Guide
Card machines for UK businesses
Choosing a card machine should come down to how you actually trade — not who called you first. Here is what matters, in plain English.
The three main types
Countertop terminals sit by the till and suit fixed service points. Portable terminals roam the venue on Wi-Fi and suit table service. Mobile terminals use 4G and suit markets, events, deliveries and mobile trades.
The fees that actually move the needle
Headline rates rarely tell the whole story. Look for the transaction rate, any per-item authorisation fee, monthly terminal rental, PCI or service charges, and settlement time. Two offers with the same headline rate can differ by hundreds of pounds a year once those are included.
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