Best Mobile Credit Card Readers Of 2024

Amy Nichol Smith,  Cassie Bottorff
Former Editor,  Editor
Laura Howard
Editor

Edited By

Updated: Oct 10, 2024, 12:26pm

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If you require any personal advice, please seek such advice from an independently qualified financial advisor. While we aim to feature some of the best products available, this does not include all available products from across the market. Although the information provided is believed to be accurate at the date of publication, you should always check with the product provider to ensure that information provided is the most up to date.

The number of new businesses launching in the UK in 2023 surpassed 900,000, according to the New Startup Index from NatWest and Beauhurst. That compares to 790,390 in 2022.

So it follows that more Brits are leaning on crucial software and hardware tools to sell various products and services. And, increasingly, this includes the use of mobile credit card readers.

In this article, we’ll discuss some of our top mobile reader options, and which customers they could be best for.

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Our top mobile credit card readers for small UK businesses

Why you can trust Forbes Advisor Small Business

The Forbes Advisor Small Business team is committed to bringing you unbiased rankings and information with full editorial independence. We use product data, strategic methodologies and expert insights to inform all of our content and guide you in making the best decisions for your business journey.

We reviewed a dozen point-of-sale (POS) system providers using a comprehensive methodology to help determine the four best mobile credit card readers. This review included a deeper look at provider pricing, quality and number of features offered and an analysis by our panel of experts using customer reviews of the card readers. All ratings are determined solely by our editorial team.

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BEST MOBILE READER FOR NEW BUSINESSES

Square POS

Square POS

Hardware cost

Starting at £19 (+VAT)

Payment types accepted

Chip & PIN, contactless credit cards, Apple Pay and Google Pay

Processing fee

1.75% – 2.5%

Square POS
Get Started

On Square's Website

Hardware cost

Starting at £19 (+VAT)

Payment types accepted

Chip & PIN, contactless credit cards, Apple Pay and Google Pay

Processing fee

1.75% – 2.5%

Why We Picked It

Square POS is a mobile POS solution that’s free to use. You can purchase a chip mobile reader for £19 (+VAT) to accept contactless payments in person or online – you only pay a flat processing fee on each transaction. Square POS includes inventory management, low-stock alerts, email and text receipts and sales reports. It is one of our favourite credit card readers for Android and iOS for its affordability, feature set and usability.

You can use Square POS to handle multichannel sales, so you can sell online and in person with no monthly fees. The POS software syncs your online and in-person sales, so you can take payments from your website or your mobile app with the reader. Transaction fees vary depending on how you accept payments:

  • In-person transaction fee: 1.75%
  • Online transaction fee: 1.4% – 2.5% plus 25p
  • Keyed-in transaction fee: 2.5%

Square is easy to use, and with this reader you can get started accepting payments with no upfront costs. It accepts Apple Pay, Google Pay, contactless as well as chip and PIN cards, making it one of the more affordable options.

There are some limitations to using Square as your mobile credit card reader and POS. Support is only available 24/7 for customers that opt for a paid plan. The POS software is missing important features, such as purchase orders and vendor management – for these features, you’ll have to upgrade your plan.

Who should use it: Square is ideal for new businesses just getting started. It’s easy to start accepting payments right away, online or in person with Square’s reader – all you pay is a processing fee on each order.

Pros & Cons
  • Offers free plan
  • Supports omnichannel sales
  • Easy to use
  • Includes free POS software
  • Must upgrade plan for key management features
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Revolut Business

Revolut Business

Hardware cost

£49

(No monthly cost)

Payment types accepted

Chip & PIN, Contactless, Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay

Processing fee

0.8% plus £0.02 (UK consumer cards) – 2.6% plus £0.02

(All international and commercial cards)

Revolut Business
Get Started

On Revolut's Website

Hardware cost

£49

(No monthly cost)

Payment types accepted

Chip & PIN, Contactless, Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay

Processing fee

0.8% plus £0.02 (UK consumer cards) – 2.6% plus £0.02

(All international and commercial cards)

Why We Picked It

Very low processing fees coupled with a low hardware cost (£49 +VAT with no ongoing monthly cost) make Revolut Business an attractive option.

Revolut Business card readers charge a processing fee of just 0.8% of the transaction amount plus £0.02, which is lower than many
of its peers.

There’s only one card reader on offer, so that either means limited choice or a more straightforward path to getting started, depending on your perspective.

