Written by Tatiana Lebreton Reviewed by Oliver Simpson Updated on 22 April 2026 On this page How Much Does takepayments Cost? Is takepayments good value for money? Card Machines What Features Does takepayments Offer? EPOS Systems takepayments' Customer Support What Kind of Business is takepayments Best For? takepayments vs Competitors How Did We Test and Review takepayments? Final Thoughts FAQs Expand All providers have been tested by our Research team. By requesting a quote or clicking a link, we can match you with a potential supplier, and we may earn a small commission for this referral. Learn more. Based on our in-depth research and testing, takepayments is one of the best payment processing and merchant account providers for UK small businesses, due to its ergonomic card machines, hands-on onboarding, and overall affordability — with transaction fees typically ranging from around 0.3% to 2.5%, plus a small fixed fee.The merchant account is particularly well-suited to established retail, hospitality and service businesses that process consistent in-person card payments and want a more traditional merchant account with tailored pricing and support, while businesses with stable revenue can benefit from its negotiable rates and all-in-one setup.However, takepayments won’t be ideal for every business. Its contract-based pricing, potential early termination fees and less advanced ecommerce tools mean it may be less suitable for startups, seasonal businesses or companies that need flexibility and room to scale quickly. takepayments 4.7 Pricing Custom Get Free Quotes Quick overview takepayments offers modern card machines like its mini EPOS system, complete with reporting tools, enhanced security tools, and the ability to support 170 currencies.Key information:Contract length: 12 monthsFund transfer time: Next working dayPayment tools: Mobile and portable card machines, EPOS system, online payment gateway, invoicing, pay by link, phone payments, and app payments Read more + Read less - Customer support available via live chat, phone, WhatsApp and help centreOpening hours: Mon-Fri 8am-7pm; Sat 8am-6pm; Sun + Bank Holidays 9am-5pm Pricing See more See less Fees and charges Monthly fee Custom (£0-£20/month) Card machines From £25/month Transaction fees Custom (0.3%-2.5%) Online payment gateway Custom (up to £19/month) Virtual terminal Custom takepayments Review: Expert's Summary takepayments appeals to many UK SMEs because it provides a traditional merchant account experience with face-to-face onboarding and customisable pricing.However, because of its contract-based structure, businesses must exercise significantly greater caution than with pay-as-you-go platforms.From a financial risk perspective, the biggest danger isn’t transaction fees, it’s a contract lock-in. Early termination charges, compliance fees and rolling terminal rentals can create long-term liabilities that persist.My advice is to only commit when revenue is stable and predictable. For early-stage or volatile businesses, once locked in, exit expenses sometimes outweigh any processing savings. Azimul Hoque ACCA-qualified accountant for ecommerce businesses Find out more about our Expert authors ▶ Read more: How to End a Card Machine Contract? How Much Does takepayments Cost?takepayments’ pricing is bespoke, so you’ll need to request a quote to know your exact PDQ machine costs and software charges.Here’s an overview of the different fees and charges you can expect from takepayments:Fee TypeTypical CostNotesBasic account fees£0–£20/monthNot publicly listed; bespoke pricing based on business size and negotiationMerchant account feesVariable (often £0 for small businesses)Depends on acquiring bank (e.g. Barclays, Elavon, Cashflows)Card machine rental feesFrom ~£25/monthStarts with takepaymentsplus; higher for other devices/modelsTransaction fees~0.3%–2.5% + flat feeCustomised based on card type, volume and business risk profileOnline and remote payment feesCustomHigher than in-person rates; depends on method (gateway, virtual terminal, pay-by-link, etc.)PCI compliance support feeOptional/variableNo mandatory charge, but paid support may apply depending on the assistance levelEarly termination feeVariableUsually equals the remaining contract value or “buy-out” of agreementThe provider prides itself on offering flexible and competitive pricing that’s adapted to the needs of each business. However, we recommend you compare your takepayments quote with quotes from other providers to ensure you really are getting the best deal. Is takepayments good value for money?takepayments is generally good value for money, especially for small businesses. Based on our research, it holds a firm middle ground when it comes to costs. When we compared takepayments average pricing with similar contract-based competitors, we found that it was generally cheaper than Worldpay, but more expensive than Clover.For a lower price, takepayments offers better quality card machines than Worldpay (they’re easier to use and more lightweight), and has an extremely attentive and