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While Dojo didn’t quite crack our list of the best merchant accounts on the UK market, it has plenty of appealing qualities.

Namely, Dojo offers competitive transaction fees, fast fund transfers within 24 hours every day of the week and extensive EPOS integration options for its modern hardware. However, that hardware doesn’t support offline payments and you’ll potentially face more ongoing fees than you would with other providers.

Read on for an in-depth look at its pricing, hardware, features and customer support compared to other top options on the market. Equally, if you’re short on time and want to compare providers for your exact business needs now, you can use our free quote tool to get no-obligation, custom quotes. After all, many providers have custom pricing options – including Dojo.

Dojo Review: Summary

If we were to recommend Dojo to anyone, it would be for merchants that already have a POS system. That’s down to it being able to sync and integrate with over 600 different POS software, according to our independent research. This means that your business won’t have to worry about getting an entirely new POS system along with a new payment device.

Those businesses that like to move around to find the best deal will be further enticed by Dojo’s unique commitment to covering switching fees. Dojo states it would cover up to £3,000 worth of exit fees in some cases, making the move a painless one.

Switching will be appealing for businesses that want to feel the effects instantly. Dojo offers next-day payouts as standard, which many suppliers make you pay a premium price for. No matter what day it is, or if it is a bank holiday, you’ll get your funds the next day.

Dojo

4.1

Suitable for

Owners who want a device with varied connections

Merchants who want a device with a long battery life

Businesses who need weekend payouts

Weaknesses

Merchants who need to take offline payments

Businesses who don’t want to be tied to a contract

Owners who prefer to use email support

Pricing

Transaction Fees	Monthly Fee	Hardware Cost
0.75% + 5p for debit cards, 1.2% + 5p for credit cards, 1.99% + 5p for present business cards, 2.49% + 5p for not-present business cards	From £10 per month	From £20/month
Or custom fees	Or custom fees	Or custom fees

Dojo Costs and Transaction Fees

There are two clear pathways for Dojo’s pricing: businesses processing more than £150,000 in card payments per year and those processing less than £150,000 in card payments per year.

Each option has a 12-month minimum contract which is then followed by a rolling per-month contract.

Dojo pricing for below £150k flat fees and above £150k custom fees

If you have an annual card turnover over £150k, then you are eligible for custom pricing with Dojo - Source: Dojo

Businesses eligible for the former pathway can negotiate custom prices with Dojo (or use our quote-finding tool to compare with other providers’ custom prices), while those relevant to the latter pathway have a flat pricing model for platform, transaction and hardware fees. Let’s summarise what you can expect before we dive into the specifics.

For businesses processing less than £150,000 in card transactions per year:

Card machine costs: £20 per month or take payment via a smartphone (Tap to Pay) for free.
Platform fees: £10 per month, per location
Transaction fees: 0.75% + 5p (present/not-present debit card transactions), 1.2% + 5p (present/not-present credit card transactions), 1.99% + 5p (present business card transactions), 2.49% + 5p (not-present business card transactions)

For businesses processing more than £150,000 in card transactions per year:

Custom rates: For credit & debit transaction fees, monthly platform fees, and monthly hardware fees.

Dojo’s hardware costs

Dojo’s cheapest card machine is fairly expensive by merchant account standards, costing £20 per month to rent the Dojo Go.

Given this is the only card machine pricing publicly available – the Dojo Pocket requires you to purchase the Dojo Go first before you are eligible for pricing quotes – there are no other pricing plans for hardware to consider.

By comparison, you can purchase hardware outright for less than one month’s investment via providers like Square (£19 + VAT). However, that low-cost hardware is much less capable than the Dojo Go, as we’ll detail in our hardware section further down this page.

Dojo’s transaction fees

Compared to its hardware costs, Dojo has much more appealing transaction fees on face value. Businesses processing less than £150,000 in card payments per year will have transaction fees between 0.75% + 5p and 2.49% + 5p. We have listed them here, for clarity:

0.75% + 5p (present/not-present debit card transactions)
1.2% + 5p (present/not-present credit card transactions)
1.99% + 5p (present business card transactions)
2.49% + 5p (not-present business card transactions).

It’s worth noting that due to its variable fee structure, American Express is excluded from the credit card fees and instead you’ll get a custom quote based on your business.

Dojo's transaction fees shown for different card types

As shown in this image, there are variety of transaction fee conditions but ultimately they are relatively fixed - Source: Dojo

Does Dojo offer custom fees?

Yes, Dojo does offer custom fees for all of its costs. That includes credit & debit transaction fees, monthly platform fees, and monthly hardware fees. However, it is only an option for businesses taking in over £150,000 in card transactions per year.

