Best Mobile Card Readers for Small Businesses

Finding a card machine for your business can be difficult. With varying upfront, monthly, and ongoing costs (like transaction fees) as part of different packages, there’s a lot of choice on the UK market in 2024.

To cut through the noise, we’ve researched and tested 18 mobile card machine platforms, ranking them by how they function and what features they offer. We’ve also tallied up the exact fees you can expect to pay with each provider and analysed the customer support and hardware features that you’ll be provided with.

Barclaycard has come out on top, just edging out Square in our weighted scoring criteria for its reliable card reader options at a low monthly fee. But are these the best readers for your business? Read on to find out more about our top five, so you can decide which one is right for your business.

1. Barclaycard – Best Mobile Card Reader

Edging out Square by just one and a half percentage points, Barclaycard earned the highest overall score across our five testing categories of hardware, software, support, pricing and usability.

As you might expect, we think it does a lot right. Here’s a rundown of what it can offer your small business.

Where Does Barclaycard’s Mobile Card Reader Shine?

During our usability testing of Barclaycard’s Smartpay Touch card reader, we were appreciative of how simple its handheld POS system made making a payment. After setting up a float to start the day you are straight into selling your products all on the card reader – unlike, say, SumUp which requires you to scroll down on its app to find your inventory.

It has separate areas for things such as starters, mains, and snacks (in the food and beverage industry model we tested) all with imagery making navigation easy.

Taking payment is painless too: each item has a pre-set price setup on it (setup via your POS portal on PC or tablet) which is then added to the basket before you click pay to finalise the bill. You can remove an item or cancel the sale in one click to start over, too, and easily issue a refund using the ID number found on a receipt (although if there was also an option to select a recent transaction that would be beneficial to businesses working at pace).

The hardware itself also impressed us. The Barclaycard Smartpay Touch device we tested is lightweight, making it easy to hold in one hand despite featuring a built-in printer. It’s the most feature-rich option available via Barclaycard for £29 + VAT per month on a 12-month contract minimum and has a charge that lasts all day.

There are two other mobile card readers Barclaycard offers at varying costs and contract lengths, as you can see below, all with the same transaction fees from 1.6%.

It’s worth stating that Barclaycard users can get quote-based transaction fees customised to their business needs, especially if they take high-volume or high-value transactions. Barclaycard also provides up to £3,000 in switching fees for merchants trying to exit a current contract, which is an appealing signing-on bonus.

Elsewhere, Barclay’s active fraud security monitoring transactions gave us peace of mind and should be especially valuable to businesses making high-value sales.

You also get 24/7 customer support to help when you need it. Barclaycard’s support options aren’t as extensive as Square’s, which adds live chat and a forum to Barclaycard’s phone, email and knowledge centre options, but we think having 24/7 availability on limited lines is preferable to the former’s eight-hour weekday coverage. Only Tide matches Barclaycard for its any-hour help.

How Could Barclaycard Improve Its Mobile Card Reader?

There isn’t a whole lot wrong with Barclaycard’s card readers, with it earning the joint highest hardware score from the options on this page, so we’re nit-picking here.

However, we found the Smartpay Touch wasn’t as responsive as Clover’s hardware (not featured on this page due to comparatively poorer performance in other categories). The screen had a slight lag when inputting items, though we’d still say it impressed us more than all other options on this page, besides Tide.

The varied amount of colours on the home screen was a bit overwhelming for some testers and gave the interface a busy look – though whether this is an issue will inevitably vary depending on you and your staff’s preferences. I found it functioned well, even if it’s not as aesthetically pleasing as SumUp’s card reader.

We’d love to see Barclaycard’s card reader compatible with more banks than just Barclay’s, albeit this sort of limitation isn’t that unusual. Meanwhile, a lack of an offline mode with its card readers could pose a problem for businesses without reliable internet connectivity.

We found its accompanying smartphone software a little more limiting in one area, too: you can’t use its smartphone app for tap to pay on either Android or iPhone – unlike Zettle, Square, SumUp and Tide.

And perhaps crucially for some merchants, Barclaycard doesn’t supply a full, native POS system with the respective hardware, from countertop terminals and cash drawers to scanners and printers. It does integrate with third-party POS systems, so you should be covered if you need anything beyond its handheld POS devices pictured above, but it’s worth checking before you purchase if your hardware makes a good fit.

Who Is Barclaycard’s Card Reader Best Suited To?

Since it is only operational with a Barclay’s bank account, this card reader is best suited to merchants banking with Barclays. Its monthly payment structure will also appeal to businesses looking to avoid paying anything upfront, unlike other options on this page.

Meanwhile, a lack of offline payment support means those requiring functionality even when offline should look at Square instead.

2. Square – Best For Usability

During our testing sessions with Square’s Terminal card reader, we found the device to be the most user-friendly of all the products we tested by a significant margin. 

Here’s the topline summary of what you need to know about Square and its mobile card reader before we dive into the specifics.

Where Does Square’s Mobile Card Reader Shine?

Square’s modern, sleek interface is paired with a large, responsive display making it easy for customers to see their total while allowing us to operate it efficiently. This meant we could serve a customer faster than some smaller devices we used.

