Best UK Card Machine Providers Compared (2025): Teya, SumUp, Dojo, Square & Zettle
Best UK Card Machine Providers Compared for 2025
Teya, SumUp, Dojo, Square, Zettle — side by side on fees, features, settlement speed, and support. Find out which one is right for your business.
🥇 Our top pick: Teya — the best all-round card machine provider for UK businesses. Teya wins because it offers the most complete package: competitive transaction rates, next-day settlement every day of the year (including weekends and bank holidays), a free business account with cashback, and 24/7 UK-based support — all with no lock-in contracts. For most UK SMEs, nothing else comes close.
UK Card Machine Providers: Our Verdict at a Glance
Choosing the right card machine provider can save your business hundreds of pounds a year — and hours of frustration. We've researched every major provider in the UK market to help you cut through the noise.
Whether you're a sole trader, a growing restaurant, or a busy retail shop, the right provider comes down to three things: the cost per transaction, how quickly you get paid, and the quality of support when something goes wrong.
💡 How we reviewed each provider — We compared transaction fees, hardware costs, settlement times, contract terms, EPOS integrations, customer support hours, and real-world user reviews. Ratings out of 5 reflect overall value for typical UK SMEs.
1. Teya — Best Overall Card Machine for UK Businesses
Teya (formerly takepayments, operating since 2002) has undergone a significant transformation. Rebranded in 2023 and now serving over 75,000 UK businesses, Teya has positioned itself as far more than just a card machine provider — it's an all-in-one payments and business finance platform.
Rating: ★★★★★ 4.8 / 5 — 🏆 Best Overall
| Transaction fee | From 1.2% |
| Settlement | Next day by 9am |
| Weekends | ✓ Included |
| Support | 24/7 UK |
| Contract | No lock-in |
| Business account | Free |
What makes Teya stand out from every other provider on this list is the sheer breadth of what's included. When you sign up for a Teya card machine, you don't just get a way to take payments — you get a free business account, cashback on your spending, real-time sales insights, and access to cash advances when you need them. For a small business, that's a significant amount of financial infrastructure included at no extra cost.
Teya's transaction rates are also genuinely competitive. Businesses processing over £5,000 per month can typically negotiate rates as low as 1.2% + 5p per transaction. That compares extremely favourably to flat-rate providers like SumUp (1.69%) and Zettle (1.75%), particularly once you factor in that debit card transactions — which make up the majority of UK payments — are cheaper on Teya's model.
Perhaps most importantly for busy business owners: Teya settles funds the next day by 9am, every day — including Saturdays, Sundays, and bank holidays. No waiting until Tuesday for a Friday's takings. Your cash flow keeps moving at the speed of your business.
Teya integrates with over 50 major EPOS systems out of the box, meaning switching is unlikely to disrupt your existing setup. And if you need help, their 24/7 UK-based support team is available around the clock.
✓ Pros
- Next-day settlement 7 days a week, by 9am
- Free business account with cashback included
- Rates negotiable from 1.2% for higher volumes
- 24/7 genuine UK-based customer support
- No lock-in contract — cancel any time
- 50+ EPOS integrations out of the box
- Cash advance facility available
- Works offline (caches up to 100 transactions)
✗ Cons
- £29.99/month fee if turnover is under £2,500
- Rates require a custom quote (not instant online)
- Some mixed reviews on support response times
Verdict: Best all-rounder for UK SMEs.
🌟 Why Teya wins: the full package in one place. Most card machine providers give you a terminal and a dashboard. Teya gives you a terminal, a business account, cashback, cash flow finance, and round-the-clock human support. For a small business, consolidating all of that into a single provider saves time, reduces cost, and simplifies your finances considerably.
2. SumUp — Best for Very Low-Volume Sellers
SumUp is one of the most recognisable names in pay-as-you-go card payments in the UK. Its appeal is simple: buy a cheap card reader (from around £29), pay a flat 1.69% on every transaction, and have no monthly fees. For a business that takes a handful of card payments per week, this simplicity is appealing.
Rating: ★★★★ 3.9 / 5 — Low-volume sellers
| Transaction fee | 1.69% |
| Settlement | 1–3 business days |
| Weekends | ✗ Extra |
| Support | Mon–Sat 8–8 |
| Contract | None |
| Monthly fee | £0 |
SumUp's flat 1.69% rate is competitive at low volumes, but it becomes less attractive as your turnover grows. At £5,000 per month, you'd pay around £84.50 in transaction fees with SumUp — compared to potentially £60–70 with Teya's negotiated rates at that volume. The gap widens further as you scale.
SumUp also lacks the broader ecosystem that Teya offers. There's no free business account, no built-in cash advance facility, and support is limited to phone and chat during business hours — not the 24/7 coverage that Teya provides.