Dojo’s platform fees

With Dojo, you’ll also have a base rate of £10 per month for use of its cloud-native payments platform. That rate used to be £24.95 per month, but has recently fallen, so we welcome the change. The new lower price brings it in line with providers like Worldpay’s £9.95 per month costs.

Although Dojo has dropped their fees, it’s worth mentioning that many other providers don’t have monthly fees at all. That includes the likes of Zettle, Tide, Square and SumUp.

Does Dojo have any hidden fees?

Besides the aforementioned custom transaction fees for American Express credit cards, one big point to note is that processing refunds costs 50p. Many other providers offer this free of charge.

If you have a store with multiple locations, it is also worth reiterating that you’ll have a £10 per month charge per location to access its cloud-native payments platform.

Dojo Review: Hardware

A key area where Dojo stood out from other UK merchant account providers was its card reader’s compatibility, which can connect to up to 600 third-party POS devices that Dojo doesn’t supply. This means you don’t have to worry about getting an entirely new POS system along with your payment device.

However, Dojo only offers two card readers: the Dojo Go for £20 per month and the Dojo Pocket for an additional, unknown cost.

We say additional cost because you are only able to purchase a Dojo Pocket if you already own a Dojo Go. And it’s unknown because only Dojo customers with a Go device will be offered this, at a custom price (although it was previously offered at £20 per month as standard, so we suspect a similar price would remain).

Dojo doesn’t support third-party card readers, so these are the only options you have on that front. That means no tabletop machines nor any smartphone-centric readers.

Still, the readers themselves are of excellent quality with fast speeds and a modern interface. The price points are more expensive than some options out there, especially providers that have a one-time fee, but they aren’t outside of industry norms (Tyl by Natwest has a similar price for its main reader).

1. Dojo Go: Portable Card Machine

Price: £20 per month

Dojo Go card machine on a table with two hands around it

The Dojo Go is actually a PAX A920 card machine also used by the likes of Tyl by Natwest and takepayments - Source: Dojo

The Dojo Go is essentially a must-have if you opt for a Dojo merchant account.

That’s not just because it is Dojo’s most feature-rich card machine, but down to it being the only option you have. Dojo doesn’t support third-party card reader hardware and the Dojo Pocket – a slimmer card machine accessory– is only available to be yours after you’ve purchased the Dojo Go for your business first.

Those limitations aside, let’s detail the key features of the Dojo Go and what we think about it compared to other top card readers.

Dojo Go key features

Connectivity: Equipped with both Wi-Fi and a built-in 4G SIM card to ensure reliable connectivity anywhere.
Touchscreen interface: Features a high-resolution touchscreen for intuitive navigation and ease of use.
Battery life: Long-lasting battery designed to last a full trading day on a single charge.
Security: Fully PCI DSS compliant with point-to-point encryption (P2PE) for secure transactions.
Built-in receipt printer: Allows for immediate printing of customer receipts after transactions.
Weight: 458g

What do we think about the Dojo Go?

Dojo states the Go card machine can take payments 58% faster than the market average, according to an independent study by Savanta (2023), which is an impressive claim that seems to bear out in reality according to our additional research.

We believe the Dojo Go is very user-friendly, with a speedy touchscreen interface that allows staff to navigate and process transactions efficiently. At 458g, it’s not the lightest card reader in the world (that role is saved for the Dojo Pocket) but it’s still eminently portable, with a sleek design that looks professional, too.

The dual connectivity options of WiFi and 4G provide reliable performance which means you can accept payments even if one connection type is unavailable. On the other hand, that’s not useful if you are selling outdoors in a remote region without either, nor is it an apt table-top option given it forgoes ethernet connectivity. But for most businesses, it should still work well.

Likewise, the built-in receipt printer saves you from purchasing one separately and improves convenience for both staff and customers when taking payment. Not all card machines offer a built-in receipt printer, for instance, Zettle’s Card Reader 2, so it shouldn’t be taken for granted.

Battery performance appears solid, promising 10 hours of use from a single charge which is above the industry standard of eight hours. The SumUp Air can better this and be used for 12 consecutive hours, though it doesn’t have a screen and instead connects to a smartphone.

2. Dojo Pocket: Compact Card Reader

Price: Custom

Dojo Pocket card machine in a person's hand

The Dojo Pocket is a format of slim, smartphone-size and width card reader that has become increasingly common over recent years - Source: Dojo

Only available after purchasing the Dojo Go, the Dojo Pocket is a more slimline alternative that offers much of the same features minus the ability to print physical receipts.

