UK card terminals
Choosing a card terminal in the UK in 2026 means picking three things at once: hardware (the physical device), acquirer (who actually processes the transactions), and rate model (blended, interchange-plus or transaction-fee). This hub explains the choices and routes to our individual reviews.
Hardware types
- Countertop terminals. Fixed-position hardware for retail counters and bar tops. Often plug-in, sometimes WiFi-only.
- Portable terminals. Battery + 4G or WiFi. Walk to the table, accept payment there. Standard for hospitality.
- Mobile readers. Compact Bluetooth-paired readers that work with a phone or tablet app. Cheapest entry hardware.
- Tap to Pay on iPhone. No separate hardware. Compatible iPhone reads the card or Apple Pay directly. Covered separately at /tap-to-pay-iphone/.
- Integrated POS terminals. Card terminal plus full point-of-sale till and software. Locked to specific acquirers.
Acquirers
The acquirer is the institution that actually moves money from the customer's bank to yours. UK SMB acquirers include Dojo, SumUp, Square, Zettle (PayPal), Stripe, Tide, Worldpay, Barclaycard, Elavon and a long tail of specialist players for high-risk verticals. The hardware you pick often dictates the acquirer.
Rate models
- Blended rate. One single rate per transaction (e.g. 1.7%). Simple but masks interchange-plus benefits for higher volumes.
- Interchange-plus (IC++). Card-network interchange fee + scheme fee + acquirer markup. Transparent but harder to budget. Worth it above ~£20k monthly card volume.
- Pay-as-you-go. Per-transaction rate, no monthly fee, no contract. Sweet for low-volume and seasonal businesses.
Read the reviews
Detailed hands-on reviews of the major UK terminals at /reviews/. By trade at /trade/. By high-risk vertical at /high-risk/.