✓ Pros
- No monthly fee — ideal for seasonal or low-volume businesses
- Very cheap to get started (from £29)
- Simple flat-rate pricing, easy to understand
- No contract commitment
✗ Cons
- 1.69% becomes expensive at higher volumes
- No weekend settlement as standard
- No free business account included
- Support limited to business hours only
- Fewer EPOS integrations than Teya or Dojo
Verdict: Good for very small or seasonal businesses only.
3. Dojo — Strong for Hospitality, Complex Pricing
Dojo has built a solid reputation in the UK hospitality and retail market, particularly for businesses that want fast payouts and modern hardware. Its parent company Paymentsense processes over 411 million UK card taps a month, and its terminals are known for speed.
Rating: ★★★★ 3.8 / 5 — Hospitality & retail
| Transaction fee | From 0.8%+5p |
| Settlement | Next day |
| Weekends | ✓ Included |
| Support | 8am–11pm daily |
| Contract | 12 months min |
| Monthly fee | From £15/mo |
Dojo's headline rates (0.8% + 5p for debit, 1.3% + 5p for credit) look attractive, but the full picture is more nuanced. There's a £10 monthly platform fee per merchant location, and the initial 12-month contract means you're committed before you've properly tested the service. Dojo will cover exit fees of up to £3,000 if you switch from another provider — but that doesn't help if Dojo itself isn't the right fit.
Where Dojo falls short compared to Teya is ecosystem breadth. Dojo doesn't include a free business account, and its support hours — while good — stop at 11pm rather than running around the clock.
✓ Pros
- Very fast transaction speeds (1.6 seconds contactless)
- Competitive rates at higher volumes
- Good EPOS integrations for hospitality
- Will pay exit fees up to £3,000
✗ Cons
- 12-month minimum contract — not flexible
- £10/month per-location platform fee
- No free business account
- Support ends at 11pm (not 24/7)
- Pricing complexity can catch businesses off guard
Verdict: Worth considering for established hospitality businesses.
4. Square — Good for Integrated Online Selling
Square is a well-known US brand that has made a reasonable mark in the UK market. Its ecosystem is one of its strengths — the free Square Point of Sale app, a free online store, and a range of hardware make it easy to sell both in person and online from day one.
Rating: ★★★½ 3.5 / 5 — Online + in-person
| Transaction fee | 1.75% |
| Settlement | 1–2 business days |
| Weekends | ✗ |
| Support | Mon–Sat 8–8 |
| Contract | None |
| Reader cost | From £19 |
Square charges a flat 1.75% on all in-person transactions — slightly higher than SumUp's 1.69% and significantly higher than what Teya can offer at moderate volumes. It also lacks next-day settlement as standard, which can impact cash flow. As an American company, Square's support experience can also feel less tailored to UK business needs than Teya's dedicated UK team.
✓ Pros
- Cheapest card reader to purchase (from £19)
- Free built-in online store and POS app
- Good for businesses selling in-person and online
- No monthly fee on basic plan
✗ Cons
- 1.75% flat rate is among the highest
- No weekend or next-day settlement as standard
- US-headquartered — support less UK-focused
- No free business account or cashback
Verdict: Decent for omnichannel sellers, not the best value at volume.
5. Zettle by PayPal — Best for PayPal-Centric Businesses
Formerly iZettle, Zettle was rebranded as "PayPal Point of Sale" in 2024, but is still widely known by its original name. Its core appeal is PayPal ecosystem integration — if your business already relies heavily on PayPal for online payments, Zettle brings those together with in-person payments in one dashboard.
Rating: ★★★½ 3.4 / 5 — PayPal users
| Transaction fee | 1.75% |
| Settlement | 1–2 business days |
| Weekends | ✗ |
| Support | Mon–Fri 9–5 |
| Contract | None |
| Reader cost | From £29+VAT |
Zettle charges 1.75% per transaction — the same as Square and higher than both SumUp and what Teya offers. Its support hours are the most limited of any provider reviewed here, running only weekdays 9–5. For any business that trades in the evening or at weekends, this is a significant drawback.
The 4G connectivity on Zettle's portable readers is a genuine plus for mobile traders, but overall the package lacks the depth that Teya offers — particularly around settlement speed, business banking features, and after-hours support.
✓ Pros
- Seamless PayPal ecosystem integration
- 4G built into portable readers
- No monthly fee or contract
- Strong employee management tools
✗ Cons
- 1.75% is among the highest flat rates
- Support only Mon–Fri 9–5 — worst hours on this list
- No weekend settlement
- No free business account or cashback
- Funds take up to 2 days to appear in your bank
Verdict: Only worth it if PayPal integration is critical to your business.