Dojo Pocket key features

Ultra-portable design: Small and lightweight, it is designed to fit comfortably in your pocket for ultimate mobility.
Same connectivity as Dojo Go: Both WiFi and 4G are supported on the Dojo Pocket.
Smartphone connectivity: Pairs with smartphones via Bluetooth to use it with the Dojo app (available on iOS and Android).
Digital receipts: You can send receipts directly to customers via email or text message through the app (there’s no in-built receipt printer).
Battery life: Built to last through a full day of transactions on a single charge.

What do we think about the Dojo Pocket?

We think the Dojo Pocket is ideal for businesses on the move, such as market traders, food trucks, or mobile service providers, due to its compact size.

Customers can simply tap their card/smart device for any sale or refund amount. If the payment is over £100, the device will display a virtual PIN pad to use without the need to insert a card. There’s also the ability to pay via a QR code if a customer has a smartphone.

Speaking of which, pairing the device with a smartphone is pretty seamless by all accounts, and the Dojo app itself offers an intuitive interface, making it easy to manage transactions and send digital receipts to relevant email addresses or phone numbers.

Our main annoyance about the Dojo Pocket is that you can’t opt to purchase it without the Dojo Go. If Dojo allowed it to be purchased individually, the Pocket could take centre stage rather than be a sideshow to the Go model.

Of course, it is also not the best choice for printing physical receipts regularly, since it doesn’t have this built-in. But since you would need the Dojo Go to purchase it anyway, which has this functionality, it is something of a moot point.

Dojo Review: Software Features

Now you know what the prices are, and the sorts of top card machines you can get with Dojo, you next need to consider the features you are getting for your investment. Here’s a run through the areas we considered as part of our extensive, impartial research and the results we found with Dojo.

Payment options

As with most merchant accounts, Dojo supports the use of all major credit and debit cards, including Visa, Mastercard, and American Express. Contactless payment via Apple Pay and Google Pay is also accepted via all its card machines using NFC technology.

Accepted card types via Dojo card readers - Source: Dojo

Payout timeframe

An area we loved about Dojo was that it provides next-day payouts as standard. And that’s not just the next business day, either: Dojo pays out the next day seven days per week for no additional cost. That means you’ll be getting weekend and even bank holiday payouts, too.

Of the 18 merchant accounts we researched, Revolut was the only other provider to offer this. Instead, many make you pay a premium price for next-day payments, while weekend payouts are rare, full stop. Big names like Square, Zettle, Worldpay (although it does offer 30-minute payouts for a fee), takepayments, Barclaycard and Tyl by Natwest make you wait until Monday for a weekend sale.

All this is to say Dojo is a superb option for speedy payouts, anytime.

EPOS integration

Another big boon of Dojo card terminals is that they can integrate with a large number of EPOS systems via API integrations. In fact, Dojo collaborates with several top EPOS providers directly so it can offer seamless integration of data with relevant software, such as Lightspeed.

These integrations allow for inventory control and management directly through an EPOS, as well as syncing transactions and sales data between your hardware and EPOS system.

Perhaps why Dojo has gone to great lengths here is that it doesn’t have its own native POS platform, so it requires external parties for this functionality. Still, this can be a benefit if your business is already using a particular POS software as you won’t need to transfer over existing data.

Reporting

Dojo provides reporting capabilities for transaction breakdowns, peak trading times and top-selling products. You’ll have easy access to real-time transaction data through the cloud-based platform and specifically, its overview dashboard. Plus, you’ll get notifications for things like when funds are transferred.

dashboard showing various graphs inside the Dojo for Business web-app

Dojo's web-app dashboard displays a number of useful graphics to get a quick overview of your card income - Source: Dojo

You can filter reports by date, time and transaction type.

However, should you want to track employee sales performance or generate detailed reports on sales, customer behaviour, and inventory, you’ll need to integrate Dojo with a compatible third-party EPOS system. That’s because it doesn’t provide these more advanced reporting tools as part of its software. If you want more detailed reporting built-in, takepayments is a better fit with a similar monthly fee and contract commitment.

Offline functionality

As discussed in our hardware section, Dojo’s card machines utilise WiFi and are supported by a 4G SIM card should they be out of range of a WiFi connection.

However, if you are in a remote region where you can’t get reliable connectivity via either of those options, Dojo’s hardware can’t function. It has no offline mode and requires some kind of connection to work, meaning it’s not a great choice for on-the-go businesses in areas without strong 4G service.

Dojo Mobile App

A modern merchant account, Dojo does have applications for both iOS and Android devices titled “Dojo for Business”. After you pair your card readers with the app, you can see live updates on transactions and sales performance over time as part of an intuitive and attractive user interface.