Pros & Cons
  • Low transaction fees
  • Low upfront cost
  • Requires Revolut Business account
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Tide

Tide

Hardware cost

Starting at £89 (+VAT)

Payment types accepted

Chip & PIN, contactless, Apple and Google Pay

Processing fee

1% for first 3 months

1.5% afterwards

Tide
Get Started

On Tide's Website

Hardware cost

Starting at £89 (+VAT)

Payment types accepted

Chip & PIN, contactless, Apple and Google Pay

Processing fee

1% for first 3 months

1.5% afterwards

Why We Picked It

Tide’s card reader is one of the cheapest options out there, with no ongoing monthly fee to pay for the device. Instead, there’s a £89 (plus VAT) upfront fee.

You’ll need a Tide Business account to be able to take advantage, and there’s a £5 minimum transaction, but processing fees are competitive at 1.5%.

Tide’s two terminals accept all the payment methods you’d expect and payments settle in an average of three working days.

Pros & Cons
  • Choice of two payment terminals
  • Low upfront cost
  • £5 minimum transaction
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Barclaycard

Barclaycard

Hardware cost

Starting at £15/ month

Payment types accepted

Chip & PIN and contactless, Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay

Processing fee

1.6% per transaction

Barclaycard

Hardware cost

Starting at £15/ month

Payment types accepted

Chip & PIN and contactless, Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay

Processing fee

1.6% per transaction

Why We Picked It

A choice of three card readers makes Barclaycard suitable for a range of different kinds of business, but it’s far from the cheapest option.

Processing fees are competitive at 1.6% and the contract is flexible, allowing businesses to sign up on a pay-as–you-go basis, rather than being tied in for a lengthy contract.

Payments are settled the next working day.

Pros & Cons
  • Choice of three readers
  • Competitive fees
  • Does not accept American Express
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NatWest Tyl

NatWest Tyl

Hardware cost

Starting at £14.95/ month + VAT

Payment types accepted

Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover® Global Network, Apple Pay, Google Pay

Processing fee

1.39% per transaction + 5p per transaction

NatWest Tyl

Hardware cost

Starting at £14.95/ month + VAT

Payment types accepted

Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover® Global Network, Apple Pay, Google Pay

Processing fee

1.39% per transaction + 5p per transaction

Why We Picked It

NatWest is offering three months’ free hire of its range of Tyl card reader machines, which usually start at £14.95 per month (plus VAT) on a 12-month contract.

NatWest offers perhaps the widest range of readers, and Tyl integrates with major accounting platforms such as QuickBooks and Sage.

Payments are settled within three working days, which isn’t the fastest but is far from the slowest.

Pros & Cons
  • Choice of four readers
  • Reader hire fees waived for three months (new customers)
  • Accurate pricing only available on application

Methodology

We recommended these four mobile card readers based on several key qualities that we thought made these products the best choices. We then scored these contenders across several categories of features with 12 different metrics that were weighted to favour features that small business owners find valuable in a provider.

Pricing

A mobile card reader’s transaction fees might be low, but if there are hidden fees, it reduces its value. Most mobile payment solutions offer flat fees, making it easy for you to budget each month or quarter. Pricing and processing fees accounted for 25% of our weighted scoring.

Features

It’s helpful to have a mobile card reader with an app that lets you track inventory, offer digital receipts and sync with other apps you may already use. The best mobile card readers include POS features at no added cost. Additional features we looked for include built-in payment processing, offline payment options, software integrations and offered low-cost initial card reader as part of its plan. We weighted features at 50% of our total score.

Expert analysis

What actual users thought of each mobile card reader provider was important to our panel of experts. We looked at several metrics, including ease of use and customer support. For ease of use, most mobile card readers use Bluetooth technology to use, which makes it easy to connect to any mobile device. The POS apps included offer user-friendly interfaces, so it’s simple to learn and use to track sales and inventory.

When it comes to customer support, it’s important to be able to connect with customer support when you need help. The best mobile card reader services offer 24/7 support or, at the very least, a solid knowledge base with answers to the most common questions.

Other points of analysis we considered included stand-out or detailed features, popularity and value for the price. Altogether, our experts’ analysis made up 25% of the total score.

What is a mobile credit card reader?

A mobile credit card reader allows retailers to take card payments from wherever they are. That’s because the reader is not tethered to a traditional, hard-wired point of sale like a till in a shop. 

Mobile credit card readers are wireless, handheld devices that connect to the internet using wifi or mobile networks. As such, they can be good for vendors selling outdoors, at trade shows and anywhere else away from a traditional POS.

How mobile credit card readers work

Mobile credit card readers read payment cards, either via their chip or via near field communication (NFC). This first step authenticates the data embedded within the card.

