay as you go | £16.90 | 1.69% |
| Square | £17.50 | 1.75% |
| Zettle (PayPal Point of Sale) | £17.50 | 1.75% |
| Lloyds Cardnet mPOS | £17.50 | 1.75% |
| myPOS | £18.00 | 1.80% |
| Revolut Business (Basic plan) | £20.00 | 2.00% |
| Tide pay as you go | £20.00 | 2.00% |
| Viva.com (Default plan) | £20.89 | 2.09% |
| Stripe Terminal | £24.00 | 2.40% |
| SumUp Payments Plus | £28.90 | 2.89% |
| Tide Sell In-Person Essential | £29.89 | 2.99% |
| Tide Sell In-Person Premium | £29.89 | 2.99% |
| Tyl by NatWest (PAX A80 hire) | £32.89 | 3.29% |
The order flips. At low volumes, monthly fees dominate, so simple pay as you go readers with no fixed fee come out on top.
Providers that price by quote
| Provider | Pricing model (checked October 2026) |
|---|---|
| Adyen | £0.11 + Interchange++ + 0.60% |
| Teya | Quote |
| Dojo | Quote |
| Barclaycard | Quote |
| Worldpay | Quote |
| Elavon | Quote |
| Paymentsense | Quote |
| takepayments | Quote |
| Handepay | Quote |
| DNA Payments | Quote |
Adyen's model means you pay the actual interchange and scheme fees for each card, plus Adyen's 0.60% and 11p. It's aimed at larger businesses and is hard to express as one rate, so it isn't in the ranked tables.
For quote based providers, we don't publish guessed rates. If you get a quote, put the numbers into our card fee calculator to see where it would sit in this index.
What the index tells us
1. Volume decides the winner
There's no single cheapest provider. Monthly plans pay off as turnover grows, but they're poor value for small or seasonal businesses. Our no monthly fee card machines guide covers the best options if you're starting out.
2. Fixed fees punish small sales
A 5p, 7p or 10p fee per payment barely matters on a £50 sale but is a big chunk of a £3 one. Stripe's 10p fixed fee is why it falls down the small business table.
3. Headline rates hide card mix
Most published rates in this index apply to UK consumer cards. myPOS charges 2.85% plus 7p for business and non EEA cards, Square adds 1.5% for non UK cards, and Tide's published rates cover domestic consumer debit only. If many of your customers are tourists or businesses, your real cost will be higher than shown.
4. Hardware and VAT change the picture
We've left out the one off cost of readers, from about £19 to £179, and VAT on monthly fees. For a non VAT registered business, add 20% to every monthly fee. Hardware costs spread over two years add a little to each month.
Notes on each published provider
Revolut Business tops the growing business table thanks to a low 0.8% plus 2p on UK consumer cards, but you need a paid Revolut Business plan, from £10 a month, and the rate applies to UK consumer cards only.
Tide appears three times because its plans differ so much. Premium is the cheapest Tide option at higher volumes but ties you in for 12 months. All Tide figures are for domestic consumer debit cards.
myPOS is strong on bigger sales and pays out instantly, but its 7p fee and higher rates for business and overseas cards are worth checking against your card mix.
SumUp is the cheapest at low volumes on pay as you go, and Payments Plus becomes worth it at about £2,700 a month.
Square and Zettle both charge a flat 1.75%, with no monthly fee. They're predictable, and both come with free point of sale software.
Lloyds Cardnet mPOS matches the flat 1.75%, but payouts take about three working days and the reader costs £49.
Viva.com charges 1.69% but its Default plan adds £3.99 a month, which pushes it down the small business table.
Stripe Terminal suits businesses already using Stripe online. Its 10p fixed fee hurts on small payments.
Tyl by NatWest sits at the bottom here because the terminal hire is included. It comes with a full countertop terminal and printer, and there's no minimum monthly charge, which a pay as you go reader can't match on features.
What we left out
To keep the comparison fair, we didn't include online payment rates, payment links or phone payments, which are usually priced higher. We also left out cash advance, banking and point of sale add ons. If you need those, compare them separately in our guides to online payment systems and payment gateways.
Rate types explained
- Flat rate: one percentage for every card. Easy to predict.
- Percentage plus fixed fee: a lower percentage with a pence charge on each payment.
- Subscription: a monthly fee in exchange for a lower rate.
- Interchange++: the real card scheme costs passed through, plus a margin. See our guide to interchange fees.
- Blended quote: a custom rate set after a sales conversation.
Worked example: picking from the index
Jo runs a gift shop taking about £4,000 a month on cards, with an average sale of £25. Most customers pay with UK debit cards, but in summer some are tourists.
From the growing business table, Revolut Business, Tide Premium and myPOS look cheapest. But Jo checks the details. Revolut needs a paid plan, and its headline rate is for UK consumer cards. Tide's rates are for domestic consumer debit only, and Premium has a 12 month contract. myPOS charges 2.85% plus 7p on non EEA cards, which matters in summer.
So Jo works out a summer month with 20% overseas cards for each option, adds VAT to the monthly fees, and compares again. The winner might change. That's the point of the index: it's a starting shortlist, not the final answer.
How to use this index
- Find your monthly card turnover and average sale from your last statement.
- Check which table is closer to your business.
- Shortlist two or three providers.
- Ask the quote based providers to beat your shortlist in writing.
- Check contract terms, payout speed and hardware before you switch.
Pros and cons of the cheapest options
Subscription plans
Pros: lowest effective rates at higher volumes Cons: you pay in quiet months, and some have contracts
Pay as you go readers
Pros: no commitment, cheapest at low volumes Cons: higher rates as you grow
Who this index is for
Small business owners choosing or reviewing a card machine, accountants advising clients, and journalists comparing UK card fees. Please credit PaymentMachine and link to this page if you use the data.
Methodology and updates
All rates come from providers' official UK pricing pages, checked October 2026. We use the standard published rate for in person UK consumer card payments and the cheapest standard plan or hardware hire where needed. Figures are rounded to the nearest penny. Providers change prices often. Tide, for example, has said its fees will change on 1 December 2026, so always check the provider's site before signing up. We review the index regularly.
Key takeaways
- There's no single cheapest provider. Your turnover, average sale and card mix decide it.
- Monthly plans win at higher volumes and lose at low ones.
- Fixed pence fees matter most on small sales.
- Quote based providers can be competitive, but only a written quote tells you.
FAQs
Which UK card machine provider is cheapest?
It depends on your volume. In our index, SumUp's pay as you go plan was cheapest at £1,000 a month, and Revolut Business's Basic plan was cheapest at £4,000 a month on UK consumer cards.
Why aren't Dojo or Worldpay ranked?
They price by quote, so there's no public rate we could verify. Get a quote and compare it with the index.
Does the index include VAT?
No. Monthly fees are shown before VAT. Transaction fees on card payments are generally exempt from VAT.
Does the index include hardware costs?
No. Reader prices vary from about £19 to £179 and are a one off cost.
How often is the index updated?
We check published rates regularly. This version was checked October 2026.
Can I download the data?
Yes. The CSV file includes every provider, rate and calculated cost.