Elavon Card Machine Review UK 2026: Fees, Costs & Alternatives
Quick Answer
Elavon is a strong card-machine and merchant-services provider for UK retailers, hospitality businesses and SMEs that want lower processing rates than many simple pay-as-you-go card readers.
Current Elavon pricing starts from:
- Elavon Mobile: £5 one-off reader cost + 1.75% transaction fee
- Tetra Desk: £15/month + 0.99% on eligible Visa/Mastercard personal cards
- Tetra Move: £18/month + 0.99% on eligible Visa/Mastercard personal cards
- Core terminal + gateway: £15/month + 0.99% on eligible personal cards
But the headline 0.99% rate does not apply to every card.
Current published examples include:
- eligible consumer Visa/Mastercard: 0.99%
- business/commercial cards: 1.99%
- non-EEA Visa/Mastercard: 2.5%
Our view: Elavon deserves a much stronger shortlist than the old version of this page suggests. It now has transparent SME pricing, low-cost entry options and competitive consumer-card rates.
| Business |
Our view |
| Start-up/occasional seller |
Compare Elavon Mobile |
| Retail counter |
Strong fit |
| Café/restaurant |
Strong fit |
| Business taking payments around premises |
Strong fit |
| Online + in-person business |
Strong fit |
| High card turnover |
Request tailored pricing |
| B2B/commercial-card-heavy business |
Compare carefully |
| Business wanting zero commitment |
Compare PAYG alternatives |
Compare Elavon & Card Machine Quotes
Free quotes • No obligation • Compare UK card 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.
Reviewed by: James Ward – Telecoms Specialist, 12+ years’ experience.
Last Updated: September 2026
Key Takeaways
- Elavon Mobile currently costs £5 upfront with no monthly fee.
- Elavon Mobile currently charges 1.75% on eligible Visa/Mastercard personal cards.
- Tetra Desk currently costs £15/month.
- Tetra Move currently costs £18/month.
- Business Booster pricing starts at 0.99% on eligible personal Visa/Mastercard cards.
- Business cards currently cost 1.99% on relevant published plans.
- Non-EEA Visa/Mastercard currently cost 2.5% on relevant published plans.
- Current standard published SME plans use a 12-month contract, not the old 36-month assumption.
- Elavon provides 24/7 technical support, while normal account/customer-service hours are more limited.
- Businesses above £200,000 annual card turnover can discuss bespoke pricing.
- Card mix is one of the most important factors when comparing Elavon.
Elavon at a Glance
| Category |
Current Elavon position |
| Entry card reader |
Elavon Mobile |
| Entry hardware cost |
£5 one-off |
| Entry monthly fee |
£0.00 |
| Entry transaction rate |
1.75% |
| Countertop terminal |
Tetra Desk |
| Tetra Desk rental |
£15/month |
| Portable terminal |
Tetra Move |
| Tetra Move rental |
£18/month |
| Eligible personal-card rate |
0.99% on relevant plans |
| Business-card rate |
1.99% |
| Non-EEA rate |
2.50% |
| Standard SME contract |
12 months on current published plans |
| Technical support |
24/7 |
How Much Do Elavon Card Machines Cost?
Elavon’s current UK pricing is considerably more transparent than it used to be.
| Product/plan |
Current cost |
Processing |
| Elavon Mobile/Start Simple |
£5 one-off, £0 monthly |
1.75% |
| Business Booster – Tetra Desk |
£15/month |
From 0.99% |
| Business Booster – Tetra Move |
£18/month |
From 0.99% |
| Core – terminal + gateway |
£15/month |
From 0.99% |
| DX8000 |
From £22/month |
Depends on plan |
| Elavon Register |
From £70/month |
Depends on plan |
Published pricing can vary by plan, turnover and business type.
Our View on Elavon Pricing
Elavon’s current pricing is more competitive than its old reputation for complex merchant-service quotes suggests.
But you should not compare 0.99% Elavon vs 1.69% SumUp vs 1.75% Square
without looking at:
- monthly rental
- card mix
- average transaction value
- contract
Elavon’s 0.99% Rate Explained
On relevant current plans, Elavon publishes 0.99% for eligible personal Visa and Mastercard debit and credit cards.