We particularly loved how you can switch between the product and price input screen with ease, as well as make quick sales amendments without needing to cancel an entire order. The layout is nearly identical across all Square hardware, too, so you’ll always be in familiar terrain. 

The card reader is fully functional when offline, too. It goes into offline mode when it loses connection (after initially being enabled first) and automatically processes payments when you get back online.

And with hardware prices starting from the cheapest we’ve seen – £19 + VAT for its Square Reader – its lack of major upfront costs is appealing. Albeit, the Square Terminal we tested retails for more at £149 + VAT, which is more inline with other providers, so this affordability will depend on the option you select.

Besides Worldpay – not listed on this page since it is best suited to business operations dealing with large transaction amounts and turnover – Square also offers the fastest payout rates at just one working day. The next fastest rates are with Barclaycard and Zettle, transferring funds in one to two working days, although it is worth saying that Zettle does offer near-instantaneous payouts for those with a PayPal Business bank account.

All transactions are monitored in real-time for your peace of mind too, with the platform also boasting PCI compliance and holding an ISO 27001 certificate, showing Square’s commitment to data protection.

How Could Square Improve Its Mobile Card Reader?

Our testing team found the Square Terminal wasn’t overly comfortable to hold in hand, so we’d recommend one of Square’s other products for wait staff or businesses where holding the terminal is a regular occurrence. Alternatively, we found Barclaycard’s Smartpay Touch to be light enough to carry around.

While Square has the cheapest hardware around, you’ll be paying back to the merchant account provider in the form of some fairly average transaction fee rates between 1.75% (in-person) and 2.5% (online). They aren’t bad rates by any means, or we wouldn’t recommend Square at all, but Barclaycard, SumUp and Tide all have lower potential transaction fees.

Square also doesn’t allow you to accept multiple currencies, but you can set up accounts in each of the countries your business is located in to accept the local currency. For an easier bet in this regard, Zettle has this included. And you won’t be able to integrate Square with any other POS systems either, since that isn’t supported.

Who Is Square’s Card Reader Best Suited To?

Square’s full POS, payments and e-commerce support make sense for businesses that want to use Square’s free EPOS software alongside the card reader and create a customised and comprehensive system. Likewise, its offline payment functionality means it is a great pick for businesses with spotty internet.

If you require a mobile data connection for your hardware, however, Square is lacking on that front. And if you already have a POS software system and you don’t want to change, we’d also recommend looking towards the more integrable Zettle.

3. SumUp – Best For On-The-Go Businesses

SumUp is well-suited to small mobile businesses since its SumUp Solo card reader (£79 + VAT) supplies a 4G connection to make it easy for businesses to process payments on the road.

Where a Wi-Fi connection may be dodgy or non-existent, this is the perfect choice that undercuts other providers in price. It also means you don’t need to connect your reader to your phone or tablet to access its mobile data or Wi-Fi, which can be problematic if you run into technical issues.

Alternatively, you can connect via either tablet or smartphone using the SumUp Air (£39 + VAT) for even less investment and it’s an equally solid choice to save on spending.

Here’s what else SumUp does well in short, followed by our in-depth discussion of its features.

Where Does SumUp’s Mobile Card Reader Shine?

We primarily tested the SumUp Air, its cheapest card reader, via our smartphone and we were impressed with its functionality.

Likely due to its pocket size, the device charged quicker than others at under one hour. Thereafter, we began taking payments almost immediately after connecting to our phone via Bluetooth. We just needed to download the app, create an account and sync the reader before going to the sale tab, inputting a price and clicking “pay by reader”. 

Alternatively, you can take payments directly from an Android or iPhone with their ‘tap to pay’ feature, as with all the other options on this page besides Barclaycard. This eliminates the need for any hardware or upfront payments whatsoever, which could appeal to startup businesses. 

In general, we found the interface was clean and modern, avoiding the clutter of other providers via a more bare-bones UI. Still, the black and white colour scheme might not be appealing to all users, as sometimes colours can be good indicators of what to click and when.  

Elsewhere, payouts can be speedy at between one and three business days, matching the top fund transfer rates of other providers tested here. They also offer weekend payouts and the ability to customize your deposit schedule to match your own.

Its transaction fees are competitive too, especially when accounting for the low hardware costs and zero contract commitments. The SumUp One subscription, available for £19/mth, is an appealing alternative to get even cheaper transaction fees of 0.99% if you are selling at high volume or high value.

Read more about SumUp pricing for more details.

How Could SumUp Improve Its Mobile Card Reader?

Both the SumUp Solo and SumUp Air card readers cannot be used offline. That means if you don’t have a 4G connection then you won’t be able to take payment. And in the UK, a reliable 4G connection isn’t always a given, particularly in remote regions.

While it charges fast, the SumUp Air only has a battery life of around 500 transactions: the shortest duration we’ve tested. That’s understandable given the reader’s size compared to other POS devices, and 500 transactions isn’t small by any means, but it is something high-volume businesses should be aware of.

