Best Card Machines for Sole Traders & Self-Employed UK

Do sole traders need a special card machine?

No. You do not need a terminal labelled specifically for sole traders. What matters is how you get paid, how often you take cards and whether you want to avoid fixed monthly costs.

• A plumber may take a handful of larger payments each week.
• A mobile hairdresser needs something easy to carry into customers’ homes.
• A market trader needs good battery life and reliable connectivity.
• A barber or beautician may want appointments, tipping and customer records.
• A food van may prefer a standalone terminal so staff do not need the owner’s phone.

For broader comparisons, see our best card machines for small businesses and mobile card reader guide.

1. SumUp Solo Lite: easiest PAYG starting point

SumUp Solo Lite costs £25 + VAT and connects to your smartphone. Standard PAYG in-person payments cost 1.69%, with no monthly payment-processing subscription.

This Quotehunt image shows an earlier SumUp reader. The current entry-level UK model is Solo Lite.

Once card turnover grows, Payments Plus becomes worth checking. It costs £19 a month and reduces eligible domestic debit and credit card payments to 0.99%. Premium, international and American Express transactions remain at 1.69%.

Read our SumUp review and SumUp fees guide.

2. Square Reader: best if you need more than payments

Square Reader costs £19 + VAT and charges 1.75% for standard in-person chip and PIN or contactless payments.

The real reason to choose Square is often the software. Square’s core POS software has no monthly fee and can help with products, customers, appointments, receipts and reporting.

That can be especially useful for a mobile beautician, barber, personal trainer, consultant or small retailer.

Read our Square Card Reader review.

See Square Reader

3. Lopay: best if the transaction percentage is your priority

Lopay lets you trade payout speed for a lower standard-card percentage.

• Essentials: 0.79% for UK consumer Visa and Mastercard.
• Standard: 0.99%.
• Instant to Bank: 1.79%.

American Express, international and corporate cards each add 1%, and those supplements can stack where relevant. Tap to Pay also adds 8p per transaction.

This makes Lopay particularly interesting for sole traders taking mostly personal UK cards, but less predictable if your customers often pay with corporate or overseas-issued cards.

4. Tide Nano: best if you already use Tide

The Tide Nano now starts from £15 + VAT, which materially changes Tide’s low-cost proposition.

The Nano uses your phone screen. Tide also offers a standalone Card Reader and Card Reader Plus for businesses that want dedicated hardware.

On PAYG, domestic consumer debit-card payments through a card reader are currently 1.5% + 5p. Tide’s Sell In-Person plan costs £17.99 + VAT a month and reduces eligible domestic consumer debit-card payments to 0.89% + 3p.

Tide makes most sense if you already want its business banking. Read our Tide Card Reader review.

See Tide Card Readers

5. PayPal Reader: best if PayPal is already central to your business

PayPal’s first Card Reader costs £29 excluding VAT. Additional readers are £69 excluding VAT and the standalone Terminal costs £149 excluding VAT.

Standard card/contactless payments cost 1.75%, and the standard POS service has no monthly fee.

It makes most sense if PayPal already handles online payments, invoices or other parts of your business.

Read our PayPal Card Reader review.

6. Dojo: worth a quote when your card turnover grows

A sole trader does not have to stay with a small phone-paired reader forever.

If you run a busy barber shop, salon, café, garage or other premises-based business, a dedicated terminal can be much more practical.

Dojo currently publishes a 1.2% blended rate below £100,000 annual card turnover, with custom pricing above that level.

Read our Dojo review.

7. takepayments: another option once you need a proper terminal

takepayments is worth comparing when you have outgrown a simple PAYG reader and want a dedicated card-machine package.

Pricing is tailored, so compare the complete quote rather than looking for one universal transaction rate.

Read our takepayments review.

Get takepayments prices

What would the fees look like at typical sole-trader turnover?

The table below shows simple percentage-only examples. It excludes hardware, monthly subscriptions, fixed pence fees and premium-card supplements.

*Lopay examples assume standard UK consumer Visa/Mastercard. Premium-card supplements can materially change the effective rate.

Should a sole trader use Tap to Pay instead?

For some businesses, yes. Tap to Pay lets a compatible phone accept contactless payments without buying separate hardware.

This can be ideal for occasional payments or as a backup. A separate reader is usually easier if you take payments all day, need chip and PIN or do not want customers interacting with your personal phone.

Which card machine is best for tradespeople?

For plumbers, electricians, builders and other trades, simplicity usually wins. SumUp Solo Lite or Square Reader is inexpensive to carry and lets you take payment before leaving the job.

Which is best for hairdressers, barbers and beauty businesses?

Square becomes particularly attractive if appointments and customer tools matter. SumUp is simpler if you mainly care about taking cards cheaply. Lopay can work well where most customers use standard UK consumer cards.

Which is best for market traders and craft fairs?

Keep fixed costs low and prioritise battery life and mobile signal. SumUp, Square and Tide Nano are sensible options. See our card readers for craft fairs.

Which is best for food vans and small fixed premises?

If staff need to share the payment device, relying on your own phone quickly becomes awkward. A standalone SumUp Terminal, PayPal Terminal, Dojo machine or takepayments terminal may be more practical.

For cafés and food businesses, also see our hospitality card-machine guide.

What should a self-employed person check before choosing?

• Monthly turnover: PAYG is usually best at low or irregular volume.
• Card mix: corporate, international and premium cards can cost more.
• Transaction count: fixed pence charges matter more on lots of small payments.
• Payout speed: lower rates can come with slower access to the money.
• Phone dependency: standalone terminals are easier if staff need to share the device.
• Receipts: digital receipts suit many sole traders, but some fixed premises benefit from printing.

When should a sole trader move beyond PAYG?

There is no single turnover number, but once card processing is a meaningful monthly business cost, compare subscription and tailored merchant-service pricing.

At that point, use our card machine provider guide, payment processing companies guide and merchant account guide.

Frequently asked questions

Our recommendation for most sole traders

Start simple. SumUp Solo Lite and Square Reader are inexpensive ways to find out how much your customers actually use cards without committing to a traditional terminal-rental agreement.

Choose SumUp if you mainly want straightforward PAYG payments. Choose Square if its wider software tools will genuinely help you run the business.

Add Lopay if low standard-card fees are a priority and its payout model suits you. Tide is especially worth considering if you already use Tide banking, while PayPal makes more sense when PayPal is already part of your payment setup.

Once the business has regular card turnover, staff or permanent premises, compare Dojo, takepayments and other full merchant-service providers as well.