Best Card Readers for Tradesmen & Sole Traders in the UK
If you're a plumber, electrician or one-person band, you want to take a card on the doorstep, send the odd invoice, and not pay a monthly fee for the privilege. Keep it simple.
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Our top picks for tradespeople
SumUp
4.4The “just let me take payments” option. Cheap to start, portable, dead simple. Brilliant for low-volume and mobile sellers; you may outgrow it for a full restaurant setup.
Best for
- Monthly fee
- £0
- Transaction fee
- from 0.99% (Payments Plus) / 1.69% standard
- Contract
- No contract (pay-as-you-go)
- Payouts
- 1–2 working days (next-day option)
- Cheap, low-commitment hardware
- Standard rate isn't the cheapest at higher volumes
PayPal Zettle
4.2PayPal-friendly card payments with a simple reader and no monthly software fee for basic use. Good for small retailers and mobile sellers already in the PayPal world.
Best for
- Monthly fee
- £0
- Transaction fee
- 1.75% card & contactless
- Contract
- No contract (pay-as-you-go)
- Payouts
- 1–2 working days (into PayPal/bank)
- No monthly fee for the basic POS app
- Ecosystem less ambitious than Square
Square
4.5The strongest free POS software option. Tidy app, decent ecosystem, no monthly fee to start. Great for small retail, cafés and service businesses that want software without signing their life away.
Best for
- Monthly fee
- £0 (paid POS tiers available)
- Transaction fee
- 1.75% in-person (no monthly/setup fee on standard)
- Contract
- No contract (pay-as-you-go)
- Payouts
- Next working day (instant transfer for a fee)
- Genuinely good free POS app
- 1.75% flat rate isn't bespoke-cheap at high volume
myPOS
4.0Best when you want instant access to funds through a built-in business account. Handy for international/European payments. The fee structure is more complex, so watch card-type differences.
Best for
- Monthly fee
- £0 on entry plans
- Transaction fee
- Card-present from 1.10% + 7p (lower-turnover tier)
- Contract
- No fixed contract on standard plans
- Payouts
- Instant settlement to myPOS account
- Instant access to your money via a built-in account
- Fee structure varies by card type — read the detail
What matters for tradespeople
Take payment on site
A pocket reader or Tap to Pay on your phone for doorstep payments.
Invoicing
Send a quick invoice with a pay-by-link for bigger jobs.
No monthly fee
Pay-as-you-go suits irregular, project-based income.
Virtual terminal
Take a card over the phone when you can't be there in person.
Fees to watch
Recommended setup
SumUp is the classic tradesperson pick — cheap reader, invoices, pay-by-link and Tap to Pay, all with no monthly fee. Zettle and Square do the same job if you prefer their apps.
Compare these providers
Showing 4 of 4 providers
Prices last checked:| Provider | Best for | Monthly | Transaction | Reader from | Contract | Payouts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Square4.5 | Cafés | £0 (paid POS tiers available) | 1.75% in-person (no monthly/setup fee on standard) | £19 + VAT | No contract (pay-as-you-go) | Next working day (instant transfer for a fee) | Visit |
SumUp4.4 | Market stalls | £0 | from 0.99% (Payments Plus) / 1.69% standard | £19 + VAT | No contract (pay-as-you-go) | 1–2 working days (next-day option) | Visit |
| PayPal users | £0 | 1.75% card & contactless | £29 + VAT (first reader often discounted) | No contract (pay-as-you-go) | 1–2 working days (into PayPal/bank) | Visit | |
myPOS4.0 | Instant access to funds | £0 on entry plans | Card-present from 1.10% + 7p (lower-turnover tier) | £19+ (device dependent) | No fixed contract on standard plans | Instant settlement to myPOS account | Visit |
- Monthly
- £0 (paid POS tiers available)
- Transaction
- 1.75% in-person (no monthly/setup fee on standard)
- Reader from
- £19 + VAT
- Contract
- No contract (pay-as-you-go)
- Payouts
- Next working day (instant transfer for a fee)
- Watch out for
- 1.75% flat rate isn't bespoke-cheap at high volume
- Monthly
- £0
- Transaction
- from 0.99% (Payments Plus) / 1.69% standard
- Reader from
- £19 + VAT
- Contract
- No contract (pay-as-you-go)
- Payouts
- 1–2 working days (next-day option)
- Watch out for
- Standard rate isn't the cheapest at higher volumes
- Monthly
- £0
- Transaction
- 1.75% card & contactless
- Reader from
- £29 + VAT (first reader often discounted)
- Contract
- No contract (pay-as-you-go)
- Payouts
- 1–2 working days (into PayPal/bank)
- Watch out for
- Ecosystem less ambitious than Square
- Monthly
- £0 on entry plans
- Transaction
- Card-present from 1.10% + 7p (lower-turnover tier)
- Reader from
- £19+ (device dependent)
- Contract
- No fixed contract on standard plans
- Payouts
- Instant settlement to myPOS account
- Watch out for
- Fee structure varies by card type — read the detail
Find the right POS for your tradespeople
Answer a few quick questions and we'll match you to providers that fit how you actually trade.
FAQs
What's the best card machine for a plumber or electrician?
SumUp is hugely popular with tradespeople: a cheap reader, no monthly fee, plus invoicing and Tap to Pay on your phone. Zettle and Square are close alternatives.
Can I take card payments without a card machine?
Yes — Tap to Pay on iPhone/Android (offered by SumUp, Square and Zettle) lets you accept contactless on your phone, and a virtual terminal lets you key in card details for phone payments.
How we compare
We compare providers using publicly available pricing, contract information, hardware costs, payout details, software features and suitability for different UK business types. Some links may earn us commission, but providers cannot pay to change our editorial verdicts. Read our full methodology.
The POS editorial team
Independent UK payments research. We test, read the small print and write it up in plain English.