available customer service, making it a good value investment.In terms of transaction fees, takepayments’ rates are fairly competitive but not the cheapest on the market. For example, providers like Square offer simpler, flat-rate pricing (which are slightly higher but more predictable), while Clover can work out cheaper for high-volume businesses due to lower negotiated rates. What Are takepayments’ Card Machines Like?takepayments offers three modern card machines with a sleek design, built-in receipt printer and touchscreen: the takepaymentsplus handheld device, and the A920Pro and DX800 traditional card machines. Here is how they compare side by side.takepaymentsplusA920ProDX8000Image Device typeMini handheld EPOS deviceTraditional card machineTraditional card machinePrimary usePayments + light EPOS functionalityIn-person paymentsIn-person + remote paymentsConnectivityWi-FiWi-Fi, 4G, BluetoothWi-Fi, 4GRemote paymentsNoNoYesPre-authorisationNoNoYesBest forMobile businesses wanting EPOS featuresSimple in-store transactionsBusinesses needing deposits, remote billing, flexibilityThe A920Pro and DX8000 are traditional card machines that can only be used to process transactions, with the difference being that the DX8000 can accept remote payments and pre-authorised payments.We tested the takepaymentsplus, takepayments’ proprietary card machine. We were impressed by its sleek design and light weight, despite its size, and loved the fact that, besides being able to process card payments, it possesses the qualities of a basic EPOS system. My experience with the takepaymentsplus card machine My first impression of the takepaymentsplus was that it was easy to hold. The takepaymentsplus has a large touchscreen and built-in receipt printer, but it wasn’t heavy, or too wide to hold, like some competitor card machines I tested.The interface was bright and clear, and opened directly onto the PIN pad, allowing for quick transaction processing. Through the transaction process, every step was clearly signposted, and overall the device was very easy to use.When printing a paper receipt, the paper ripped off very easily and cleanly, which again, was not always the case when I tested competitor card machines.However, I did have a few minor complaints. Issuing a refund was a little confusing. While it was easy to find the refund function by selecting the desired transactions in the transaction history, the refund icon is faded out, which makes it seem unavailable.In reality, this is simply because it requires a code to be enabled, but this design could make new users think they’re unable to issue refunds. It also slows down the overall refund process, which isn’t great for customers.Additionally, although I appreciated the takepaymentsplus’ reporting capabilities, accessing a printed summary of daily sales was a lengthy process.The device has a “Reports” tab, which seemed like the obvious place to look, but, to print an actual sales summary, we had to go to the “More” tab, and scroll down quite a lot until I found the desired function. It’s a minor inconvenience, but I’d prefer it if such a commonly used function were easier to access. Tatiana Lebreton Staff Writer What Features Does takepayments Offer?takepayments offers a wide range of payment methods and EPOS features in one platform, making it a flexible option for retail and hospitality businesses, though its tools are generally simpler than EPOS providers like Clover and Square.Remote payment featuresOnline payment gateway: takepayments’ online payment gateway integrates with over 50 virtual shopping carts, and can be customised to match your business’s branding.Virtual terminal: Virtual terminals are designed for over-the-phone payments. takepayments lets you take secure payments over the phone by entering customer card details via desktop, tablet or smartphone.Pay by link: takepayments’ pay-by-link service lets you send electronic invoices to customers via an email link, and accepts all major cards, as well as Apple Pay and Google Pay. Customers just need to click on the link and will be taken to a secure payment page.QR code payments: If you’re a hospitality business, takepayments allows you to set up QR codes for customers to scan. They’ll be taken to a menu page, where they can place and pay for their order.Payment app: takepayments offers a payment app called beepaidGo, from which you can create invoices, and send them to the customer via text or email. They’ll receive a payment link to a secure payment page.EPOS featuresInventory management: With takepayments, you can track stock levels automatically as sales are made, set low-stock alerts and manage product variants. However, it does lack some advanced stock controls offered by competitors like Clover, such as multi-location syncing and cost-profit tracking.Sales reporting and analytics: takepayments lets you generate real-time reports on sales performance, revenue, and product trends, and use insights to identify bestsellers, peak trading times and areas for growth.Staff management: takepayments allows