Compare
Card machines compared, honestly
The machine is the cheap part — what you’re really choosing is the processing model behind it. Here’s the comparison that actually matters.
The four types
Countertop terminal
Wired or Wi-Fi terminal at a fixed till. The workhorse for shops and hospitality with a counter — reliable, fast, and usually tied to a merchant account with quoted per-transaction pricing.
Best fit: High-volume fixed premises
Portable terminal
Battery-powered, connects over Wi-Fi or SIM. Pay-at-table and queue-busting without changing your pricing model — same acquiring relationship as a countertop.
Best fit: Hospitality, table service
Mobile card reader
Pocket reader paired to a phone app (the SumUp/Zettle model): low or no monthly cost, higher flat per-transaction rates, instant sign-up — and aggregated processing, which means light up-front underwriting and platform-style account freezes when risk systems disagree with your trading.
Best fit: Low volume, mobile trading
Tap to Pay on phone
No hardware: the phone is the terminal. The economics and the aggregation trade-offs mirror mobile readers — great for occasional in-person payments, not built for specialist sectors.
Best fit: Occasional in-person sales
What to compare (beyond the sticker price)
- Total monthly cost at your volume — flat-rate readers beat terminals below roughly a few thousand pounds a month of card takings and lose above it; run your own numbers both ways.
- Aggregated vs dedicated processing — instant sign-up means underwriting happens after you trade, with freezes as the enforcement tool.
- Contract terms — hire periods, exit fees and “free terminal” deals recovered through the rate.
- Sector acceptance — check the prohibited-sectors list before you commit; it is where specialist businesses get caught.
- Settlement speed and fees — when the money lands and what expedited settlement costs.
Methodology & integrity: this guide compares machine types and evaluation criteria. We deliberately don’t publish named-brand fee tables until each figure is verified against the provider’s live published pricing — stale fee tables mislead more than they help. No affiliate links; nothing here is paid placement. Updated 28 July 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Which card machine is cheapest?
It depends on volume. App-based readers cost little up front but charge higher flat rates — cheap at low volume, expensive as you grow. Terminal + merchant account setups carry fixed costs but lower per-transaction pricing, so they win as volume rises. Model your actual monthly takings both ways.
Why do reader providers freeze accounts?
App-based readers run on aggregated processing: you trade under the provider’s master account. That enables instant onboarding, but their risk systems police accounts after the fact — sudden volume changes or sector flags trigger holds. A dedicated merchant account underwrites you before you trade instead.
Can specialist sectors use app-based readers?
Usually not for long — aggregators apply global sector policies and exit merchants that trip them. Sectors banks decline generally need a dedicated, sector-aware acquiring relationship.
Does VIP360 sell card machines?
We provide the acquiring relationship behind them and supply compatible terminals through it. This page exists because the machine matters less than the account behind it — and nobody pays us to rank one brand above another.
Skip the comparison spiral
Tell us your volumes and sector — we’ll tell you honestly which model fits, including when a cheap app reader is the right answer.