SumUp also scores the second lowest total of our top five picks for customer support, as it lacks a forum and, perhaps more importantly, only has support lines open from 9am to 5pm on weekdays. Still, its range of help and support options is appealing, with live chat, email, phone and a knowledge centre all present and correct. That matches Zettle and Tide while beating the extent offered by Barclaycard.

Who Is SumUp’s Card Reader Best Suited To?

We recommend SumUp for small businesses that are on the move and need a reader with a 4G connection. Even its non-4G connected card reader, the SumUp Air, is a solid choice for on-the-go operations since it is more portable than any other card reader we’ve tested and works offline if you lose connection.

4. Zettle by PayPal – Best For PayPal Business Account Holders

For PayPal Business account holders, Zettle is an obvious choice.

Besides being designed to work with all things PayPal – naturally, since Zettle was purchased by PayPal back in 2018 (and was since renamed Zettle by PayPal (previously iZettle) in 2021) – Zettle has a specific benefit for PayPal Business account users: near-instantaneous payouts.

With all other options on this page, you’ll need to wait at least one or two business days, and that’s the case with Zettle if you have any other kind of business bank account. But by syncing your payment processing with your bank account, you can access your business income in just a few minutes. And that’s not all: here’s what Zettle can offer your business.

Where Does Zettle’s Mobile Card Reader Shine?

Besides its record payout times for PayPal Business customers, Zettle has a few other tricks up its sleeve.

Namely, we loved how easy it is to get set up and instantly begin selling. It’s small Zettle Reader device we tested didn’t cost a lot to purchase at just £29 + VAT and thereafter, we could easily link to our PayPal account and sell for free without any contract commitments.

The reader itself linked to the Zettle Go app, which meant we could easily charge people what we wanted directly from there or we could manually add the price in ourselves and the haptic buttons gave us great touch feedback, as you see below. Our users felt that the interface was modern and well-suited to all types of businesses.

Zettle also offers strong reporting capabilities, including sales forecasting, inventory management, and staff hours. Zettle offers the second-highest number of reports in our research, after Tide.

And we were fans of Zettle’s 24/7 transaction monitoring for security and fraud protection. With its expensive experience in the virtual payment space, PayPal-backed Zettle is one of the most reliable options for security.

How Could Zettle Improve Its Mobile Card Reader?

We had no problems in taking payment, though the small size of the card reader and the lack of privacy when inputting a pin could put off older customers due to the lack of a “secure feeling”. This may be something to consider, depending on the average age of your customers.

While Zettle’s strengths are in its features, it doesn’t score too well for pricing since it is one of the more expensive providers we looked at. Namely, Zettle charges 1.75% per card transaction and 2.5% for payment links and invoices, level with Square. The transaction fee impacts every transaction your business processes, so it’s an important consideration that could put off businesses of all kinds.

Who Is Zettle’s Card Reader Best Suited To?

Besides being the clear pick for PayPal Business account holders, Zettle is suitable for businesses that want to focus on processing card transactions with the ability to access EPOS features, such as inventory tools. This should appeal to businesses such as food trucks or mobile businesses that don’t need a comprehensive EPOS system. For more all-encompassing EPOS features, Square is a solid bet.

5. Tide – Best For Reporting

When it comes to reporting tools, Tide has some of the widest array of data visualisation dashboards. You can view all the financial and transaction data from its mobile card reader on your account via the connected application or a web browser. Here’s what else you should know about Tide.

Where Does Tide’s Mobile Card Reader Shine?

Tide offers extensive dashboards with advanced reporting tools to view sales by employees, card types, or items. This can be a helpful tool to better understand your business finances live on Tide’s platform.

Despite some usability issues, as we’ll come to shortly, we were impressed with Tide’s hardware, too. Its Card Reader Plus has a battery that lasts all day on one single charge, bettering SumUp’s card reader, and its interface is attractive to the eye.

When it comes to pricing, Tide receives the lowest score of the providers on this page. That’s largely down to the relatively high cost of the hardware we tested, starting from £89 + VAT. However, we think this could be worth the price given it also has the lowest transaction fees of the options listed here, with just 1.5% for in-person, card-present transactions.

How Could Tide Improve Its Mobile Card Reader?

Compared to the card readers we’ve tested, Tide’s Card Reader Plus falls some way behind in terms of usability. While we found Tide’s Card Reader Plus to be simple for inputting a price and charging customers, changing the price required us to cancel the entire payment rather than make a quick edit.

Even more complex and time-consuming is the process of issuing a refund. We had to navigate away from the card reader to the mobile app for starters. Then, we could only request a refund online rather than process one immediately. The refund was only processed around three days later which is quite a lengthy period compared to the instant refunds of other mobile card readers.

Customers who want their refunds processed immediately are likely to be concerned by this delay and it may put them off becoming repeat customers should you be using Tide in a refund-heavy industry such as fashion and retail.

Who Is Tide’s Card Reader Best Suited To?

Merchants who need a long battery life on their hardware will struggle to find a better option than Tide’s mobile card reader. Equally, those requiring extensive reporting tools on a free plan (thereby reducing monthly costs) should be happy with what Tide has to offer.

If you require efficient offline payments, we’d recommend taking a look at Square’s mobile card readers instead.

How We Test Card Machines for Small Businesses