you to create staff accounts, assign roles and monitor activity. However, functionality is relatively basic, with fewer workforce management tools than some competing systems.Multi-channel support: Manage in-store and remote payments in one place with takepayments and keep operations consistent across physical and digital sales channels.Table management and reservations: Designed specifically for restaurants and food businesses, takepayment’s visual table plans let you manage seating, track table turnover, and handle reservations more efficiently.Tab management and bill splitting: takepayments lets servers divide a bill equally or pay specific or separate amounts, open tabs, add items and allow customers to pay at the end of their service.On the main dashboard of our takepayments account, we could see recent sales history. After a month of selling, your own dashboard should be well populated, giving you a quick insight into how your business is doing. Source: Expert Market ▶ Read more: Best Payment Gateway ProvidersA Guide to Taking Payments Online and Over the Phone Is takepayments’ EPOS Hardware Any Good?takepayments offers two EPOS systems — one for retail, and one for hospitality. While not the most advanced EPOS systems on the market, they’re an affordable solution for small businesses, and integrate seamlessly with takepayments’ payment processing services.Hardware and software fees are bundled into one package, and takepayments offers two hardware kits: tPOS counter: A tablet terminal with a 12.5-inch touchscreen and a built-in customer display screen, along with the takepaymentsplus card machine.tPOS complete: A large countertop terminal with 15.6-inch touchscreen, a built-in customer display screen and a receipt printer, along with the takepaymentsplus card machine.Prices vary depending on whether you select a retail or hospitality EPOS system:EPOS type/IndustrytPOS countertPOS completeRetail£45/month£55/monthHospitality£55/month£65/monthBoth options also entail a £250 + VAT setup fee.takepayments is far from the only merchant services provider to also offer an EPOS solution, with competitor Square offering free EPOS software, and only charging a one-off fee for hardware. Square’s EPOS system offers better value for money than takepayments’ and is easier to use, earning top spot in our ranking of the best EPOS systems.The pros of the EPOS system takepayments offers for hospitality are its ability to allow for bookings and employee time keeping, which are often add-on features in competitor EPOS systems, like Square. Meanwhile, takepayments’ retail EPOS system accepts an unlimited number of users, a bonus if you have a high number of staff on a part-time basis. My experience with takepayments' retail EPOS system When testing the takepayments tPOS system for retail, I was impressed by its reporting tools. I was able to get data on best-selling products and could carry out cost versus profit analysis, a great way to asses profitability.However, other testers and I did encounter some issues. While the system was generally easy to navigate, in the backend, a lot of testers found the process of adding products unnecessarily complex.In the front end, some also had trouble applying discounts and adding customer details, due to a lack of visual cues on the interface.A lot of us also found the touchscreen on the terminal overly sensitive, which made scrolling difficult since we were often accidentally clicking on tools. Oliver Simpson Research and Testing Lead Does takepayments Offer Good Customer Support?Yes, takepayments offers strong customer support overall, with a highly accessible team available seven days a week. Support hours run from 8am to 7pm, Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm on Saturdays, and 9am to 5pm on Sundays and Bank Holidays, covering everything from PCI compliance to everyday technical issues.Customers can get help via multiple channels, including phone, live chat, WhatsApp and a self-service knowledge centre, for DIY support.In contrast, some of takepayments’ competitors offer 24/7 support, such as Worldpay and Barclaycard, but takepayments still maintains a competitive edge by offering weekend support, which many competitors, such as Square and SumUp, don’t do.This is particularly valuable for small retail, service, and hospitality businesses, where weekends are often the busiest trading period. Compare Quotes From Leading Merchant Account Providers and Save Do you already accept card payments at your business? Yes No It takes just 30 seconds... Expert Opinion: takepayments is flexible with strong support — but watch costs From both an accounting and cashflow point of view, takepayments provides next-day settlement and good reporting tools, which allow small businesses to improve their liquidity and make it easier to reconcile their accounts.With takepayments’ variable pricing structure, it’s important that you review the pricing frequently. Otherwise, it will become difficult to project costs going forward.If a potential client is looking at takepayments, I