takepayments review: still the gold standard for taking payments?

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takepayments: Card machines from £25/month + tailored transaction fees

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takepayments: Full POS system starts at £45/month (plus £250 setup)

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takepayments is one of the top POS providers thanks to its versatility and user-friendliness, following our rigorous analysis of 26 merchant account providers.

While other payment solutions provide a one-size-fits-all approach that alienates certain business models, takepayments’ fully custom, quote-based fees make it a much more adaptable solution.

If you want to start successfully taking payments (whether in person or online), you’re going to need low transaction fees, reliable support options, and be signed up with one of the best card processing companies.

takepayments performs strongly across all these areas. However, it’s not without its flaws, and below we’ll take a deep dive into this provider’s strengths and weaknesses based on detailed in-house research and hands-on user testing, so you can be confident about whether it’s the right choice for your business.

What is takepayments?

takepayments is a payment processing and POS provider, made specifically for SMEs and startups across hospitality and retail.

Unlike flat-rate pay-as-you-go providers (like Square or PayPal POS), takepayments operates on a custom pricing model, providing bespoke card transaction rates based on a business’s specific trade volume.

takepayments requires a 12-month contract with recurring monthly operational overheads, including terminal rental (£12.50/month), PCI compliance (£4.80/month), and a minimum monthly service charge (£20/month). This makes it significantly more cost-effective than flat-rate competitors once turnover goes over £3,000-£4,000 per month, though it’s less ideal for microbusinesses or highly seasonal firms looking for zero-commitment setuos.

takepayments: pros and cons

takepayments offers a well-rounded EPOS and payment solution, particularly when it comes to managing everyday operations and offering competitive pricing for established businesses.

That said, there are some drawbacks around front-end usability and contract flexibility that are worth considering.

How much does takepayments cost?

takepayments operates on a quote-based and custom pricing model, so the cost depends on whether you need a standalone card terminal or a full POS system, as well as your monthly turnover.

Complete EPOS system packages (tPOS)

For full POS hardware and software setups – including a touchscreen till, printer, and integrated card reader – you can expect the following monthly software/hardware rental costs.

• tPOS Counter (Base System): £45/month + VAT (retail), £55/month + VAT (hospitality)
• tPOS Complete (Dual-Screen / Advanced System): £55/month + VAT (retail), £65 + VAT (hospitality)

There is also a £250 setup fee for EPOS hardware packages.

Standalone card machine rentals

If you only need a card terminal (such as the handheld takepaymentsplus or touchscreen smart terminals), you can expect to pay from £12.50 to £25 per month, per terminal, depending on the model and connectivity. However, unlike full EPOS packages, setup for card machine rentals is completely free.

Transaction fees

Unlike flat-rate providers like Square, takepayments negotiates custom transaction rates based on your annual card turnover, business category, and average order value. Here’s a breakdown of the estimated transaction costs:

Note: there is also an authorisation fee of 3p per transaction.

Does takepayments have a free plan?

No. takepayments does not offer a free plan, and it doesn’t offer a free trial either.

If you’re looking for a free plan, providers like PayPal POS or SumUp offer great no-cost options to get started taking payments with, but with takepayments you’ll be locked into a contract, and you’ll need to pay monthly fees.

Some untested businesses may want to avoid this, especially as takepayments’ standard contract length is generally 12 months. If you’re getting seriously competitive transaction fees, this could well be worth it, but some fledgling businesses might prefer to opt for non-contract providers like Square.

What features does takepayments have?

takepayments offers a range of features for front-office, back-office administration, inventory & reporting, and payment gateway & remote capabilities.

1. Front-office till features

As well as its payment processing capabilities, takepayments offers several EPOS features to help restaurant businesses to manage orders, tables, staff and payments, helping to simplify everyday operations and improve customer experience at checkout.

• Visual menu & item management: colour-coded item grids with customisable product buttons for straightforward order selection.
• Table & staff assignment: basic ordering tools that allow staff to log in, assign transactions to specific tables or customer tabs, and track order histories.
• Order modifiers & variants: supports item variants (like sizes, colours, add-ons, and side options) directly at the order entry screen.
• Splitting bills & receipts: built-in options to split payments at checkout across multiple payment types or customer cards.

2. Back-office administration & management

takepayments’ back-office management portal helps to simplify everyday administrative tasks, providing the tools needed to manage products, staff, and business data from one place.

• Back-office admin: a simplified management portal made to handle fast item additions, pricing changes, and catalogue layout adjustments without complex sub-menus.
• Staff profile & permission controls: role-based access controls to manage individual staff accounts, track individual sales performance, and assign manager override permissions.
• Automated cloud backups: real-time data sync to the cloud so that sales, stock, and staff transaction logs are safely backed up off-site.

3. Inventory & reporting

Where takepayments remains unrivalled amongst its competitors is its excellent reporting features, providing detailed reports on all your transactions – allowing you to see card transactions in real-time and keep a reliable record of payments received during the day.