Full Comparison: UK Card Machine Providers at a Glance
| Feature | Teya ⭐ | SumUp | Dojo | Square | Zettle |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Min. transaction rate | From 1.2%+5p | 1.69% | 0.8%+5p | 1.75% | 1.75% |
| Monthly fee | £0 (£29.99 if under £2,500/mo) | £0 | From £15+£10/location | £0 basic | £0 |
| Next-day settlement | ✓ by 9am | ~ 1–3 days | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Weekend settlement | ✓ incl. bank holidays | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Free business account | ✓ with cashback | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Customer support | 24/7 UK-based | Mon–Sat 8–8 | 8am–11pm daily | Mon–Sat 8–8 | Mon–Fri 9–5 |
| Lock-in contract | No lock-in | No lock-in | 12 months | No lock-in | No lock-in |
| EPOS integrations | 50+ | Limited | Good | Good | Moderate |
| Offline payments | ✓ up to 100 txns | ✗ | ✓ up to 100 txns | ✓ (no printer) | ✗ |
| Cash advance available | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ~ Square loans | ✗ |
| Contactless / Apple Pay / Google Pay | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| FCA regulated | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Which Card Machine Provider Is Right for Your Business?
The best choice depends on your business type, monthly card turnover, and what matters most to you. Here's our straightforward recommendation by business type:
For most UK small and medium businesses → Teya
If you're a retailer, café, restaurant, salon, or service business processing more than a few thousand pounds a month in card payments, Teya offers the best overall value. The combination of competitive rates, next-day settlement on every day of the year, a free business account, and 24/7 support is unmatched by any other single provider.
For very occasional or seasonal sellers → SumUp
If you take card payments only a few times a week or operate seasonally, SumUp's no-monthly-fee model means you pay nothing during quiet periods. The 1.69% rate is reasonable at low volumes. But once your card turnover consistently exceeds £3,000–£5,000 per month, Teya will likely work out cheaper overall.
For established hospitality businesses → Dojo (or Teya)
Dojo's speed and hospitality-focused features are well regarded, and its rates are competitive at higher volumes. However, the 12-month minimum contract is a risk if your business circumstances change. Teya's similar rate competitiveness combined with greater flexibility and better support hours makes it the stronger long-term choice for most hospitality operators too.
For businesses that sell heavily online via PayPal → Zettle
If PayPal is central to your online selling and you want in-person payments in the same dashboard, Zettle makes sense. For any other type of business, the higher fees and restricted support hours make it difficult to recommend over Teya.
💡 Always ask for a custom quote. Teya and Dojo both negotiate rates based on your monthly turnover. If you're processing more than £5,000 per month in card payments, always request a personalised quote rather than accepting the published rate. Businesses processing over £5,000 monthly with Teya can typically secure rates as low as 1.2% + 5p.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which card machine provider is best for small businesses in the UK? For most UK small businesses, Teya is our top recommendation. It combines competitive transaction rates (from 1.2% + 5p for businesses over £5,000 monthly), next-day settlement seven days a week including bank holidays, a free business account with cashback, and 24/7 UK-based customer support — all without a lock-in contract.
What is the cheapest card machine provider in the UK? It depends on your volume. For very low-volume sellers (under £2,000–£3,000 per month), SumUp's no-monthly-fee model at 1.69% per transaction is hard to beat. For businesses processing over £5,000 per month, Teya's negotiated rates typically work out cheaper overall.
Do card machine providers charge monthly fees? Some do and some don't. SumUp, Square, and Zettle charge no monthly fee — instead taking a higher flat percentage per transaction. Teya charges £29.99/month only if your monthly card turnover is under £2,500. Dojo charges from £15/month per terminal plus a £10/month platform fee per location.
Which card machine providers offer next-day settlement in the UK? Teya and Dojo both offer next-day settlement. Teya is particularly strong here — funds arrive by 9am the following morning, including weekends and bank holidays. SumUp typically takes 1–3 business days. Square and Zettle are generally slower, typically 1–2 business days.
Can I use a card machine without an internet connection? Teya and Dojo both support offline mode, caching up to 100 transactions when internet connectivity drops — processing them automatically once connection is restored. SumUp and Zettle do not offer offline payment support. Square Handheld has a limited offline mode but cannot print receipts without connectivity.
Is Teya (formerly takepayments) a reputable company? Yes. Teya has been operating in the UK since 2002 and now serves over 75,000 UK businesses. It is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) under e-money regulations.
What card machine do I need for a restaurant or café? For restaurants and cafés, you'll want a card machine that supports portable tableside payments, integrates with your EPOS system, and offers fast next-day payouts. Teya is our top recommendation for hospitality businesses — 50+ EPOS integrations, portable and countertop hardware options, and next-day settlement every day of the week.
Ready to switch? Get a personalised quote for your business — with rates based on your actual monthly turnover and no obligation to commit.