Square Card Machine Review UK 2026: Fees, Pricing & Alternatives Quick Answer
Square is one of the simplest card-payment and POS platforms for UK small businesses, combining low upfront hardware costs, no standard monthly payment-processing fee and no long-term contract.
Current UK pricing includes:
Square Reader: from £19 + VATSquare Stand: £99 + VATSquare Terminal: £149 + VATSquare Handheld: £169 + VATSquare Register: £699 + VATUK in-person payments: 1.75%standard POS software: £0/month
Square is particularly strong if you want:
low upfront cost
clear pricing
no traditional card-machine contract
integrated POS
online + in-person selling
appointments, retail or restaurant tools
Its biggest weakness is simple:
a flat 1.75% rate can become expensive as card turnover grows.
Your requirement Our view
New/small business
Excellent fit
Sole trader
Excellent fit
Pop-up/market trader
Excellent fit
Café/salon/small shop
Strong fit
Integrated POS
Strong fit
Online + physical selling
Strong fit
Regular high card turnover
Compare negotiated rates
Traditional account management
Compare merchant-service providers
Compare Square & Card Machine Quotes
Free quotes • No obligation • Compare UK payment providers
How Do We Work?
Our comparisons are researched and reviewed by the Compare Your Business Costs editorial team using provider information, pricing data and UK business buying criteria. See how Compare Your Business Costs works .
Authored by: Ally Cox -Business Technology & B2B Services Specialist, 10+ years’ experience.
Last Updated: September 2026
Key Takeaways
Square Reader currently starts at £19 + VAT.
Standard in-person UK card payments cost 1.75%.
Square’s standard Point of Sale software costs £0/month.
There is no long-term contract for standard Square use.
UK online card payments currently cost 1.4% + 25p.
Manual entry, Virtual Terminal and card-on-file payments currently cost 2.5%.
Square Retail Plus currently costs £49/month/location and reduces eligible in-person processing to 1.6%.
Square Restaurants Plus currently costs £69/month/location.
Businesses processing more than £200,000 annually may qualify for custom pricing.
Standard transfers can arrive as soon as the next day for no additional fee.
Instant transfers are available for an extra charge.
Our Square Review Square’s biggest advantage is not simply that its card reader is cheap.
It is that a business can start with payments + POS + basic inventory + reporting
without buying a traditional merchant-services package.
Then, if the business grows, Square can add:
retail features
restaurant tools
appointments
online selling
loyalty
marketing
staff management
more sophisticated hardware
This makes Square more of a business-commerce platform than simply a card reader.
Square at a Glance
Category Square
Reader price
From £19 + VAT
Standard monthly payment fee
£0
UK in-person rate
1.75%
UK online rate
1.4% + 25p
Manual entry
2.50%
Contract
No long-term commitment for standard use
POS software
Free core plan
Retail Plus
£49/month/location
Restaurants Plus
£69/month/location
Custom pricing
Potentially available above £200k annual processing
Square Card Processing Fees UK 2026
Payment type Current Square fee
UK card – in person
1.75%
Non-UK card – in person
1.75% + 1.5%
UK card – online
1.4% + 25p
Non-UK card – online
2.5% + 25p
Manual entry / card on file
2.50%
Virtual Terminal
2.50%
Our View on Square Fees Square is extremely transparent, but transparent does not automatically mean cheapest.
The standard 1.75% rate is attractive because:
there is no complex fee schedule
there is no monthly processing subscription
you know what a transaction costs
But as turnover grows, a provider with:
terminal rental
a lower negotiated percentage
can become cheaper overall.
Example: Square at Different Turnover Levels At a 1.75% in-person rate:
Monthly card turnover Approx. processing cost
£2,000.00
£35
£5,000.00
£87.50
£10,000
£175
£20,000
£350
£30,000
£525
Illustrative calculation assuming all transactions qualify for the standard UK in-person rate.
Our View
The £0 monthly fee matters most at low turnover – once payment costs reach several hundred pounds per month, negotiating the processing rate becomes much more valuable than avoiding a £15–£30 monthly terminal charge elsewhere.
Square Reader The Square Reader is Square’s lowest-cost hardware option.
Current price – £19 + VAT
It works with Square’s POS software and a compatible phone or tablet.
