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The Revolut Reader is a portable, compact card reader which offers some of the lowest fixed-rate transaction fees on the market, (0.8% + £0.02 for in-person transactions, with no monthly fees) and costs just £49 + VAT up-front.

This makes the Revolut Reader a great option for sellers who want to avoid being roped into a contract while still keeping costs low. Plus, with the addition of Revolut’s iPad-based EPOS hardware, it’s a cheap option for small hospitality businesses, such as food trucks or market vendors.

That said, since the Revolut Reader is more geared toward casual and occasional sellers, the Revolut Terminal is a better option for businesses that take daily card payments due to its larger screen, faster processing, and standalone EPOS functionality.

This pushed the Revolut Reader off our ranking of the best card readers for small businesses in our latest testing, but it remains a solid, cost-effective choice for merchants looking for a budget-friendly option.

Revolut Reader

3.8

Pricing £49 + VAT

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Suitable for

Businesses that want to reduce monthly overheads

Merchants who want low transaction fees

Business owners that need next day payouts

Not suitable for

Merchants who don’t want to bank with Revolut

Owners who want a varied choice of payment devices

Businesses that utilise extensive reporting

Pricing

Fees and costs
Card reader £49 + VAT
In-person transaction fees From 0.8% + £0.02
Online transaction fees From 1% + £0.02
Monthly account fees From £0/month

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What Is the Revolut Reader?

The Revolut Reader is a compact, portable card reader that can accept contactless and chip and PIN payments.

the Revolut card reader pictured on a wooden table.

We like that even though the Revolut Reader is a compact device, it still features a touchscreen for PIN entry. Source: Expert Market

The device connects via Bluetooth to the Revolut Business app or Revolut EPOS app, letting you log orders and take payments directly through your smartphone.

Here’s a look at its key features:

Supports contactless and chip and PIN payments
Supports mobile wallets
Built-in touchscreen PIN pad
Syncs seamlessly with the Revolut Business app and Revolut POS app
Ultra-portable and lightweight

When we tested the Revolut Reader, we were really impressed with its small, touchscreen display that can be used as a PIN pad when taking chip and PIN payments. This saves you from having customers enter their PIN on your phone or iPad, as is the case with the Square Reader, Square’s equivalent compact Bluetooth card machine.

Revolut itself is an e-bank offering both personal and business banking services, although to use the Revolut Reader, businesses need to sign up for a Revolut Business bank account. This makes it a good fit for small businesses or sole traders after a low-cost, all-in-one solution for accepting card payments and managing finances without juggling with multiple platforms.

What is the Revolut Terminal?

Revolut used to only offer the Revolut Reader, but in March 2024, it launched the £149 + VAT Revolut Terminal. At the same time, it released its EPOS app.

The Revolut Terminal is a larger, more advanced card machine with:

A built-in touchscreen
An integrated receipt printer
Wi-Fi and 4G connectivity
Access to Revolut’s EPOS software
Flexible payment support

Unlike the Revolut Reader, the Terminal can operate independently using Wi-Fi or 4G, without needing to be connected to a smartphone or tablet. Aside from functioning as a card machine, it also acts as a handheld EPOS device, making it a better choice than the Revolut Reader for fixed-location businesses with higher transaction volumes.

Revolut Reader: Key Features Explained

The Revolut Reader accepts a variety of payment types and cards, but it’s missing key EPOS integrations and a wide set of reporting tools. Let’s dive a little deeper into its features:

Accepted payments: The Revolut Reader accepts contactless and chip and PIN payments from banks, like Visa, Mastercard, Maestro and Amex, as well as mobile wallets, like Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay. It supports payments in over 25 foreign currencies, catering well to international businesses. However, the reader doesn’t accept cards such as UnionPay, Discover, or JCB, like competing card terminals, such as SumUp or takepayments.
EPOS integrations: Revolut offers a free EPOS app for iPad and Mac, which is designed primarily for small food and beverage businesses. The app includes standard features, like product catalogues, basic sales reporting and table management, and pairs with the Reader via Bluetooth. Yet, it lacks advanced capabilities, like marketing integrations, stock management and third-party EPOS compatibility, making it more limited than free EPOS apps offered by Square and SumUp.
Online payments: Revolut supports online payments through QR codes, payment links and hosted payment gateways that integrate with platforms like Shopify and WooCommerce. The platform’s transaction rates start from 1% + £0.20, making it an affordable option, especially compared with Square, whose fees start at 1.4% + £0.25 per transaction.
Security: Revolut is ISO 27001 certified and PCI compliant, and boasts safeguards, like automated fraud monitoring and real-time alerts, in its EPOS app. It meets core security standards, but it’s not as adept at preventing fraud as larger, more established payment providers, like Worldpay.

