Best card terminals by sector
The right card terminal depends almost entirely on your sector. A pub needs same-next-day weekend settlement and split-bill UX. A market trader needs free 4G and full-day battery. A healthcare practice needs deposit-on-booking and a printed receipt. These pages route you to the strongest fit for your sector at 2026 rates.
Hospitality
Top pick: dojo go
Pubs, restaurants, gastropubs, cafés and bars. The highest-volume UK card-acceptance segment, contactless-heavy, and the segment where same-next-day settlement and reliable peak-hour throughput matter most. The right terminal here is rarely the cheapest one on paper.
Retail
Top pick: square terminal
Independent shops, boutiques, fixed-location retailers. Lower transaction sizes than hospitality, higher transaction count, and the customer expectation is fast, reliable contactless. Card terminal here lives next to the till and runs hundreds of touches a week.
Market traders
Top pick: sumup solo
Stallholders at indoor and outdoor UK markets. Mobile setup, weather-exposed, increasingly contactless as cash habits shift. The trade-off is hardware durability vs cost: pay for ruggedness only if you genuinely trade outdoors year-round.
Salons and barbers
Top pick: dojo go
Hairdressers, beauty salons, barbers, nail bars. Multi-staff splits, treatment-by-treatment payment, deposit-on-booking flows, and tipping. Booking-system integration (Treatwell, Fresha, Booksy) is often the deciding factor.
Charities
Top pick: sumup solo
Registered charities, churches and not-for-profits collecting donations. Distinct from commercial card acceptance because of Gift Aid, lower-volume seasonality, and different acquirer underwriting. The Faith Institutions section covers donation hardware in depth; this page is the broader charity-sector summary.
Mobile traders
Top pick: tap to pay iphone
Van conversions, mobile beauticians, mobile mechanics, dog groomers, plumbers, electricians, food trucks. No fixed location, intermittent connectivity, weather-exposed at points. The right answer is hardware that works on 4G with all-day battery, or no hardware at all (Tap to Pay on iPhone).
Healthcare
Top pick: square terminal
Private clinics, dental surgeries, physiotherapists, osteopaths, private GPs. Higher transaction sizes than retail, often appointment-based with deposit-on-booking, and frequently regulated (CQC, GDC, GMC) which sets indirect expectations on data handling and audit. Card acceptance is straightforward; the operational fit is what matters.
Automotive
Top pick: dojo go
Garages, MOT centres, parts retailers, tyre fitters, vehicle service shops. Higher ticket sizes than retail, frequent non-card-present payments (phone bookings, deposits), and a customer base that still includes a meaningful cash share. Card terminal needs to cover both forecourt and service-bay scenarios.
Food vans and street food
Top pick: sumup solo
Mobile catering, food trucks, festival vendors, street food markets, pop-up kitchens. High-volume short-shift trading, weather-resilient setup, fast contactless throughput, and 4G connectivity wherever the pitch happens to be. Battery life and ruggedness are the live questions.
Pop-ups and event retail
Top pick: square terminal
Flash retail, Christmas markets, weekend events, brand activations, sample sales. Short-duration trading, often a single weekend or a 6-week pop-up shop. The right answer is hardware you can buy outright with no contract, set up in 30 minutes, and pause when the event ends.