Best For
sole traders
pop-ups
markets
mobile sellers
small service businesses
businesses testing card payments for the first time
Our View
This is one of Square’s biggest competitive advantages – t he financial risk of trying the system is extremely low.
Square Terminal Square Terminal is a standalone payment and POS device with a built-in receipt printer.
Current price £149 + VAT
Best For
cafés
salons
table-side payments
mobile service businesses
businesses wanting an all-in-one device
Our View
Terminal is a meaningful upgrade if you do not want staff relying on a separate phone or tablet.
Square Stand
Square Stand turns a compatible iPad into a countertop POS system.
Current price £99 + VAT
The iPad is not included.
Best For
shops
cafés
salons
fixed counters
Square Handheld Square Handheld i s a portable all-in-one POS and payment device.
Current price £169 + VAT
It is particularly useful where staff need to move around the venue while taking orders or payments.
Best For
restaurants
bars
hospitality
busy retail floors
Square Register
Square Register is the company’s full counter POS system with two displays.
Current price £699 + VAT
It includes:
merchant-facing touchscreen
customer display
built-in Square POS
integrated payment acceptance
Our View
Square Register should be compared with a full EPOS setup, not simply with another £20 card reader.
It is aimed at businesses where the till is central to daily operations.
Which Square Hardware Should You Choose?
Requirement Square product
Cheapest entry point
Square Reader
Standalone portable payment
Square Terminal
Mobile POS for staff
Square Handheld
iPad counter setup
Square Stand
Full counter EPOS
Square Register
Square POS Software Square’s standard Point of Sale software currently costs £0/month
Core functionality can include:
sales
items
basic inventory
customer data
receipts
refunds
reports
online sales
Our View
This is why Square should not be judged purely on processing fees, but if another payment provider is 0.2% cheaper but you then need to buy:
separate POS
inventory software
online-order tools
Square can still be the better overall deal.
Square for Retail Square currently offers:
Free: £0/monthPlus: £49/month per locationPremium: custom pricing
Retail Plus adds features such as:
advanced inventory
barcode label printing
COGS reporting
purchase-order tools
item bundling
It also currently reduces eligible in-person processing from 1.75% to 1.6%
When Does Square Retail Plus Pay for Itself? The difference between 1.75% and 1.6% is 0.15 percentage points.
At £30,000/month in eligible in-person turnover, that difference is £45/month.
Retail Plus costs £49/month.
That means the processing discount alone almost covers the software subscription at that turnover level, before valuing any advanced retail features.
Our illustration based on current published rates; actual transaction mix matters.
Our View on Square Retail Plus Growing retailers can move into:
lower processing
advanced inventory
better reporting
without leaving the Square ecosystem.
Square for Restaurants Square currently offers:
Free: £0/monthPlus: £69/month/locationPremium: custom pricing
Plus adds features such as:
course management
advanced reporting
live sales reporting
advanced restaurant workflows
24/7 support
Our View
For restaurants, Square should be compared with full hospitality EPOS providers rather than only card-machine companies.
Square Appointments Square also provides appointment-management tools aimed at businesses such as:
salons
beauty businesses
barbers
clinics
service businesses
This can combine:
booking
payments
customer information
staff management
Our View
This is why Square can be especially compelling for salons and appointment-led businesses.
Square Online Payments Current online pricing is:
UK cards: 1.4% + 25pnon-UK cards: 2.5% + 25p
Square also offers a free online-store plan which can be useful for businesses wanting:
click and collect
online ordering
local delivery
ecommerce
Square Manual & Remote Payments Square currently charges 2.5% for manually entered transactions such as:
Virtual Terminal
card on file
manual card entry
This is higher than its standard in-person rate.
Our View
If a large proportion of your payments are:
telephone orders
remote deposits
card-not-present transactions
compare those rates separately rather than assuming Square costs 1.75% across the board.
Square Payouts Standard Square transfers can currently reach your linked bank account as soon as the next day with no additional standard-transfer fee.
Square also offers instant transfers for an additional fee.
Our View
The current page’s “1-2 working days” wording is now too vague, and Square’s standard UK transfer schedule is stronger than that wording suggests.
Does Square Have a Contract? Square does not require a traditional long-term card-machine agreement for standard use.
You can generally:
buy the hardware
open an account
pay processing fees when you transact
without signing a multi-year terminal rental contract.
