Card Machine Rental vs Buy 2026: Which Costs Less Over 3 Years?
Here's a sum worth doing before you sign anything. A card machine rented at £20 a month plus VAT costs £864 over three years. You can buy a decent standalone terminal for a fraction of that. So why does anyone rent? Because the rate you pay per transaction often matters more than the hardware, and rental deals can come with lower rates, support and swaps when things break. We pulled real October 2026 prices from UK providers' own websites to help you work out which way round makes sense for you.
The short answer
- Buy if you take under about £5,000 a month on cards, trade seasonally, or want no contract.
- Rent if you take well over £10,000 a month, need integration with a till, and can negotiate a low transaction rate that more than covers the rental.
- Somewhere in between? Look at providers that let you buy hardware outright and get a lower rate, such as SumUp's Payments Plus or Revolut, before signing a rental contract.
What it costs to buy
| Device | Price | Provider rate |
|---|---|---|
| Square Reader | £19 ex VAT list price | 1.75% |
| SumUp Solo Lite | £25 ex VAT | 1.69%, or 0.99% with Payments Plus at £19 a month |
| PayPal Reader (Zettle) | £29 ex VAT for new users | 1.75% |
| Revolut Reader | £49 | 0.8% + 2p on UK consumer cards |
| SumUp Solo | £79 ex VAT | As above |
| SumUp Terminal | £135 ex VAT | As above |
| Square Terminal | £149 ex VAT | 1.75% |
| Revolut Terminal | £169 + VAT | 0.8% + 2p on UK consumer cards |
All prices from providers' official UK sites, checked October 2026. Revolut requires a Revolut Business account, which has its own plan fee.
What it costs to rent
| Provider | Monthly cost | Term | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elavon Tetra Desk | £15 plan fee | 12 month contract | 0.99% on personal Visa and Mastercard |
| Elavon Tetra Move | £18 plan fee | 12 month contract | 0.99% on personal Visa and Mastercard |
| Paymentsense (example) | £20 + VAT per terminal | Not shown on pricing page | Example 1.40% + 5p |
| Worldpay | Hire fee not shown | 18 month hire agreement | 1.50% on Simplicity |
| Dojo Pocket | £25 a month, or £149 upfront | Not shown | 1.2% blended under £100,000 a year |
Sources: elavon.co.uk, paymentsense.com/uk/pricing, worldpay.com and dojo.tech/pricing, checked October 2026.
Dojo is an interesting case: you can choose to buy the Pocket outright for £149 or pay £25 a month. Worth asking any provider whether an outright purchase is possible.
Worked costs over three years
Hardware is only part of the story, so here's the total over 36 months, including transaction fees, at three turnover levels. We've assumed UK personal cards only and ignored PCI and other extras, which tend to make rental look worse.
| Monthly takings | Buy: Square Reader (1.75%) | Buy: SumUp Solo Lite + Payments Plus (0.99% + £19) | Rent: Elavon Desk (0.99% + £15) |
|---|---|---|---|
| £2,000 | £1,279 | £1,422 | £1,253 |
| £10,000 | £6,319 | £4,273 | £4,104 |
| £30,000 | £18,919 | £11,401 | £11,232 |
How we worked it out: Square is £19 plus 1.75% a month for 36 months. SumUp is £25 plus (0.99% plus £19) for 36 months. Elavon is (0.99% plus £15) for 36 months. Prices for hardware exclude VAT.
The striking thing is how close the rental and buy options are once a buy option offers a low rate. And at £2,000 a month, every option costs about the same. That's why "rent or buy" is really "which rate structure".
When renting is clearly worse
A rental with a higher rate and lots of monthly extras quickly loses. The Paymentsense example schedule at £2,000 a month works out at about £63 a month once rental, PCI and authorisation fees are included, nearly double the £35 you'd pay on a bought reader at 1.75%.
Pros and cons
Buying
Pros
- One off cost, often under £50
- No contract on most app based readers
- Easy to stop trading or switch provider
- Second device as a backup is cheap
Cons
- If it breaks outside warranty, you replace it
- Flat rates like 1.69% to 1.75% get expensive as you grow
- Hardware locked to one provider
Renting
Pros
- Lower negotiated rates for bigger businesses
- Faulty machines usually swapped by the provider
- Often comes with till integration and phone support
Cons
- Monthly cost whatever you take
- 12 to 18 month contracts with exit fees
- Extras such as PCI and minimum charges
- You never own the machine
Rent or buy for your type of business
Cafe
At £8,000 to £15,000 a month, compare a rental with a low rate against SumUp Payments Plus or Revolut. They're close, so support and features should decide.
