Compare Card Machine Prices And Transaction Fees

The first question here is, can you afford not to have a card machine? Probably not, but whether you're thinking about buying your first card machine this handy guide is here to help. Also don't forget that if you already have a card machine, is it proving expensive in terms of fees or rental charges? If so, this guide is here for you too. So firstly the answer is, a reassuring yes.

To make it even more affordable you can buy a card machine outright, which just comes with an upfront fee usually from just fifteen pounds and it's yours to own. Alternatively, there are card machines that have contracts often without the upfront fee. It's worth noting that the longer the contract, the cheaper the monthly rental fee can be - starting from a mere ten pounds.

Many payment providers have card readers that you buy directly, we've even seen some in popular high street stores that you buy at the till. Sounds handy, especially with no monthly rental fees what have you got to lose? Well that depends on a few things, such as transaction fees which can prove costly depending on how much you turnover per month. One thing to bear in mind is how long the support runs for.

Alternatively, you can always go for the more popular card machine rental option. This is often viewed as a more popular alternative because the longer the contract, the lower the transaction rates plus you can save money on monthly rental charges. On top of this, your card reader should be supported throughout the contract.

A transaction fee is issued, every time you take a payment on a card machine (there are other fees too we'll discuss later). A transaction fee is there to cover the cost of processing the payment, usually though it's very low - we've found rates from less than 4% which is good value for sure. Sometimes this fee can be a percentage plus a few pence, other times it can just be a percentage. This amount depends upon the value of transaction and the payment provider that your card reader is using.