The Dojo for Business mobile application has a modern aesthetic - Source: Dojo

You can also manage refunds and voids on the app, as well as access customer support should you need quick assistance.

Security

Dojo is PCI DSS compliant and the process to become compliant is fairly straightforward. You’ll just need to read two documents and answer two questions. After this, you’ll be compliant via the app or your Dojo account online.

We’d say Dojo’s compliance process is the easiest and cheapest out of all the providers in our research. For instance, takepayments, our highest-rated provider, has a self-assessment questionnaire of up to 300 questions. In other words, Dojo is a good choice for businesses that want to ensure PCI compliance without paying extra or dealing with lengthy processes.

Dojo also offers Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE) of card data at the point of interaction to ensure secure transactions. Plus, it offers assistance with handling and/or disputing chargeback claims, should you need it.

With most merchant account providers like Dojo requiring you to contact them for exact pricing, getting quotes from each provider you’re interested in is a necessary step.

But to make things easier for you, you can use our quote form to get prices for your business requirements from all the top-rated providers without much work on your part. Simply fill in your business requirements and you’ll get no obligation quotes sent to your email address for free.

Dojo Review: Help & Support

Dojo offers fairly extensive help and support options including phone and live chat lines. Customers get tech support every day of the week between the hours of 8am and 11pm. The support team is UK-based, so you’ll be getting agents who understand your queries from a UK-based business standpoint.

Impressively, if you need immediate card machine support, Dojo technicians can log into your device remotely to assist with any problems. And it also offers 24-hour card machine replacement if a device is unrepairable, too.

Dojo’s online help centre means you’ve got a lot of additional documentation to help you find answers quickly yourself, too. As part of our testing, we tried looking for answers to five common business problems, across all of the top merchant account providers. With Dojo we were able to easily find answers to all five of our test queries within Dojo’s help centre, in one click.

The only thing missing from Dojo’s help and support armoury is a user forum and perhaps more importantly, an email line.

How Does Dojo Compare to Its Competitors?

We’ve tried to offer comparison throughout this Dojo review to other big names, but sometimes it is easier to compare key attributes of each provider side-by-side. Here’s a table to do just that.

Swipe right to see more


Dojo	takepayments	Worldpay	Clover	Square	Zettle	SumUp
Monthly Fee From £24.95 + VAT	Monthly Fee Custom (£0-£20/month)	Monthly Fee Custom (£15-£40/month depending on contract)	Monthly Fee From £0/month	Monthly Fee None	Monthly Fee None	Monthly Fee None
Hardware Cost From £20/month	Hardware Cost From £25 + VAT/month	Hardware Cost From £20 + VAT/month	Hardware Cost Contact for quote	Hardware Cost From £19 + VAT	Hardware Cost From £59 + VAT	Hardware Cost From £39 + VAT
Transaction fee 1.4% credit & debit cards	Transaction fee Custom (03%-2.5% depending on card and sales volume)	Transaction fee Custom (0.75% to 3% depending on card and transaction volume)	Transaction fee Custom (as low as 0.2%)	Transaction fee 1.4% +25p online 1.75% in-person	Transaction fee 1.75% in-person 2.5% payment links and invoicing	Transaction fee 2.5% online 1.69% in-person
Native EPOS system?	Native EPOS system?	Native EPOS system?	Native EPOS system?	Native EPOS system?	Native EPOS system?	Native EPOS system?
Fund transfer time 24h	Fund transfer time Next working day	Fund transfer time 30 minutes	Fund transfer time 1-3 days	Fund transfer time By the next working day	Fund transfer time 1-2 working days	Fund transfer time Next working days
Contract length	Contract length 12 months	Contract length 18 months	Contract length Zero contract and up to 4 year contract options	Contract length	Contract length	Contract length

How We Reviewed Dojo

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 it integrates 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 faired in the above assessment categories.

Verdict

Dojo is a solid choice for businesses needing fast, next-day payouts and hardware options that integrate seamlessly with existing POS systems.

It has newly lowered fees across the board that make it more appealing than ever, and will even pay your exit fees when switching providers. Add in everyday customer support availability and some sleek hardware, and the package Dojo offers is pretty appealing.

We’d say it’s not a suitable option for businesses that need offline payment capabilities, since Dojo doesn’t support this on its high quality but limited choice of card readers. Plus, businesses that would prefer to avoid monthly fees should also look elsewhere, since Dojo charges £10 per month for its services alongside the ongoing hardware costs of £20 per month.

If you want to compare other providers to Dojo, you can use our free quote-finding tool. We will match you up with trusted payment providers based on your business specifications, who will then contact you with obligation-free price quotes. This should help you to find the best deal for your exact needs.

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