also advise them to compare the custom quotes against fixed-rate providers, review all the total monthly fees, including equipment rentals, and make sure that the settlement timeline meets their cashflow cycle.If you value flexibility and customer support more than an eventual higher long-term cost, takepayments is the right choice for you. Muhammad Shakir ACCA-qualified accountant and small business bookkeeper Find out more about our Expert authors What Kind of Business Is takepayments Best For?takepayments is best suited to small and medium-sized businesses in retail, hospitality and services that rely on consistent in-person card payments. That said, not all small businesses are ideal candidates for takepayments; here’s a summary of who the provider is best for.takepayments is ideal for:Established retail or hospitality businesses – takepayments is well-suited to shops, cafés, restaurants and similar businesses that process a high volume of card payments and benefit from an integrated EPOS system for in-person sales and day-to-day operations.Appointment-based and service businesses – takepayments will be useful for tradespeople and service providers who need flexible remote payment options such as pay-by-link, phone payments and invoicing, to accommodate different customer preferences.Cost-conscious businesses with high-card volumes – takepayments will be a strong fit for established businesses with consistent card turnover that can benefit from the provider’s competitive transaction fees and potential for negotiated pricing, helping reduce processing costs over time.takepayments is not ideal for:Ecommerce-first or seasonal businesses – Businesses focused on online sales or operating seasonally may prefer more flexible or ecommerce-specialist providers, as takepayments offers more limited online selling tools and less contract flexibility.High-growth or highly scalable businesses – Businesses that are rapidly expanding or require advanced integrations, automation and deep analytics may find takepayments too limited compared with more scalable, feature-rich platforms.Businesses needing full customisation – Companies that require tailored payment setups, complex reporting, or extensive third-party integrations may find takepayments lacks the depth and flexibility of more feature-rich providers. How Does takepayments Compare With Its Competitors?takepayments is particularly well suited to small and medium-sized retail, hospitality, and service-based businesses that need a reliable all-in-one payment system for in-person and remote transactions. However, it won’t be a solid fit for every business.While takepayments is more cost-effective than Worldpay, due to its lower transaction fees and absence of monthly contract charges, Worldpay offers more advanced reporting and business management tools, making it a stronger fit for larger or more ambitious businesses that prioritise scalability and deeper analytics.Compared with Barclaycard, takepayments is typically cheaper on transaction fees, but Barclaycard offers more flexible pricing models based on turnover. Barclaycard may also appeal more to businesses seeking an integrated banking and payments solution, while takepayments focuses primarily on payment processing and in-person card acceptance.Against merchant account providers like Tyl by NatWest and Square, takepayments offers more built-in features for face-to-face trading and hospitality workflows.However, Square is better for ecommerce-first or small, fast-moving businesses due to its zero monthly fees and simple setup, and Tyl appeals to cost-conscious users who prefer a bank-backed provider but accept more limited functionality.Learn more about how takepayments squares off against the competition in the table below: 0 out of 0 backward forward Score Monthly fee Hardware cost Transaction fee Online payment gateway Virtual terminal price Fund transfer time Contract length takepayments Worldpay Barclaycard Square Tyl by NatWest 4.8 4.7 4.6 4.6 4.5 Custom (£0-£20/month) Custom (£15-£40/month depending on contract) Custom (from £15) None None From £25 + VAT/month From £17.50 + VAT/month From £15/month + VAT From £19 + VAT (one-off fee) From £13.99/month Custom (0.3%-2.5% depending on card and sales volume) Custom (0.75%–3% depending on card and transaction volume) 1.6% or bespoke 1.75% in-person1.4%-2.5% + £0.25 online 1.39% + £0.05 – 1.99% + £0.05 or custom rates Custom (up to £19/month) Custom (£19.95/month on average) Custom Free £14.95 + VAT/month Custom Custom (£19.95/month on average) Custom Free Included in online gateway package (from £14.95/month) Next working day 30 minutes Next working day Next day Up to 3 working days 12 months 18 months 12 months Zero-contract Zero contract and 12-month options How Did We Test and Review takepayments?To bring you our reviews, we tested and researched 18 payment services providers, assessing them across five main areas of investigation and 23 subcategories. These included ease of use, the quality and feel of hardware, and the price of products and