Our View: Contract Flexibility Is a Major Square Advantage This is particularly valuable for:
new businesses
seasonal businesses
pop-ups
businesses with unpredictable turnover
where paying a fixed monthly fee during quiet periods is unattractive.
Who Is Square Best For? Excellent Fit
sole traders
pop-ups
market sellers
mobile businesses
new businesses
small shops
cafés
salons
Strong Fit
restaurants using Square’s wider POS ecosystem
retailers needing integrated online + store sales
appointment businesses
businesses needing several sales channels
Compare Carefully
businesses processing high monthly turnover
businesses wanting aggressive negotiated acquiring rates
high-volume hospitality operators
complex enterprise payments
Our View: Turnover Matters More Than Business Size A sole trader processing £25,000/month in cards may have more reason to compare negotiated merchant rates than a ten-person consultancy processing £500/month.
Do not use “small business = Square” as the only decision rule.
Use:
monthly card turnover
transaction type
sales channels
POS requirements
Square Pros & Cons
Pros Cons
£19 entry hardware
1.75% standard in-person rate
£0 core POS software
Can cost more at higher turnover
No traditional long-term contract
Remote/manual payments cost more
Clear pricing
Advanced POS features require paid plans
Strong POS ecosystem
Non-UK cards cost more
Online + offline sales tools
Traditional account-management model may suit some larger merchants better
Next-day standard transfers
Instant transfer incurs a fee
Where Square Falls Short 1. Higher turnover
The 1.75% standard rate means costs rise directly with sales.
At £50,000/month
standard in-person processing would equal £875/month
before considering custom pricing eligibility.
At this scale, it would be unusual not to compare negotiated alternatives.
2. Remote payments
Manual-entry and Virtual Terminal transactions are currently 2.5%, which can be expensive for businesses taking a high proportion of payments remotely.
3. Advanced software adds subscription costs
Core Square POS is free.
But advanced features can involve paid subscriptions such as:
Retail Plus
Restaurants Plus
Loyalty
Marketing
additional workforce tools
Compare the full software stack rather than repeating “Square has no monthly fee” after adding paid products.
Can Square Offer Lower Rates? Yes, Square currently offers custom pricing for eligible businesses processing more than £200,000 in annual card sales.
Custom rates and hardware discounts may be available.
Our View
Businesses approaching this turnover should speak to Square before assuming they must leave the platform for cheaper processing.
Square vs SumUp Current standard PAYG in-person rates are:
Square: 1.75%SumUp: 1.69%
SumUp also currently offers Payments Plus at:
£19/month + 0.99% on eligible domestic cards.
Our View
SumUp has a pricing advantage on headline in-person rates.
Square’s strongest argument is its:
POS ecosystem
retail functionality
restaurants
appointments
online integration
See our Square vs SumUp comparison .
Square vs Dojo Square is the easier low-commitment option and Dojo becomes particularly relevant for:
established retail
hospitality
regular card turnover businesses wanting tailored payment pricing
Use a live quote to compare total monthly costs.
See our Dojo Card Machine review .
Square vs takepayments Square offers:
public flat pricing
no traditional fixed card-machine contract
low-cost hardware
takepayments offers:
tailored pricing
merchant-service support
12-month card-machine contracts
traditional acquiring arrangements
Square is easier; takepayments may become commercially interesting as turnover grows.
See our takepayments review .
Square vs Tyl by NatWest Tyl currently uses a percentage + fixed-fee structure for eligible smaller businesses.
Square’s simple 1.75% rate may be easier for businesses with many low-value transactions.
Tyl may become more attractive depending on:
card mix
transaction value
turnover
terminal package
Square vs Worldpay Worldpay currently offers both fixed simplicity pricing and tailored pricing but Square is more flexible for:
start-ups
seasonal sellers
businesses avoiding rental commitments
Worldpay becomes more relevant where:
turnover is consistent
several terminals are needed
negotiated acquiring rates matter
Is Square a Merchant Account? Not in the traditional dedicated-merchant-account sense, and Square acts as a payment platform that enables businesses to accept payments without having to arrange a traditional acquiring account independently.
For most small businesses, this distinction matters less than:
cost
settlement
features
contract terms
See our Is Square a Merchant Account? guide .
Does Square Work Offline? Square provides offline-payment functionality on supported setups.
However, offline payments involve additional risk because transactions cannot be fully processed until the device reconnects.