That includes qualifying:
- Visa consumer debit
- Visa consumer credit
- Mastercard consumer debit
- Mastercard consumer credit
- Maestro
- V Pay
Business Cards Cost More
Current published pricing for many commercial cards is 1.99%
This includes examples such as:
- Visa Business debit
- Visa Business credit
- Visa Corporate
- Mastercard Business
- Mastercard Corporate
- Mastercard Purchasing
Our View
This is particularly important for B2B businesses as a company selling mostly to other businesses may process far more commercial cards than a café or salon.
The real Elavon rate could therefore look very different from the 0.99% headline.
Non-EEA Cards
Current published pricing lists 2.5% for relevant non-EEA Visa and Mastercard transactions.
Our View
Tourist-heavy businesses should pay particular attention to international card mix.
This can include:
- hotels
- central London retail
- visitor attractions
- tourism businesses
Elavon Mobile
Elavon Mobile is now Elavon’s clearest alternative to Square, SumUp and PayPal POS and current pricing is:
- reader: £5 one-off
- monthly fee: £0
- transaction fee: 1.75%
The reader works with Elavon’s mobile POS app.
Best For
- market traders
- food trucks
- pop-ups
- mobile service businesses
- businesses new to card payments
Our View
This completely changes the old assumption that Elavon is only relevant to larger established businesses.
A £5 entry device with no monthly fee puts Elavon directly into the small-business PAYG comparison.
Elavon Mobile vs Square & SumUp
|
Elavon Mobile |
Square |
SumUp |
| Standard in-person rate |
1.75% |
1.75% |
1.69% |
| Monthly fee |
£0.00 |
£0 |
£0 PAYG |
| Entry hardware |
£5 |
£19 + VAT |
Depends on reader |
Our View
The £5 hardware cost makes Elavon Mobile a genuine entry-level competitor.
But compare:
- POS functionality
- payouts
- hardware ecosystem
- support
rather than reader price alone.
Elavon Tetra Desk
Tetra Desk is Elavon’s fixed countertop terminal.
Current Business Booster pricing £15/month.
Current features include:
- Ethernet/IP connectivity
- chip and PIN
- magnetic stripe
- contactless
- Dynamic Currency Conversion
- preauthorisation
- end-to-end encryption
Best For
- retail counters
- cafés
- quick-service restaurants
- fixed checkout environments
Elavon Tetra Move
Tetra Move is the portable alternative.
Current Business Booster pricing £18/month, and it supports:
- wireless payments
- chip and PIN
- contactless
- magstripe
- preauthorisation
- Dynamic Currency Conversion
Best For
- restaurants
- pubs
- hotels
- cafés
- businesses taking payment around premises
Desk vs Move
|
Tetra Desk |
Tetra Move |
| Current monthly fee |
£15 |
£18 |
| Use |
Countertop |
Portable |
| Best for |
Fixed till |
Table / mobile payments |
| Eligible personal-card rate |
0.99% |
0.99% |
Our View
The £3/month difference means the decision should primarily be operational, so if employees regularly need to take the terminal to the customer, Move is likely to make more sense.
Elavon Core: Card Machine + Online Payments
Elavon currently offers a Core plan combining:
- Tetra Move
- payment gateway
- in-person payments
- online payments
Current published price £15/month
for the terminal and gateway package, with 16p per gateway transaction listed on current pricing.
Our View
This is particularly interesting for businesses taking in-person + online / pay-by-link payments.
Elavon DX8000
Elavon currently lists the DX8000 from £22/month.
It is a portable smart POS terminal with:
- large touchscreen
- 4G
- Wi-Fi
- Bluetooth
and supports:
- chip and PIN
- magstripe
- contactless
Best For
- restaurants
- hotels
- retail
- mobile vendors
Elavon Register
Elavon’s current full EPOS proposition includes Elavon Register from £70/month and combines:
- 15.6-inch EPOS terminal
- dual touchscreens
- Elavon POS software
- card payments
Our View
If you need:
- POS
- payments
- stock
- sales management
in one ecosystem, compare Register against:
- Square
- Clover
- Lightspeed
- other integrated EPOS providers
Elavon for Hospitality
Hospitality is one of Elavon’s strongest use cases and their current food-and-beverage pricing includes dedicated hospitality packages.
Examples currently include:
- Essential: £15/month, 0.99% relevant Visa/Mastercard rate
- Plus: £30/month, with 0.79% shown on the current hospitality package for its target turnover band
- Higher-volume / multi-site: bespoke
The 0.79% rate should not be interpreted as Elavon’s universal card-machine rate.