• Stock & inventory: automated stock level tracking that adjusts inventory in real time as items are sold through the till.
• Sales & performance analytics: standard reporting dashboards offering summaries of daily revenue, top-selling items, peak trading hours, and card vs. cash transaction splits.

4. Payment gateway & remote capabilities

takepayments combines payment processing with a number of built-in payment tools, giving businesses flexibility in how they accept payments and manage cash flow.

• Integrated card processing: direct integration with takepayments touchscreen card terminals (takepaymentsplus) for fast contact, contactless, Apple Pay, and Google Pay transactions.
• Pay-by-link (beePaid): remote payment functionality that allows merchants to generate SMS/email payment links, generate QR code payments, or take payments over the phone.
• Next-day payouts: fast settlement option allowing funds to clear into the merchant’s bank account on the next working day.

What are takepayments’ card machines like?

takepayments provides a choice of three different card readers, with the takepaymentsplus being our overall favourite for taking card payments. The options are:

Most recommended card reader: takepaymentsplus

I recommend takepaymentsplus as, during testing, I found it easy to handle, even over long periods of time. It was also extremely lightweight and ergonomic, making it easy to carry around a shop floor or busy restaurant. Other notable features I liked were:

• Its built-in printer, so you can do everything portably (great for one-person band operations).
• Its user-friendly, colourful interface that can easily complete tasks like offering a refund with no fuss.
• Its integration with the countertop POS terminal, but it also functions as a handheld POS device on its own.
• The range of connection types, including mobile data, WiFi, Bluetooth, and Ethernet.

What is takepayments’ POS like?

The takepaymentsplus card machine is arguably the most well-known of the company’s products; however, it does provide options for a full-scale POS system.

The takepaymentsplus card machine can actually function as a handheld POS device on its own, but there are also the tPOS terminals: the tablet-sized tPOS Counter, and a dual-screen system called tPOS Complete.

The 12.5 inch display of the tPOS Counter comes with automatic brightness. Source: Startups.co.uk

The customer-facing screen of the tPOS Complete can help speed up customer transactions, and it also comes bundled with a card machine. The built-in features (such as a printer) of both the POS terminals can really help declutter your shop floor.

The software on both tPOS devices is largely similar — all the features you’d expect from a modern POS platform, including managing your stock, logging staff hours, and managing your suppliers — but it will differ depending on whether your business is in the retail or hospitality industry (both options are available on both tPOS devices, though).

Meanwhile, the hospitality version of the POS software costs extra because it comes complete with industry-specific features like a table-planning function and the option to integrate a kitchen display system.

What’s takepayments’ POS like to use?

During testing, I found some usability issues with takepayments’ POS. Specifically, tasks like adding new products, customer details, and applying discounts were more complicated than they needed to be, and the interface could be cleaner.

The lack of a dedicated app store might also be an issue for some business owners (Shopify, by comparison, has a huge library of apps to choose from), and takepayments won’t be the best choice if you’re looking to set up a loyalty programme. Square will be a stronger choice if you’re looking to build customer engagement.

Overall, I’d recommend takepayments for quick-service restaurants (QSRs), cafes with simple inventories, and small retail businesses. However, larger or more complex operations may benefit from a more advanced system. For example, if you need the best POS system for your restaurant, you might benefit from a more advanced system, such as Clover.

What are the best alternatives to takepayments?

If takepayments isn’t the right fit for your business, there are plenty of alternatives available.

Whether you’re looking for lower upfront costs, contract-free pricing, more advanced hospitality features, or a simpler card reader for small businesses, the providers below each cater to different business needs and budgets.

Best alternatives to takepayments: overview

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		Hardware cost	Transaction fees	Mobile/Wi-Fi?	Payout time
Square Terminal	SumUp Solo Lite	Tide Card Reader Plus	PayPal Reader	Clover Flex	Barclaycard Smartpay Touch
£149 + VAT	£25+ VAT	Pay As You Go (PAYG): £199 + VAT (one-off purchase) or £119-£159 with “Sell In-Person” Plan	£29 + VAT (for new business users on the first device)	Monthly terminal lease: Typically £20-£25 + VAT/month Upfront: around £350-£500 + VAT (depending on the specific iOS/reseller distributor)	£29 + VAT per month (rental fee)
1.75% per contactless or chip + PIN payment	1.69% for in-person payments	1.50% + 5p per transaction (UK debit and credit cards)	1.75% for all contactless or card payments	From 1.49% for standard UK card-present debit and credit transactions	Quote-based
Wi-Fi and Ethernet (this requires Hub for Square Terminal)	4G, WiFi and Bluetooth	4G and WiFi	Bluetooth or direct USB-C connection	4G and WiFi	Smart SIM, Wi-Fi or mobile data network
One business day (instant transfers available for a 1.5% fee)	One day	One to three business days	Instantly PayPal balances, and 1-2 business days to a linked bank account	One business day with Lloyds Cardnet and Fiserv Direct, or 2-3 working days with a standard merchant account	Next working day with a Barclays Business Account, or 1-3 working days with a third-party UK business bank account

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1. Square Reader & Terminal (best for low-volume early-stage startups)

For businesses looking for flexibility and low upfront costs, Square offers an accessible payment solution without the need for long-term contracts or traditional merchant account approvals. Its responsive touchscreen interface also provides a smooth checkout experience, even during busy trading periods.

