Card machines by trade
Different trades have different card-flow shapes. A restaurant needs split-bill and tipping; a mobile trader needs no-contract economics; a vape shop needs a high-risk specialist. These pages route you to the right terminal and acquirer for your trade.
Restaurants
Recommended: Dojo Go
Sit-down restaurants need table-side terminals, split-bill support, and tip handling. Card volume tends to be high with bigger transaction sizes than fast-food.
Pubs
Recommended: Dojo Go
Bar-run pubs need fast tap-and-go transactions, bar-tab opening, and resilience over busy nights. Card volume varies wildly by location.
Salons and barbers
Recommended: Dojo Go
Treatment-by-treatment payment, tipping, deposit-on-booking are common. Card volume depends on chair count and footfall.
Mobile traders
Recommended: Tap to Pay on iPhone
Mobile mechanics, mobile groomers, market traders, pop-up retail. No fixed location, intermittent connectivity.
Vape shops
Recommended: High-risk specialist hardware (PAX A920, Verifone)
Vape and CBD retail are classified high-risk by most mainstream UK acquirers. Specialist routing required.
Taxis and private hire
Recommended: Tap to Pay on iPhone or compact Bluetooth reader
Single-driver and fleet taxis. Card volume highly variable; many trips still cash-based but contactless growing fast.
Cafés and coffee shops
Recommended: Square Terminal or SumUp Solo
Independent cafés, coffee shops and small bakeries. High-frequency, low-value transactions. Strong contactless share.
Hotels and B&Bs
Recommended: Dojo Go (with PoS integration if available)
Independent hotels and B&Bs. Mixed payment patterns: card-on-file authorisations at booking, settlements at checkout, ancillary spend during stay.
Electricians and plumbers
Recommended: Tap to Pay on iPhone
Mobile trades, electricians, plumbers, gas engineers. Job-by-job payment, sometimes hours after completion. Contactless and Apple Pay common.
Dog groomers and mobile pet services
Recommended: Tap to Pay on iPhone or SumUp Solo
Mobile and shop-based dog groomers, pet-walking services, mobile pet care. Job-by-job payment.
Market traders and pop-up retail
Recommended: SumUp Solo or Tap to Pay on iPhone
Outdoor market stalls, pop-up retail, event traders. Volatile flow tied to event days. No fixed location.
Gyms and fitness studios
Recommended: Stripe Reader S700 with PoS integration
Gym chains, independent studios, yoga / pilates / CrossFit. Subscription-led revenue with secondary in-person purchases (PT sessions, merch, drinks).
Dentists and private clinics
Recommended: Square Terminal with practice-management integration
NHS and mixed-private dental practices, cosmetic dentistry, allied health. Higher-value transactions, often staged across treatment plans.
Veterinary practices
Recommended: Dojo Go with PoS integration
Independent and chain vet practices. High-value emergency transactions plus routine care. Insurance-linked transactions add complexity.
Beauty clinics and aesthetic services
Recommended: Square Terminal
Aesthetic clinics, laser, injectable, semi-permanent makeup, advanced beauty. Higher-value transactions, deposit-on-booking, treatment-plan staged payments.
Florists
Recommended: Square Terminal
High-street florists, online florists, event-led floristry. Order-taking by phone and online plus in-shop purchases.
Butchers and fishmongers
Recommended: SumUp Solo or Square Terminal
Independent butchers, fishmongers and farm-shop counters. High-frequency, mid-value transactions; weight-priced.
Gardeners and landscapers
Recommended: Tap to Pay on iPhone
Mobile gardeners, landscape contractors, garden designers. Job-by-job payment, sometimes weeks after completion. Materials often invoiced separately.
Jewellers
Recommended: Dojo Go
Independent jewellers, repairs and bespoke. Higher-value transactions, deposit-on-bespoke common, insurance-card scrutiny.
Pet shops and pet retailers
Recommended: Square Terminal
Independent pet shops, aquariums, exotic-pet retailers. Mix of retail goods and live-animal sales (with associated regulation).
Caterers and food trucks
Recommended: SumUp Solo or Tap to Pay on iPhone
Independent caterers, mobile food trucks, festival traders, event caterers. Mobile or semi-mobile operations with strong seasonal patterns.
Tattoo and piercing studios
Recommended: Square Terminal
Independent tattoo studios, piercing artists, micropigmentation. Higher-value transactions, deposit-on-booking, treatment over multiple sessions.
Soft play and play centres
Recommended: Dojo Go
Indoor play centres, trampoline parks, bowling alleys, escape rooms. Family-led venues with strong weekend / school-holiday peaks.
Self-storage operators
Recommended: Stripe Reader S700 (or Tap to Pay for small operators)
Self-storage units, lockup operators, vehicle storage. Subscription-led revenue with primarily card-on-file recurring billing.
B&Bs and Airbnb hosts
Recommended: Stripe Reader S700 or Tap to Pay on iPhone
Independent B&Bs, self-catering hosts, Airbnb / VRBO operators. Booking-platform-mediated revenue plus direct bookings.
Independent pharmacies
Recommended: Square Terminal
Independent pharmacies and chemists. Mix of NHS prescription dispensing (NHS-side reimbursement, not card) and over-the-counter retail. Card volume varies widely.
Post Offices and newsagents
Recommended: Dojo Go
Post Office branches (independently operated) and newsagents. Multi-revenue: postal services, mail-order, retail, lottery, bill-pay, e-top-up. High transaction count, low average ticket.
Cash-and-carry and wholesale
Recommended: Adyen or Worldpay tier-one terminal (above £40k monthly); Dojo Go below
Cash-and-carry depots, builders' merchants and wholesale trade counters. B2B-led with commercial cards common. Higher-value transactions and account-customer flow.
Grocery stores and convenience retail
Recommended: Dojo Go
Independent grocery stores, convenience retail, off-licences, ethnic-food specialists. High transaction count, low-to-mid ticket. Strong contactless share.
Import-export and international trade
Recommended: Adyen or Stripe Reader S700
Independent import-export businesses, freight forwarders, international trade counters. Cross-border invoicing, multi-currency settlement, B2B-heavy with commercial cards common.