It is tied to a particular hospitality proposition and turnover profile.
Our View on Elavon for Restaurants
The combination of:
- portable terminals
- preauthorisation
- next-day funding options
- POS integration
- hospitality-specific pricing
makes Elavon particularly relevant to:
- restaurants
- pubs
- hotels
- cafés
Elavon Contracts
Elavon’s current published standard plans state 12-month contract.
Our View
This is a material improvement compared with the old perception of long merchant-service agreements.
Always check the exact contract supplied to you, particularly for:
- bespoke pricing
- multiple terminals
- POS
- larger merchant agreements
Elavon Settlement
Settlement speed varies by product and configuration.
Elavon currently states that it normally funds customers within:
48 hours
while faster payment options can provide:
funding where available – some current terminal plans include next-day funding.
Our View
Ask whether faster settlement is:
- included
- optional
- charged per batch
on the specific package you are comparing.
Elavon Support
Elavon’s current support structure distinguishes between:
Technical Support
24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Customer Service
Current telephone customer-service hours are:
Monday–Friday, 8am–5pm.
Chat currently operates:
Monday–Friday, 8am–6pm.
Elavon Security
Elavon provides payment-security functionality including:
- point-to-point encryption
- PCI DSS-related tools
- fraud and risk functionality
Businesses are still responsible for meeting relevant PCI obligations.
Elavon Mobile currently states that non-compliance fees can apply if PCI DSS compliance is not demonstrated within the required period.
Elavon Pros & Cons
| Pros |
Cons |
| 0.99% eligible personal-card pricing |
Business cards cost more |
| £5 PAYG reader available |
Non-EEA cards cost more |
| 12-month standard SME contract |
Monthly terminal fees on lower-rate plans |
| Countertop and portable options |
Pricing varies by card mix |
| Online + in-person packages |
General support is not 24/7 |
| 24/7 technical support |
More complicated than simple flat-rate pricing |
| Hospitality-specific packages |
Higher-volume pricing requires quote |
| Full EPOS option |
Additional services can increase cost |
Elavon vs Square
|
Elavon Business Booster |
Square |
| Eligible consumer-card rate |
0.99% |
1.75% |
| Monthly terminal cost |
£15–£18 |
£0 rental on bought hardware |
| Contract |
12 months |
No standard long-term processing contract |
| Pricing model |
Card-type based |
Simple flat rate |
| POS ecosystem |
Available |
Major strength |
Our View
Square is simpler but Elavon can become cheaper for businesses processing enough eligible consumer-card volume to offset the monthly terminal cost.
See our Square Card Machine review.
Elavon vs SumUp
SumUp PAYG currently charges 1.69%
Elavon Mobile charges 1.75%.
But Elavon’s Business Booster can reduce eligible consumer-card pricing to 0.99% in exchange for monthly terminal rental.
Our View
This makes the comparison PAYG simplicity vs lower percentage + fixed monthly cost.
See our SumUp Card Machine review.
Elavon vs Dojo
Both are strong options for regular card turnover and hospitality.
Compare:
- blended vs card-type pricing
- terminal rental
- settlement
- EPOS integration
- contract length
See our Dojo Card Machine review.
Elavon vs Tyl
Tyl currently publishes:
- 1.39% + 5p eligible UK/European personal cards
- 1.99% + 5p other cards
Elavon publishes:
- 0.99% eligible personal cards
- 1.99% relevant commercial cards
- 2.5% relevant non-EEA cards
Our View
Elavon’s lower consumer-card percentage may look stronger, but:
- terminal rental
- transaction count
- international cards
need to be modelled.
See our Tyl by NatWest review.
How to Calculate Whether Elavon Is Cheaper
Use transaction fees + terminal rental + other monthly charges
then divide by monthly card turnover to calculate an effective processing rate.
Our View: Card Mix Is the Elavon Buying Question
This should be the central message of the page.
Elavon can look extremely competitive if most transactions are:
eligible UK/EEA consumer Visa and Mastercard.
It becomes less clear-cut when a business has:
- commercial cards
- international cards
- specialist card types
Who Is Elavon Best For?