Market stall
Buy. Seasonal trade and quiet months make monthly rental hard to justify.
Hairdresser
Buying usually wins below about £6,000 a month. A salon taking much more should get a rental quote and compare it like for like.
Trades
Buy a mobile reader with its own SIM or a phone paired reader. Rental mobile terminals exist, but you'll pay through slow months too.
Taxi
Buy, unless your fleet or radio circuit supplies terminals. A driver taking £3,000 a month will rarely beat a bought reader on total cost.
Leasing: the third option to be wary of
Some businesses are offered a card machine on a lease rather than a rental. It sounds similar, but it's often very different. A lease is usually a finance agreement, sometimes with a separate finance company, for a fixed number of years. You keep paying even if you stop using the machine or change card processor, and leases can be hard to get out of.
If you're offered a lease, ask:
- Who the lease is with, and whether it's separate from the processing agreement.
- How long it runs and what the total cost is over the full term.
- Whether it can be cancelled, and at what cost.
- Whether you can buy the same machine outright instead.
For most small businesses, buying a reader or renting on a short, clear term is better value than a multi year lease.
What happens to your hardware when you switch
This is where buying and renting really differ.
Bought readers are usually locked to the provider that sold them. A SumUp reader won't work with Square, and vice versa. If you switch, the old reader becomes a spare or goes in a drawer. At £19 to £49, that's not a big loss.
Rented terminals have to go back when the agreement ends. Some agreements charge if a machine isn't returned or comes back damaged. Keep the box and note the return instructions when it arrives.
Bigger terminals bought outright, such as Dojo's Pocket at £149 upfront, are also normally tied to the provider. Factor in that you can't take them with you.
Hidden costs on both sides
| Cost | Buying | Renting |
|---|---|---|
| Hardware upfront | £5 to £249 depending on device | Usually none |
| Monthly rental | None | £15 to £25 or more |
| Repairs and replacement | Your cost after warranty (SumUp includes a one year warranty) | Usually covered |
| PCI fees | Not listed by SumUp, Square or Zettle | Often £4.95 a month or more |
| Exit fees | None on no contract readers | Possible on fixed terms |
| Accessories | Docks, printers, cases extra | Sometimes included |
Prices and terms from providers' UK websites, checked October 2026.
A quick rule of thumb
Work out your yearly card takings and multiply by the rate difference between a bought reader and a rental quote. If the saving is bigger than the yearly rental and extras, renting can make sense. If it isn't, buy. At £60,000 a year, a 0.76% rate difference (1.75% against 0.99%) saves £456, comfortably more than £180 a year in Elavon's £15 monthly fee. At £15,000 a year, it saves just £114, less than that same fee.
Questions to ask before you sign a rental
- What's the total monthly cost including VAT, PCI, minimum charges and any reporting fees?
- How long is the term, and does it roll over automatically?
- What does it cost to leave early?
- Is the rental agreement separate from the processing agreement?
- Can I buy the machine outright instead?
Our guide to merchant account providers explains the difference between acquirers and app based providers, and our PDQ machine guide covers the terminals themselves.
FAQs
Is it better to rent or buy a card machine?
For most small businesses, buying is cheaper and more flexible. Renting can make sense for larger businesses if it comes with a low enough rate to beat a bought reader's flat rate.
How much does it cost to rent a card machine in the UK?
The published prices we found in October 2026 were £15 to £18 a month at Elavon (as plan fees) and £20 a month plus VAT in Paymentsense's example. Dojo's Pocket costs £25 a month or £149 upfront.
How much does it cost to buy a card machine?
From £19 ex VAT list price for a Square Reader up to around £169 plus VAT for a standalone terminal such as the Revolut Terminal.
Can I use a bought card reader with any provider?
No. App based readers only work with the provider that sold them.
What happens if a rented machine breaks?
Most providers will replace it, but check your agreement for any fees and how quickly a swap arrives.
Can I cancel a rental early?
Usually only by paying an exit fee. Ask for the cancellation terms in writing before you sign.