Stop overpaying to get paid.
Most card machine deals hide five or six charges behind one headline rate. Move the slider to what you take on card each month. We'll show you, in pounds, what it should cost.
Square, Free plan
£175.00/month
Our cheapest option for you
£70.00 a month, est.We can't beat that right now, and we won't pretend to. See the full comparison ↓
The rate you were sold isn't the rate you pay.
Card machine salespeople quote one number: the debit card rate. Your statement charges you for a lot more than that. Here's a typical month for a café taking £8,000 on card.
- 1
The headline rate only covers debit cards
Credit cards, business cards and overseas cards are charged more, often much more. They're rarely mentioned when you sign.
- 2
A fee every time someone taps
An authorisation fee is a flat charge per transaction, whatever the amount. At 4.5p on a £12 coffee and cake, it adds almost 0.4% on top of your rate.
- 3
Rental that outlives the machine
Leases signed before January 2023 could run for four years with no way out. Many are still running.
- 4
Paying to be told you're not compliant
A monthly "PCI" security fee, plus a penalty if you haven't filled in a yearly form nobody told you about.
- 5
VAT on the fixed fees
Percentage fees are VAT-free. Rental, authorisation and PCI fees aren't, so add 20% to those.
- ·Debit cards: £7,200.00 at 1.15%£82.80
- 1Credit cards: £600.00 at 1.95%£11.70
- 1Business and overseas cards: £200.00 at 2.75%£5.50
- 2Authorisation fees: 665 at 4.5p£29.93
- 3Terminal rental£24.99
- 4PCI compliance fee£4.99
- 4PCI non-compliance fee£20.00
- 5VAT on fixed fees£15.98
"The card machine is free."
It's paid for in your rate or your rental. Nothing about it is free. You're just not shown the price.
"Your rate is fixed."
Intro rates often rise when the first term ends, and a rising rate is easy to miss on a long statement. What fair looks like.
"You're stuck in your contract."
Since January 2023, new card machine leases can't lock you in for more than 18 months. How to get out.
We check the whole shelf, so you don't have to.
We aren't tied to one provider. We compare the market and match you to whichever option is genuinely cheapest for how you take payments. Here's how that compares with providers that publish their prices.
You could save up to
a month* · £1,260 a year
Compared with Square, Free plan.
What the same month would cost elsewhere
Monthly fees at £10,000 on card, cheapest first. Only providers that publish a standard rate are shown.
-
Card Machines DirectCheapest available option£70.00est., before your statement
-
SumUpPayments Plus£118.00£1.18 per £100Monthly subscription. Card reader bought separately.
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Viva.comStandard£169.00£1.69 per £100Card machine bought separately.
-
SquareFree plan£175.00£1.75 per £100Card reader bought separately.
-
Zettle by PayPalStandard£175.00£1.75 per £100Card reader bought separately.
Want the exact number? Send us a statement and we'll check every line.
Get my exact quote*Estimates, not quotes. We assume 90% of your card takings are on debit cards and 10% on credit cards, and add VAT to fixed fees where a provider's prices exclude it. Card reader purchase costs aren't included. Your real saving depends on your card mix, so we need a statement to give you an exact figure.
Competitor prices come from each provider's own UK pricing page, checked 2 October 2026. A provider is left out at volumes its published rate doesn't cover. Sources: SumUp, Viva.com, Square, Zettle by PayPal.
From "am I overpaying?" to a written quote.
Tell us roughly what you take
The calculator above takes a minute. It shows whether there's likely to be a saving worth chasing.
Send us a statement
A photo or PDF of your latest card statement. We read every line, including the charges hidden in "other fees".
Get your quote in pounds
We find the cheapest available option for how you take payments and set out every fee in writing. Switch only if the numbers work for you.
How we make money, plainly.
The provider pays us, not you. We get a commission when you sign, then a small share of the fees each month you stay.
That means we only do well if you stay, and you'll only stay on a deal that's actually cheap. So we match you on price, not on who pays us most.
Sometimes we can't beat your deal.
If you're already on a good rate, we'll tell you. No hard sell, and no pretend saving to get you to switch.
The calculator shows that too. Put in your current fees and you'll see whether we can actually help.
Straight answers.
Is the saving above a quote?
No. It's an estimate built from your monthly takings, your average sale and a typical 90/10 split between debit and credit cards. Your real card mix changes the answer, which is why we ask for a statement before we quote.
How is the estimate worked out?
For each provider: debit takings times the debit rate, plus credit takings times the credit rate, plus the number of transactions times any per-transaction fee, plus the monthly fee. VAT is added to the fixed fees where a provider's price leaves it out. We do the same sum for our cheapest option.
Why don't you say which provider it is?
Because the answer changes with your numbers. The cheapest option for a takeaway doing £4,000 a month isn't the cheapest for a hotel doing £60,000. We match you to the cheapest available option for your business and put every fee in writing, so you can judge it on price alone.
Will I need a new card machine?
Usually, yes. Each provider supplies its own machines. Your quote shows what the machine costs, if anything, so it's in the comparison.
I'm in a contract. Is there any point?
Often, yes. Check when your term ends and what leaving early would cost. Sometimes the saving covers the exit fee within months. Our guide to leaving a contract walks through it.
Switched with us? Tell the next business owner.
Most owners only find out they're overpaying when someone tells them. A two-minute Google review helps the next takeaway, café or barber find us, and tells us what to fix. Good or bad, we want to hear it.
Know what you're paying for
- Card machine fees explainedThe six charges on a typical deal, and what fair looks like.
- Cheapest card machine UKCheapest to buy is rarely cheapest to run.
- Small business buyer's guideWhich type of machine suits your business, and what to check.
- Cancelling a contractThe 18-month rule, exit fees and a step-by-step plan.
- Rent vs buy vs no contract18-month total costs at three sizes of business.
- Reading a merchant statementWork out your real rate in two minutes.
- Interchange fees explainedThe fees underneath every rate, and the UK caps.
- Card surcharges and minimum spendThe 2018 surcharge ban and minimum spend rules.
- Hospitality card machinesTips, tabs, small sales and what they cost.
- PCI compliance feesThe security rule is required. The fee often isn't.
Get the exact figure. Send us one statement.
We'll read every line, find the cheapest option for how you take payments and send you a written quote in pounds. No obligation, and no hard sell if we can't beat your deal.