Strong Fit
- retailers
- restaurants
- cafés
- pubs
- hotels
- regular card turnover
- businesses wanting online + in-person payments
Also Worth Comparing For
- start-ups through Elavon Mobile
- mobile sellers
- market traders
- food trucks
Compare Alternatives Carefully If
- most customers pay with commercial cards
- you serve lots of non-EEA visitors
- you want no contract at all
- you want the simplest flat-rate pricing possible
Common Elavon Buying Mistakes
- assuming every transaction costs 0.99%
- using outdated 36-month contract information
- ignoring business-card rates
- ignoring international cards
- comparing percentages without terminal rental
- assuming customer support is 24/7
- using old talech/Poynt pricing
- not comparing Elavon Mobile with PAYG readers
Questions to Ask Before Choosing Elavon
- What percentage of our transactions qualify for 0.99%?
- What do commercial cards cost?
- What do non-EEA cards cost?
- What terminal rental applies?
- What settlement speed is included?
- Is faster settlement extra?
- What is the minimum contract?
- What happens at renewal?
- What are the cancellation terms?
- Are PCI-related charges included?
- Do online payments have separate gateway charges?
- Can you price our current merchant statement?
Our Verdict: Is Elavon Worth It?
Yes. Elavon is now one of the more interesting UK card-machine providers to compare across both small PAYG businesses and established SMEs.
Its strongest areas are:
- £5 entry reader
- £0 monthly PAYG option
- 0.99% eligible consumer-card pricing
- countertop and portable terminals
- online + in-person payment packages
- hospitality solutions
- 24/7 technical support
- 12-month standard SME contracts
Its main drawbacks are:
- different rates for different card types
- higher commercial-card costs
- higher non-EEA costs
- monthly terminal rental on lower-rate plans
Our recommendations:
- New / occasional seller: compare Elavon Mobile
- Retail: strong shortlist
- Restaurant / café: strong shortlist
- Hospitality: very strong shortlist
- Regular consumer-card turnover: very strong shortlist
- B2B: model commercial-card pricing carefully
- High tourism / international cards: compare non-EEA rates
Elavon’s 0.99% rate can make it materially cheaper than flat-rate readers — but only if enough of your actual transactions qualify for that rate.
Compare Elavon & Card Machine Providers
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does an Elavon card machine cost?
Current published options include Elavon Mobile for a £5 one-off reader cost, Tetra Desk at £15/month and Tetra Move at £18/month.
What is Elavon’s transaction fee?
Relevant Business Booster plans currently charge 0.99% for qualifying Visa and Mastercard personal cards, 1.99% for many business cards and 2.5% for relevant non-EEA cards.
Does Elavon have a no-monthly-fee option?
Yes. Elavon Mobile currently has a £5 one-off device cost, £0 monthly fee and 1.75% standard transaction charge.
How much is Tetra Desk?
Elavon currently lists Tetra Desk at £15/month on its Business Booster plan.
How much is Tetra Move?
Tetra Move currently costs £18/month on the Business Booster plan.
How long is an Elavon contract?
Elavon’s current publicly advertised mainstream SME plans state a 12-month contract. Bespoke agreements may differ.
Does Elavon offer 24/7 support?
Technical support is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. General customer-service telephone and chat hours are more limited.
Is Elavon good for small businesses?
Yes. Elavon Mobile now gives smaller businesses a PAYG option, while Business Booster can suit established SMEs with regular card turnover.
Is Elavon good for restaurants?
Yes. Portable terminals, hospitality-specific plans, preauthorisation, online payments and POS options make Elavon particularly relevant to restaurants and hospitality businesses.
Is Elavon cheaper than Square?
It can be. Elavon’s relevant consumer-card rate is 0.99% plus terminal rental, compared with Square’s standard 1.75% in-person rate. Actual cost depends on turnover and card mix.
Does Elavon accept business cards?
Yes. Current published pricing lists many commercial Visa and Mastercard cards at 1.99% on relevant plans.
Does Elavon accept international cards?
Yes. Current published pricing lists relevant non-EEA Visa and Mastercard transactions at 2.5% on relevant plans.
What are the best Elavon alternatives?
Alternatives include Square, SumUp, Dojo, Tyl, Worldpay, PayPal POS and takepayments.
Related Card Machine Guides
Hi, I’m Ally Cox, a senior copywriter and blogger at CompareYourBusinessCosts.co.uk, the UK’s trusted platform for comparing business services.
With 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.
Before joining CompareYourBusinessCosts, I worked across various industries, gaining hands-on experience in HR, copywriting, and business operations- from clocking-in systems to card machines and office technology.
My goal is simple: to help UK businesses make informed, confident decisions when choosing products and services that improve efficiency and save money.