Businesses should check:
which hardware supports offline payments
offline-payment limits
how long transactions can remain offline
what happens if a card is later declined
Our View
Offline mode is a resilience feature, not a substitute for reliable business internet.
High-volume businesses should still consider:
reliable broadband
backup connectivity
Square & PCI DSS Square handles significant elements of payment security and states that payments are encrypted end to end but businesses still need to:
use payment equipment securely
protect account access
manage staff permissions
follow appropriate payment-security procedures
Common Square Buying Mistakes
choosing Square only because hardware is cheap
ignoring long-term transaction costs
assuming every payment costs 1.75%
forgetting online/manual rates
paying for advanced POS tools you do not use
failing to ask for custom pricing at high turnover
comparing Square with a merchant quote using only the percentage
What to Compare Before Choosing Square
Monthly card turnover
Number of transactions
In-person vs online split
UK vs international cards
Hardware required
POS software required
Retail / restaurant / appointment functionality
Settlement requirements
Alternative merchant-service quote
Our Verdict: Is Square Worth It? Yes, Square remains one of the strongest payment platforms for UK small businesses because it combines cheap hardware, transparent pricing, flexible contracts and a very broad POS ecosystem and their strongest areas are:
easy setup
£19 entry hardware
£0 core POS
no traditional card-machine contract
retail tools
restaurant tools
appointments
online selling
next-day standard transfers
Its main weakness is:
processing cost at higher turnover.
Our recommendations:
Sole trader: excellent shortlistMarket / pop-up: excellent shortlistSmall café: very strong shortlistSalon: very strong shortlistSmall retailer: very strong shortlistGrowing retailer: compare Retail PlusRestaurant: compare Square Restaurants against specialist EPOSHigh-turnover merchant: request Square custom pricing and compare acquiring quotes
Square is cheapest to understand and easiest to start with. It is not automatically cheapest to process large volumes through.
Compare Square & UK Card Machine Providers
Frequently Asked Questions How much is a Square card machine?
Square Reader currently starts at £19 + VAT. Square Stand costs £99 + VAT, Square Terminal £149 + VAT, Square Handheld £169 + VAT and Square Register £699 + VAT.
What fees does Square charge?
Square currently charges 1.75% for standard UK in-person card payments, 1.4% + 25p for UK online-card transactions and 2.5% for manually entered payments.
Does Square have a monthly fee?
The standard Square Point of Sale plan costs £0/month. Advanced retail, restaurant and other software features can have monthly subscription charges.
Does Square require a contract?
Square does not require a traditional long-term payment-processing contract for standard use.
How quickly does Square pay out?
Standard transfers can currently arrive as soon as the next day for no additional fee. Instant transfers are also available for an additional charge.
Is Square cheaper than SumUp?
SumUp’s standard PAYG in-person rate is currently 1.69%, compared with Square’s 1.75%. SumUp also has a paid lower-rate plan. Square may still offer better overall value where its POS ecosystem replaces other software.
Does Square have lower rates for larger businesses?
Yes. Businesses processing more than £200,000 per year may qualify for custom transaction and hardware pricing.
How much is Square Retail Plus ?
Square for Retail Plus currently costs £49/month per location and includes a discounted 1.6% eligible in-person rate alongside advanced inventory and reporting tools.
How much is Square Restaurants Plus?
Square for Restaurants Plus currently costs £69/month per location plus processing fees.
Is Square good for restaurants?
Yes. Square offers dedicated restaurant software with tables, order management, reporting and other hospitality tools. Larger restaurants should compare it with specialist hospitality EPOS providers.
Does Square work offline?
Square provides offline-payment functionality on supported configurations, but offline transactions carry additional risk and should not replace reliable connectivity.
Is Square worth it?
Square is particularly strong for businesses that value simple pricing, low-cost hardware and integrated POS tools. Higher-turnover businesses should compare negotiated processing rates before deciding.
Related Card Payment Guides
Hi, I’m Ally Cox , a senior copywriter and blogger at CompareYourBusinessCosts.co.uk, the UK’s trusted platform for comparing business services.over a decade of experience in the B2B sector, I specialise in simplifying complex topics like leased lines, VoIP, business energy, HR and payroll solutions, accounting software, and EPOS systems .HR, copywriting, and business operations- from clocking-in systems to card machines and office technology .informed, confident decisions when choosing products and services that improve efficiency and save money.
