UK card machine fees calculator
Enter your monthly card volume and average transaction. The calculator estimates 12-month effective cost across the major UK acquirers, including transaction fees, monthly fees and typical hardware costs. Headline rates rarely tell the real story below £20k monthly volume; this page does.
Calculator uses headline rates and typical monthly fees as published by each acquirer. Actual rates negotiated with brokers or interchange-plus deals vary. Hardware costs apply where the acquirer charges for the terminal. Read individual terminal reviews for full pricing detail.
How the calculation works
Each acquirer has a different cost model. The calculator estimates 12-month total cost by:
- Multiplying monthly volume by transaction-rate percentage.
- Adding 12x monthly fee where the acquirer charges one.
- Adding hardware cost (one-off, amortised over 12 months for comparison).
- Approximating effective rate as percentage of monthly volume for like-for-like comparison.
What it does not do: factor in interchange-plus pricing for higher-volume merchants (where the rate fluctuates per transaction), surcharging, or sector-specific risk loadings.