How Much Does the Revolut Reader Cost?

The Revolut Reader costs £49 + VAT, in addition to the monthly Revolut Business account fee, which starts at £10 per month for the Basic tier. On top of this, in-person transactions made with the Reader start at 0.8% + £0.02 per payment, while online payments begin at 1% + £0.02.

We break down Revolut’s costs more in our pricing table below:

Item type	Fee/Cost
Revolut Reader	£49 + VAT
Revolut Terminal	£169 + VAT
In-person transaction fees	0.8% + £0.02: UK personal cards 1.7% + £0.02: Amex personal cards 2.6% + £0.02: UK commercial cards, all international cards and Amex commercial cards + £0.10: Tap to Pay on iPhone 0.5% + £0.02: Revolut Pay
Online transaction fees	1% + £0.02: UK personal cards 1.7% + £0.20: Amex personal cards 2.8% + £0.02: UK commercial cards, all international cards and Amex commercial cards 1% + £0.20: Revolut Pay
Business account fees	£10/month: Basic £30/month: Grow £90/month: Scale Custom: Enterprise
Refunds	No added fee
Chargebacks	£15
EPOS app	Free
Setup and exit fees	None

Revolut offers low transaction fees

For standard in-person card payments made with a personal UK Visa or Mastercard, you’ll only be charged 0.8% + £0.02 per transaction, which is very cheap for a fixed fee. For comparison, Revolut competitors Square and Zettle both charge 1.75% for equivalent transactions, while SumUp charges 1.69%.

One unusual thing is that Revolut tacks on an extra £0.08 per transaction for payments made using iPhone tap to pay, something none of its competitors do.

Revolut’s monthly fees start from £10 per month

There are no set-up or exit fees for a Revolut Business bank account, which is quite standard for this type of provider, but monthly fees start at £10 per month on the Basic business banking plan.

The Basic plan used to have no monthly fees and Revolut has increased the pricing of its more premium business banking plans, which now cost between £30 and £90 per month, compared with £19 and £79 per month last year.

Payment processing costs remain the same across plans

Upgrading your business banking plan won’t make a difference to the payment processing features you have access to. What changes instead are the banking features you get access to, such as spend analytics, no-fee international transfers and expense management.

▶ Read more:
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Cheapest Ways to Take Payments

What Are the Pros and Cons of Taking Payments With Revolut?

Here’s quick look at Revolut’s pros and cons when it comes to taking payments:

Pros:

Low monthly costs – Revolut sells its card reader outright, meaning you won’t have to pay monthly card machine rental fees. That being said, if you decide to use Revolut as a payment processor, you need to have a Revolut Business account, which costs anywhere from £10 per month — still a fairly good price, compared with competitors.
Low transaction fees – Revolut’s transaction fees start from 0.8% + £0.02, which are among the lowest rates we’ve seen from fixed-fee no contract providers. In comparison, Stripe charges 1.4% + £0.10 and Square charges 1.75% for in-person payments, making Revolut the cheaper option for many small businesses.
Next-day payouts, including weekends – Payments taken through Revolut are deposited into your Revolut Business account the next day, even on weekends. This is faster than a lot of competitors, including SumUp, which typically pays out within one to three days.

Cons:

A Revolut Business account is required – In order to accept payments, you need a Revolut Business account, which is available from £10 per month. This may be an inconvenience to businesses that are happy with their existing bank and want more flexibility, which providers like Clover and Square provide.
Limited hardware options – Businesses get access to hardware devices, the Revolut Reader and Revolut Terminal, which are quite limited options. Providers like Barclaycard and Tyl by NatWest also offer EPOS accessories, like tills and receipt printers.
Basic reporting and analytics – Revolut’s app gives you access to functions like sale history, but lacks advanced functions you’d find with alternatives such as Tide and takepayments, like payment method filters, best-selling products identification and staff performance tracking.