✔️Suitable for: mobile traders and boutique retail/cafe setups that need instant hardware setup, flexible bill-splitting, and transparent pay-as-you-go pricing.

❌Not suitable for: businesses with high turnovers (£4,000/month or more) as the 1.75% flat transaction fee can quickly become a cost burden.

2. SumUp Solo Lite (best for micro-merchants and sole traders)

SumUp is a good entry-level option for small businesses and sole traders looking for an affordable way to start accepting card payments thanks to its low-cost hardware and simple setup.

✔️Suitable for: ultra-low volume merchants and seasonal vendors who want a pocket-sized Bluetooth reader with zero monthly fees and flexible rate options.

❌Not suitable for: larger hospitality or retail businesses with multiple staff, as the back-office interface can be slow to navigate and less efficient for bulk product updates or stock management.

3. Tide Card Reader Plus (best for startups already banking with Tide)

Tide Card Reader Plus provides an affordable payment terminal that combines the simplicity of a mobile card reader with features typically found on more advanced devices. By purchasing the hardware outright (£119 + VAT), businesses avoid ongoing rental costs while benefiting from built-in receipt printing and mobile connectivity.

✔️Suitable for: on-the-go traders and brick-and-mortar businesses looking for an all-in-one reader and low processing rates (0.79% + 3p on plan) without entering a multi-year hardware contract.

❌Not suitable for: businesses that want to keep their existing business bank account, as the terminal can only be used with a Tide Business account.

4. PayPal Reader (best for single-unit retail stores and market stalls)

PayPal reader is designed with simplicity in mind, offering an intuitive interface that’s easy to learn and quick to use. Its responsive touchscreen and straightforward layout make it well suited to fast-paced environments like pop-ups, cafes, and small retail businesses.

✔️Suitable for: small cafes and retail stands looking for clear order editing, low hardware fees, and flat 1.75% with daily payouts into any UK bank account.

❌Not suitable for: retailers with extensive or complex product catalogues, as the monochrome product layout makes it harder to differentiate products visually.

5. Clover Flex (best for growing hospitality startups)

Clover Flex is a premium handheld smart POS terminal made for businesses that need advanced hardware and hospitality-focused functionality. It comes with a responsive touchscreen, fast receipt printing, and fingerprint login to support everyday operations and quick staff handovers.

✔️Suitable for: busy restaurants, bars, cafes, and retail stores that need advanced features like table management, barcode scanning, and tailored payment processing rates.

❌Not suitable for: new or small businesses with lower monthly card turnover, as ongoing hardware rental fees and monthly charges can be difficult to justify during quieter periods.

6. Barclaycard Smartpay Touch (best for established brick-and-mortar merchants)

Powered by the Ingenico AXIUM smart terminal, Barclaycard Smartpay Touch offers an all-in-one handheld solution for high street businesses. It also offers flat 1.60% transaction rates, plus dedicated UK banking support.

✔️Suitable for: established retail and counter-service businesses processing more than £3,000 per month that want predictable pricing and integration with Barclays Business Banking.

❌Not suitable for: short-term pop-ups or low-volume startups that cannot justify the £29/month terminal lease and 12-month contract commitment.

Our methodology

We explored over 78 areas of investigation, amounting to a total of 22.5 hours of user testing for 26 payment providers, to compare takepayments against its major competitors.

We selected six key research areas and then used these findings to produce the above accurate and up-to-date review of takepayments.

• Usability (35%): how intuitive the interface is, as well as the speed of checkout workflows and staff onboarding.
• Software (25%): core till functions, catalogue management, basic inventory tracking, and integrations.
• Pricing (20%): total cost of ownership, upfront commitment, and transparency of transaction fees.
• Help & support (10%): access to 7-day UK support lines, onboarding assistance, and resolution speed during peak trading hours.
• Hardware (5%): support for mobile card readers, tablet POS stand compatibility, and basic till drawers/printers.
• Reputation (5%): trustworthiness in the UK market, user feedback, and the platform’s track record in reliability.

Final thoughts

From hair salons to coffee shops to clothing boutiques, we think takepayments’ tailored pricing, in-depth actionable insights, and first-class card reader make it a suitable fit for a wide range of new businesses.

Deservedly walking away with the gold as our favourite merchant account, card reader, and payment gateway provider, takepayments is a great choice for UK startups who are taking a reasonable amount of transactions and want a simple way of accepting payments (with fair fees attached).

It performs strongly across almost all categories, but it’s not without its flaws. The lack of 24/7 support could easily be a dealbreaker for some, especially since this is provided by rivals like Worldpay.

Another hiccup is the lack of an app to take payments from. Considering other providers like PayPal Point of Sale offer this for free, it’s something we think takepayments needs to seriously consider adding to its arsenal.