How much does a card payment machine cost?


From the initial capital investment to the ongoing costs, here’s what it will cost to start using a card payment machine



Contactless card payment in process

Investing in a card payment machine can make a lot of commercial sense for your business.

Not only can you serve more customers during the day, you can increase the average value of their transactions.

Customers paying by card are known to spend more on “impulse” purchases than those using cash.

Plus, giving customers the freedom to pay by card removes their reliance on having enough cash in their pocket.

There are benefits from an operational point of view too.

With a card payment machine, you’ll spend less time cashing up at the end of the day, allowing you to spend more time running your business.

As with any business change, there will be an investment you need to make to benefit from accepting card payments.

However, many businesses don’t realise just how affordable it can be.

What you’ll pay for a card payment machine depends on a few important factors.

The quickest and easiest way to discover how affordable card payment machines can be is to get in touch with us to find out more.

One of our card payment experts will be happy to guide you through the costs and answer any questions you may have.

However, if you’d like to find out more information first, keep reading!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Initial capital investment


Card payment machines can cost hundreds, even thousands, of pounds to own outright.

So it’s understandable that this might seem off-putting.

But, very few businesses that use card machines actually buy the device.

They rent them.

Most card payment providers offer businesses the ability to pay a monthly rental to start accepting card payments, without a large sum of money up-front.

This is the most common way that businesses choose to accept card payments, as it decreases your liability for the machine.

With replacement terminals and upgrades available, leasing a card payment machine is the simplest and most cost-effective way to go.

Working out your monthly terminal rental cost depends on two things:

  • The type of machine you choose (countertop, portable or mobile)
  • The number of machines you think you’ll need


You may expect it to cost a fortune, however businesses can rent a top of the range card machine from Handepay for less than £20 per month!

 

 

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Couple paying for eggs using phone payment at a market

Transaction fees


Alongside the monthly card payment machine rental fees, you’ll need to pay transaction fees.

These fees total a small percentage of each transaction you take, which is split between your acquiring bank, your terminal provider and card scheme (eg. Mastercard).

Transaction fees can be as low as 0.01% of a transaction.

But it could cost a bit more depending on the card your customer uses.

For example, a business customer paying on a Mastercard commercial credit card will typically incur a larger transaction fee than a shopper paying using their personal HSBC debit card.

Working out the types of cards you’re most likely to accept can give you an accurate idea of what you’ll pay in transaction fees.

Are there any hidden fees?


There are a wide range of fees that some card payment machine providers add to monthly bills.

Not all are necessary, and a lot of them aren’t disclosed when you first sign up.

Although we’re always honest and upfront about the costs you’ll receive if you accept payments with Handepay, many providers aren’t.

When receiving quotes for a card payment machine, it’s important to find out what you’ll really be paying.

Make sure to ask about the possible fees below, and factor those into your calculations when weighing up providers.

  • Minimum monthly service charge
  • PCI DSS compliance and non-compliance
  • PCI DSS management charges
  • Statement and reporting fees
  • Authorisation fees
  • Joining fees
  • Exit fees
  • Swapout fees
  • Installation fees


It’s vital that you compare apples to apples and fully understand what you’re signing up to.

This saves you from getting hit with unexpected charges after your first month.

 

 

 

 

 

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Handepay contactless card payment machine

Can I buy a card payment machine instead of renting it?


Renting a card machine is the most common way for independent businesses to access card payments.

Signing up with a merchant services provider allows you to access a card machine along with affordable transaction fees and rates.

Buying a card payment machine outright makes the process a little trickier.

As mentioned above, card terminals are expensive, and once you’ve purchased one you’re liable to pay for any upgrades or replacements.

Plus, you’re then responsible for negotiating your own transaction fees.

Many card payment providers can’t offer contracts to businesses who own their terminals outright.

Which means you’ll need to speak directly with your acquiring bank for rates.

These can be a lot higher than going through a merchant service provider, as independent businesses don’t have the negotiating power of huge national chains.

It may seem like a simple option, but in the end it can be a lot more costly.

If you’d like to speak to a provider who makes getting started with a card payment machine a breeze, find out more from Handepay today.

We offer affordable card terminals and great rates, with no hidden fees. We can get you set up and taking card payments in a matter of days!

Financial disclaimer:

Terminal hire contracts are provided by Merchant Rentals Limited, who is authorised and regulated in the UK by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) for Consumer Hire under FRN 720500. Terminal hire can be for consumer hire and non-regulated hire contracts. Please check your contract carefully for details. Regulation of all consumer hire fall under the control of the FCA.

Handepay Ltd is authorised and regulated by the FCA for Consumer Credit under FRN 673564. Handepay is a credit broker for consumer hire not a lender.

Handepay acts as an introducer of card acquiring services on behalf of EVO Payments UK, the card acquiring service provider. EVO Payments UK is the trading name of EVO Payments UK Ltd, a payment institution that is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FRN number 959332).

Existing Cards Businesses- The one-month rolling terminal hire contract from Merchant Rentals is only available to businesses that are switching from their current acquirer to EVO Payments UK arranged through Handepay.

New to Cards Businesses- The 12-month terminal hire contract from Merchant Rentals is only available to businesses that are new to card payments and wish to receive acquiring services from EVO Payments UK, arranged through Handepay.

The Next Day Banking Settlement service provided by EVO Payments UK incurs an additional fee of £4 a month on top of your acquiring service charges and fees. Provided your card machine performs a reconciliation before 12am (midnight), you’ll receive settlement of funds the next banking day.

Editorial disclaimer:

The information we provide does not constitute financial advice and might not apply to your business. Always carry out research into your business’ needs when choosing a new merchant services provider.

Sometimes, we link to other third-party websites to provide you with additional information. At the time of publication, we consider the information accurate, however, we do not have control over their content and are not responsible if any information on these websites change.

The products we display on our website are for illustrative purposes only - if your business requires additional facilities, you may receive a different model than advertised.

All of the information contained on this website, including fees, services and functionality, are correct at time of publishing. E&OE.