▶ Read more: Merchant Account Comparison

How to Take Payments with the Revolut Reader

Register for a Revolut Business account, then create a Merchant Account.
Order your Revolut Reader, which comes with a USB-C charging cable and a one-year warranty.
Request your first payment by going to the “Merchant” tab on the Revolut app, selecting “Request” and then selecting “Card reader” from the payment options available. You’ll then be able to connect your reader to the app and be able to enter the amount you want to charge.

Taking payments using the Revolut Reader and Revolut Business app is relatively simple, although it does take a little longer than with other card machines, mainly because the app doesn’t open directly onto the checkout page.

For contrast, with the takepaymentsplus, takepayments’ proprietary card machine, taking a payment was much quicker because the card machine’s touchscreen opened directly onto the checkout page.

▶ Read more: How to Accept International Payments

Should I Use the Revolut Reader or Revolut Terminal?

The Revolut Reader is compact, lightweight, and surprisingly feature-rich, making it a natural choice for many smaller sellers. Yet, the Reader may fall short of the needs of more established businesses, with higher transaction volumes and fixed checkout points. In these cases, the Revolut Terminal would be a better option.

Learn more about both, below:

The Revolut Reader is best for:

Pop-up retail vendors – The Reader’s portability and quick set-up make it a top choice for temporary retail locations like market stalls or seasonal stores. The device connects to smartphones and iPads via Bluetooth, allowing you to take payments from anywhere with a Wi-Fi or 4G connection.
Food trucks or food stalls – The Revolut Reader’s EPOS integration unlocks a number of useful hospitality-focused features, from integrated tipping to Order and Pay. This, combined with its portable nature, lends itself well to on-the-go food or beverage sellers.
Small multi-currency sellers – With support for over 25 currencies, the Reader will be an especially good fit for small sellers who serve tourists or sell internationally, and don’t want to rely on separate international payment solutions.

The Revolut Terminal is best for:

Counter service restaurants and cafes – The Revolut Terminal’s high-speed connectivity, built-in printer, and customer-facing options make it ideal for hospitality businesses where fast, consistent checkout experiences are essential. However, if you require advanced table management or kitchen integrations, a dedicated EPOS provider like Square might be a better option.
Bricks-and-mortar retail stores – The Terminal will also help to improve the customer service for established retailers with fixed locations, due to its faster processing speeds, countertop design and product catalogue support.
Service-based businesses – Service businesses that operate from a single location, like hair salons, nail technicians and barbers, will also benefit from the Revolut Terminal’s fixed setup, useful product catalogue and tipping features.

How Did We Test the Revolut Reader?

To bring you our reviews, we tested and researched 18 card machines and providers, assessing them across five main areas of investigation, and 23 subcategories. These included ease-of-use, feel and size, pricing, and customer support options.

Here’s what we looked at:

Hardware: We looked at each card machine's size, weight, and portability, and assessed its connectivity, its interface, receipt printing and battery life.
Software: We tallied up how many payment types each card machine accepted, looked at payout times, reporting and security features, EPOS functionality, and what systems it integrated with.
Pricing: We compared monthly fees, card machine costs, transaction fees and contract lengths against the features of each card reader, to determine the value for money of each.
Ease of use: We had several different average users test each card machine to see how intuitive each one was to use, and how quickly everyday tasks could be completed.
Help and support: We assessed card machine providers based on how many different support channels they offered and how available and responsive the support team was.

We then gave each card machine an overall score based on how well they fared in the above assessment categories.

Verdict: Is the Revolut Reader Worth it?

Revolut’s card reader is a simple and affordable way to take payments, thanks to its low monthly fees and low transaction fees of 0.8% + £0.02 for standard in-person payments.

However, it’s currently more suited towards businesses that take occasional payments, rather than regular sellers. That’s because it’s still lacking detailed sales reporting tools, integrations with fully-fledged EPOS software, and a proper hardware range.

That said, this might not be the case for long. With Revolut’s EPOS app, it’s one step closer to becoming a viable solution for small, regular in-person sellers. It just needs to extend its suite of tools and hardware.

For now, though, if you’re looking for a similar, zero-contract, no monthly fees option for taking daily payments, you may be better off with Square or SumUp.

If you’re still not sure which card machine provider is right for you, you can use our free quotes tool. Just tell us about your business, and we’ll match you with suitable suppliers who can meet your needs. They will then contact you with no-obligation quotes.

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Revolut Card Reader Review: Low Fees For On-the Go Sellers