Top 7 Best Card Machines For Beauty Salons: 2026 UK

Beauty salons have a payment problem most shops don't: the client books weeks ahead, and if they don't turn up, that hour of your therapist's time is gone. So the best setup for a salon isn't just a card machine. It's a card machine plus a booking system that can take a deposit or charge a no show fee.

Salon sales also tend to be bigger than in a café. A set of gels, a lash lift or a facial is often £30 to £120, which changes which fees work out cheapest. Here are the best options for UK beauty, nail and aesthetics salons, with prices checked October 2026.

Quick picks

• Best all-in-one for bookings and payments: Square, with Square Appointments
• Best low cost card reader: SumUp
• Best for busy salons wanting tailored rates: Teya
• Best for multi-room or multi-site salons: Dojo
• Best low percentage with no monthly fee: myPOS
• Best simple option with a free POS app: PayPal Point of Sale
• Best for fast access to your takings: Viva.com

What a salon needs from a card machine

Deposits and no show protection

This is the big one. Taking a deposit at booking, or saving a card to charge a cancellation fee, can cut no shows sharply. That's handled by your booking software, so pick a card machine that works with it.

Larger average sales

With £40 to £100 treatments, fixed fees per transaction matter much less. A rate like 1.10% plus 7p can beat a flat 1.69% on bigger bills.

Tips and product sales

Clients often tip on card. If you employ therapists, card tips have to be passed on in full under the Tipping Act. You'll also want to ring up retail products, like aftercare kits, at the same terminal.

Self-employed therapists

Many salons rent chairs or rooms. If your therapists are self-employed, they may need their own reader so payments go straight to them. That makes cheap, no-contract readers handy.

The 7 best card machines for salons

1. Square

Square charges 1.75% on in-person UK card payments. Square Appointments, its booking software, is free for one location on the Free plan, £29 a month on Plus and £69 a month on Premium (checked October 2026). Transaction fees apply on top. The Reader is £19 and the Terminal £149.

Pros - Bookings, payments and client records in one place - Online booking with prepayment options - Cheap reader, no contract

Cons - 1.75% on every card, including debit - Advanced features sit in paid plans

Best for: salons that want one system for the diary and the till. See our Square card reader review.

2. SumUp

SumUp is 1.69% on pay as you go, or 0.99% on Payments Plus for £19 a month. The Solo costs £79. SumUp also offers invoices and payment links, handy for taking a deposit by text.

Pros - Low flat rate - Payment links for deposits - Great for self-employed therapists renting a room

Cons - No built-in salon booking diary - Payment links cost 2.5%

Best for: small salons and freelance therapists. Read our SumUp review.

3. Teya

Teya quotes rates to fit your volume and sector rather than publishing a list. It settles takings the next day, including weekends, and connects to over 200 EPOS systems. Tipping is built into the terminal.

Pros - Tailored rates for established salons - Weekend settlement - Works with many booking and EPOS systems

Cons - You need a quote to know the price - Extra 0.10% if you settle to a non-Teya bank account

Best for: established salons with steady takings. See our Teya review.

4. Dojo

Dojo publishes a blended rate from 1.2% for smaller businesses (checked October 2026) and is known for quick terminals. It integrates with a number of salon booking systems.

Pros - Fast, reliable terminals - Good for multiple rooms and sites - Integrations with booking software

Cons - Monthly hardware costs - Overkill for a single room

Best for: larger salons and spas. Read our Dojo review.

5. myPOS

myPOS charges 1.10% plus 7p on domestic consumer cards for businesses under £10,000 a month, with no monthly fee. The Go 2 is £39. Takings land in your myPOS account in seconds.

Pros - Cheap on bigger bills - No subscription - Instant payouts

Cons - Higher rates on Amex (2.45% + 7p) and business cards - No booking diary of its own

Best for: aesthetics clinics and salons with higher average bills. See our myPOS review.

6. PayPal Point of Sale

Formerly Zettle, this charges 1.75% per card payment. The reader is £29 for new users and the Terminal £149. The free POS app is good for selling retail products alongside treatments.

Pros - Simple, free POS app - Cheap first reader - Integrates with some booking tools

Cons - No built-in booking or deposits - Same rate as Square with fewer salon features

Best for: nail bars and walk-in services. Read our Zettle review.

7. Viva.com

Viva charges 1.69% on UK consumer cards in person, with account plans from £3.99 a month. It offers real-time settlement, and you can use its Terminal app on an Android phone (minimum fee of 10p per transaction on the app).

Pros - Money available fast - Phone app or terminal - Low monthly plan

Cons - Extra fees on refunds (£0.30) - Support levels cost more on lower plans

Best for: salons that want fast access to takings. See our Viva review.

Booking integrations

Your booking software decides how deposits work, so choose that first. Popular salon booking tools in the UK include Square Appointments, Fresha, Treatwell, Phorest, Timely and Booksy. Some take payments themselves, others connect to a card machine. When you compare:

• Check who processes the deposit. It's often the booking tool, at its own online rate.
• Check the card machine integration. Does the bill pull through to the terminal, or do you type the amount?
• Check fees for saved cards. Charging a no show fee is a card not present payment and often costs more.

Deposits and no show fees: what works

• Set a clear policy and show it at booking, such as a 24 or 48 hour cancellation window.
• Use a deposit for long or high value treatments, like 20% to 50% of the price.
• Save a card for no show fees on shorter services, rather than a full deposit.
• Send reminders by text or email the day before.

A deposit is part payment for a service, so it isn't a surcharge. But you must make the terms clear before the client books.

Fees on a typical treatment

What a £60 treatment costs to process, on published UK consumer card rates:

Run your own monthly numbers in our card fee calculator.

Who should pick what

• Solo therapist or room renter: SumUp or myPOS, no contract, plus a booking app
• Small salon with two or three staff: Square with Square Appointments
• Busy salon with a team: a Teya or Dojo quote, linked to your booking system

If you also do hair, our guide to card readers for hairdressers covers barbers and stylists.

FAQs

What's the best card machine for a beauty salon?

For most small salons, Square with Square Appointments is the easiest all-in-one. Busier salons should get a quote from Teya or Dojo and compare.

Can I take deposits on a card machine?

Deposits are usually taken online at booking, through your booking software or a payment link. The card machine handles the rest of the payment on the day.

Can I charge a no show fee?

Yes, if your terms were clear when the client booked. Many booking systems let you save a card and charge the fee later.

Should self-employed therapists have their own card reader?

Usually yes, so payments go straight to them. A cheap reader like the SumUp Solo or myPOS Go 2 works well.

Do I have to pass card tips to my staff?

Yes, if they're your workers. Since October 2024 employers must pass on all tips in full and have a written tipping policy.

Is myPOS cheaper than Square for salons?

On bigger bills, often yes. On a £60 treatment myPOS costs about 73p and Square £1.05, on UK consumer cards.