In short: compare the total cost of a card machine, not just the headline rate. Look at the contract length, how quickly the money reaches your bank, how the machine connects, and any fees that sit outside the rate. Here is a plain checklist.
Most small businesses end up with their card machine by accident. It came with the bank account, or a salesperson turned up at the right moment, and nobody has looked at it since. That is a shame, because a card machine is something you pay for every month and use every day. A little time spent comparing is worth it.
The rate you pay
The rate is the share of each card payment that goes to the provider. It can differ by card type, and some providers quote one rate for everything while others quote several. Whichever it is, ask for it in writing and ask what it applies to. A low rate on a card type your customers rarely use tells you very little.
The most reliable way to compare is to work out what you pay now. Take a recent monthly statement, add up everything you were charged (the rate, the monthly fee and any other line) and set that against your total card takings for the same month. That tells you what card payments really cost your business, and gives you a fair figure to compare any new offer against.
Contract length
Ask how long you are committed for and what happens at the end. Some agreements roll on automatically. Some carry a charge if you leave early. A short minimum term gives you room to change your mind, and a long one should come with something in return. Whatever you are told, get the term confirmed in writing before you sign.
How quickly you are paid
Cash flow matters to a small business, so ask when the money from a sale reaches your bank account. Is it the next working day, or longer? Does it include weekends and bank holidays? If you are paid for a job on a Friday afternoon, that difference is easy to feel.
How the machine connects
A machine on Wi-Fi is fine on a counter with a steady connection. If you work from a van, a market stall or a customer's driveway, a machine with its own mobile connection is usually easier. Ask what the machine does when the signal drops, and whether the connection is included or charged for separately.
Fees that hide outside the rate
Before you sign, ask about each of these:
- A monthly fee for the machine itself
- A minimum monthly charge if your takings are low
- Charges for a certain type of card, or for taking payments by phone
- A fee for cancelling or for returning the machine
- Anything described as an admin, compliance or statement fee
None of these is unusual, and none is a problem if you know about it. It only becomes a problem when it appears on a statement you did not expect.
The everyday things
Check that the machine takes contactless payments, chip and PIN, and Apple Pay and Google Pay, because customers expect all of them. Ask how receipts work and who you call when something goes wrong. A machine that is cheap but hard to get help with is not cheap on a busy Saturday.
Questions to ask before you sign
- Is the rate the same for every type of card, and is that in writing?
- What is the minimum term, and what is the charge for cancelling early?
- When does the money reach my bank, including at weekends?
- Which fees are charged on top of the rate?
- Who do you speak to when the machine stops working?
If a provider will not answer these in writing, treat that as an answer. It is also worth looking again once a year, or whenever your takings change a lot, because a deal that suited you two years ago may not suit you now.
How we handle it
With our package, you take a card machine from our payment provider at £25 + VAT a month, paid to our payment provider, and your website, domain, hosting and one business mailbox are included while you keep it. The minimum term is set by the provider's agreement: 3 months for a sole trader and 18 months for a limited company. We add no term of our own.
Before you decide anything, we compare your current card rate and show what ours would cost, so you are comparing real figures rather than promises. You can see the machine on the card machine page, the whole offer on the package page, and the steps in order on how it works. Questions about rates are answered in the FAQ.