The vendor’s payment processing partner will then contact the customer’s card issuer to verify the card. Next, the card issuer checks that the customer’s account holds the requisite funds for the purchase and authorises the payment if it does. The card issuer then sends confirmation to the vendor’s payment processor and the transaction is completed.

However, all of this happens in a matter of seconds via the internet or over a mobile network.

Other considerations for buying mobile card readers

In addition to the above considerations, merchants should take a few other things into consideration when shopping for the best mobile card reader for their business:

  • Scalability: As your business grows, you’ll need a payments solution that grows with you. Flat transaction fees are good for predictable rates at the beginning, but they may end up costing more as you make more sales. A variable rate may be preferable, so it might be best to choose a mobile card reader solution that lets you choose your own MSP. If you want to upgrade your setup, you can also use your card reader on your tablet POS system if you choose to adopt one
  • Internet access: There are times when your network may not be up, but you still want to make a sale. Some of the services on this list let you take offline payments, so you can sell an item, but then process the payment later when you have internet access
  • Alternative payments: Most mobile card readers accept traditional swipe credit cards, chip cards and contactless payments, but not all – some won’t take swiped cards or contactless payments, such as Apple Pay or Google Pay. Others still offer a way for you to accept payments via online payment systems, such as PayPal. Whether you’re using an iOS and Android POS system, it helps to ensure that you have a diverse range of available payment options to meet the needs of your customers.

Keeping these features in mind, you should be able to zero in on the card reader that best suits your brand’s needs.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Do I need a credit card reader?

You might not need a credit card reader if you use a digital payment service or if you only sell in-person occasionally. If you have a brick-and-mortar business or sell offline on a semiregular basis, a card reader could be a benefit.

What is the best mobile card reader for a small business?

Based on factors that include cost and ease of use, we recommend mobile card readers from Square, Clover and PayPal.

How much is a mobile card reader?

It’s possible to get an affordable mobile card reader, paying between £20 and £80.

Can you use your phone as a card reader?

Yes. Using a smartphone, you can use a mobile card reader to accept payments. Readers typically require Bluetooth and an internet connection. With the mobile app provided by your chosen provider, you typically can type in credit card numbers without a separate reader, but you will likely have to pay higher transaction fees in exchange.

What different types of credit card readers are available?

Besides mobile credit card readers, other types of POS systems that you can use include full-service terminals, cloud-based systems and web-based systems. Full-service terminals are the most expensive type of restaurant POS system. Typically, they’re used by large restaurants with multiple locations. Cloud-based systems are less expensive than full-service terminals, and they’re often used by smaller restaurants.

How can I accept credit cards on my phone?

To accept card payments using a smartphone, you have to download a mobile payment processing app, like Square, PayPal Zettle or Clover. When you sign up, they’ll send you a card reader that plugs into your phone’s headphone jack or connects via Bluetooth, so you can accept physical cards and run entire transactions through your phone.

Is it easy to switch card machine providers in the UK?

Switching involves finding a new provider and contacting to your existing provider about ending your agreement. However, many card readers, such as Zettle and SumUp, do not impose monthly contracts.

If you are in contract however, it’s important to get a clear understanding of when your existing service will end as any gaps in service could result in a loss of business.

When you are with a new provider, it’s as simple as following the new set up process and/or completing any training it recommends.

What features should I look for in a card reader?

While this will depend on the nature of your business and your budget, a good mobile credit card reader will offer a range of payment options (chip & pin, contactless and perhaps even magstripe).

If you already have a POS system and want to integrate mobile credit card readers with it, you’ll need to choose a compatible card reader.

Perhaps most importantly, you need an agreement that suits your business in terms of contract tie-in and flexibility, as well as upfront and ongoing fees.

Another thing to look out for is encryption standards and security policies to protect your business against fraud and unauthorised transactions.

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Amy Nichol Smith Former Editor

Amy Nichol Smith is a former Product Review Editor at Forbes Advisor. She has more than 20 years experience as a journalist and editor, writing on a range of topics, including tech products and services, the gaming industry, and small business. She has been featured in Tom's Guide, L.A. Times, Business.com, Reader's Digest, and Investopedia. Her favorite tech product is a tie between her Roomba and gaming PC.

Cassie Bottorff Editor

Cassie is an assistant assigning editor, collaborating with teams around the world while living in the beautiful hills of Kentucky. She is passionate about economic development and is on the board of two non-profit organizations seeking to revitalize her former railroad town. Prior to joining the team at Forbes Advisor, Cassie was a Content Operations Manager and Copywriting Manager at Fit Small Business.