services.Here’s what we looked at:Hardware: We looked at the size, weight and portability of the card machines they offer, and assessed their connectivity, interface, receipt printing and battery life.Software: We tallied up how many payment types and methods each provider accepts, looked at payout times, reporting and security features, EPOS functionality, and what systems they integrate with.Pricing: We compared monthly fees, card machine costs, transaction fees and contract lengths against the features of each payment services provider, to determine the value for money of each.Ease of use: We had several different average users test each card machine and payment processing system to see how intuitive each one was to use, and how quickly everyday tasks could be completed.Help and support: We assessed providers based on how many different channels of support they offered, and how available and responsive the support team was.We then gave each provider an overall score based on how well they fared in the above assessment categories. Our Final Thoughts takepayments is a reliable choice for small businesses, with excellent customer support.Its takepaymentsplus card machine is a great all-in-one choice for small businesses that’s easy to use and can also generate numerous reports, such as inventory and employee sales tracking. These are valuable features that can help you better manage your business and guide your scaling plans.However, it does loop you into a contract, and charges fees for just about every service. So, for new businesses, or ones with low transaction volumes, a zero-contract provider with no monthly fees like Square or SumUp might be a better option.If you’re still unsure about which merchant services provider is right for your business, use our quick and free quotes tool. We’ll match you with the providers that are best suited to meet your needs, and they’ll be in touch with tailored, obligation-free quotes! takepayments review FAQs Is takepayments secure? Yes, takepayments is secure. The provider is PCI compliant, which means they take rigorous steps to secure card data. It also supports 3D secure authentication to prevent fraud. That said, takepayments is not PCI certified — a higher standard, which means that the provider has their security protocols audited. If that’s what you’re looking for, Stripe will serve you better. How do I cancel my contract with takepayments? To cancel your contract with takepayments, you must communicate this intention in writing and, if need be, pay any early termination fees. These are: a) a £40 administration charge, and b) a non-use charge, which amounts to £30 + VAT per remaining month in the contract. Is takepayments cheaper than SumUp or PayPal for my volume? In some instances takepayments is cheaper than SumUp and PayPal POS, but it depends on your monthly card turnover. For low-volume businesses (under £5,000–£10,000 per month), SumUp and PayPal POS are usually cheaper due to their simple flat rates and no monthly fees. However, for higher volumes, takepayments can work out better value, with custom transaction fees (around 0.3%–2.5% + a small fixed fee) that can be negotiated lower, making it more cost-effective as your business grows. Our site is reader-supported. Some featured providers are our partners, so we may earn a commission if you make a purchase through our site. This is at no extra cost to our readers, and this doesn’t affect the independence of our reviews. Whether or not we have a partnership with a company does not affect our rating and review of the service. Meet our Expert authors Azimul Hoque Azimul Hoque is an ACCA-qualified accountant and Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with over eight years of experience in the financial services industry. Hoque has managed accounting and reporting for hospitality, retail and ecommerce businesses, ensuring VAT compliance, accurate bookkeeping and monthly insights that drive smarter decisions. Muhammad Shakir Muhammad Shakir is an ACCA-qualified accountant and Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) affiliate with more than 10 years of experience helping ecommerce firms and small businesses with VAT returns, payroll, bookkeeping, year-end accounts and HMRC submissions. He is a cloud-accounting expert, well-versed in Xero, QuickBooks, Sage and other top platforms, and previously worked at Deloitte and NACCS (Nationwide Accommodation Services). Written by: Tatiana Lebreton Senior Grow Online & Business Software Expert Tatiana is Expert Market's resident payments and online growth expert, specialising in (E)POS and merchant accounts, as well as website builders. Reviewed by: Oliver Simpson Senior Research Executive After three years in operational B2B data analysis, Oliver became a business insight specialist in 2022 and now focuses full-time on understanding small business preferences and needs. He blends his quantitative skills, forged by his experience working as a law enforcement researcher, with qualitative exploration, to ensure robust and nuanced results.