takepayments review: still the gold standard for taking payments?

If you want to start successfully taking payments (whether in person or online), you’re going to need low transaction fees, reliable help and support options, and the best card reader for your small business.

For our money, takepayments performed strongly in all these areas, but its key strength lies in its versatility. Whereas other payment solutions provide a one-size-fits-all approach that alienates certain business models, we found that takepayments’ fully custom, quote-based fees make it a much more adaptable solution.

It’s also straightforward and user-friendly, making it a great value proposition for SMEs. It’s not without its flaws, though, and we’ll take a deep dive into all the strengths and weaknesses of this provider 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.

How did we test and review takepayments?

In order to give you the most helpful, accurate and relevant reviews possible, we have a dedicated research team who have rigorously tested and evaluated takepayments and its peers across a number of categories.

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 focused on the five most important categories for a payment processing provider:

• Hardware: we put the card machine through its paces, testing its interface, connectivity, receipts and charging capabilities.
• Software: we analysed what payment types are accepted, the functionality of the reporting, the security measures in place, and more.
• Help and support: we researched what level of support is offered and its availability, and evaluated the accuracy of the responses.
• Pricing: we weighed up all the costs involved, including transaction fees, contracts, and any hidden costs.
• Usability: how easy we found the system to use.

We also then conducted an entirely separate set of research to determine takepayments’ effectiveness specifically as a point of sale system, or POS (which we will touch on further down in this review).

What’s it like to use takepayments?

takepayments came in first place in our ranking of the best card machines for small businesses. We loved the light and ergonomic design – which can be particularly important to mobile businesses and staff on the move – of the company’s flagship card machine, the takepaymentsplus. We particularly liked its extensive dashboard, which gave us detailed reports on all our transactions.

takepayments’ card machine and software also work in sync seamlessly, thanks to the takepayments eco-system, so you can keep everything under one roof. There’s no need for additional hardware like with some competitors, such as a third party POS terminal.

Is takepayments easy to use?

I found the takepaymentsplus device in particular to be really user friendly and surprisingly lightweight, especially compared against its chunkier brethren. Its ergonomic design makes it nice and easy to carry around, so your staff hopefully won’t be complaining about hand cramps by closing time.

I found the touch screen to be very responsive to inputted commands, and I loved the clean and clear interface. The distinctive burgundy and white palette not only gives takepayments a unique identity, but also has the practical benefit of making the CTAs more prominent. These small quality points can really add up when you’re in a hectic environment, like a coffee shop rush hour.

I also liked that you can sort your products into different categories, making for a really efficient checkout at the end of the payment process. Though I did find it slightly unusual that I wasn’t able to print off an end-of-day report directly from the “Reports” tab.

The only other thing that stood out to me as a potential issue for some users is the lack of any haptic feedback from the device, and the fact that it has no audio functionality so the machine doesn’t make any sounds. This might seem like a minor quibble, but with one in three people in the UK living with a hearing impairment, and more than 2 million having a visual impairment, this lack of sound and touch feedback could be a big problem, especially for older customers and merchants.

takepayments review: pros and cons

How much does takepayments cost?

The two main costs for takepayments are for its card machines and POS hardware and the transaction fees.

Card machines and POS hardware

The main cost you’ll need to pay is for your takepayments card machine. Unlike competitors that sell them for a one-time upfront price (like Square or Zettle), with takepayments you rent the readers for a monthly charge.

The range of card readers and terminals includes the takepaymentsplus card machine and the tablet-sized tPOS Counter. Source: Startups.co.uk

The cost for this card machine rental starts from £25 per month. Just keep this in mind, as if you’re running a micro-business you may be trying to avoid as many monthly outgoings as possible.

If you want a POS terminal, these come with a higher monthly charge, as well as a £250 setup fee:

• The tPOS Counter costs £45 plus VAT per month for retail businesses, and £55 plus VAT per month for hospitality businesses.
• The tPOS Complete costs £55 plus VAT a month for retail businesses, and £65 plus VAT a month for hospitality businesses.

Transaction fees

takepayments stands out from its competitors thanks to its flexible approach to transaction fees. While this does mean there’s an initial lack of transparency, the benefit is that you’ll be getting a payment plan that’s tailor-made for your business, so you won’t feel like a square peg in a round hole. This is our favourite thing about takepayments: you’ll only be paying the fees that make sense for you, which allows you to grow and scale over time. Just keep in mind you’ll have to enter into a contact, which isn’t the case with all payment providers.

While the quote-based fee structure might initially leave you in the dark about how much you’ll be paying, our tip is to take a look at our dedicated card processing fees page to find out what the average rate is so you have something to compare against (it even has a free calculator to help you work out the costs).

The benefit of this structure is that, if you’re a small business with slight sales volumes, the rates you pay will be far less substantial than if you are a medium-sized business with several outlets or stores.

Is there a free plan?

While there’s zero setup fees (unless you rent a POS terminal), unfortunately, there’s no free plan, or even a free trial. Providers like Zettle and 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.

The bottom line is that takepayments offers an affordable service for small businesses: some other providers may not charge monthly for their services, but you might feel the bite of higher transaction fees. With takepayments, you’ll be playing the long game.

takepayments’ features: what do I get?

Where takepayments remains unrivalled amongst its competitors is its excellent reporting features. The comprehensive dashboard provides you with detailed reports on all your transactions.

This allows you to see card transactions in real-time, keep a reliable record of payments received during the day, and prevent unpleasant surprises like a failed payment.

You can also add products and sort them into relevant categories, straight from the takepaymentsplus device. So, if you’ve got a brand new line of exciting merch that’s just freshly dropped, you can add them to your inventory and set the price in just seconds.

What about payout times?

Payout times can be critical for small businesses, especially those that are reliant on a steady flow of cash into the businesses. Thankfully, this is yet another area that takepayments excels in. It can offer lightning quick next-business-day payouts.

With some competitors taking several business days, or potentially even a week, to release your funds, takepayments’ fast next-day settlements makes for a standout feature.

Does it have an app?

takepayments does have a rudimentary app, called beepaidGO. However, the app only works by raising an invoice via the app and sending it to your customer. It doesn’t support Tap to Pay, and can’t take payments directly.

While there’s no app for taking payments – or for accessing reports – this can all be done directly from the takepaymentsplus device. However the downside of this is that you can’t check on your transactions without the card machine quickly to hand.

We feel that the omission of a more comprehensive app is a rare, and significant, stumble for takepayments. Especially in 2025, when so many competitors (like Square and SumUp) provide a free app as a given.

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:

The takepaymentsplus:

We found the takepaymentsplus really easy to handle, even over long periods of time. Source: Startups.co.uk

Our recommended card reader for small businesses.

• Extremely lightweight and ergonomic, making it easy to carry around a shop floor or busy restaurant.
• Comes with a built-in printer, so you can do everything portably – ideal for one-person-band operations.
• User-friendly, colourful interface, that can easily complete tasks like offering a refund with no fuss.
• Can be used in tandem with the countertop POS terminal, but it also functions as a handheld POS device on its own.
• Eliminates the need to log into the back office through a separate computer.
• Is able to process part card/part cash payments.
• Can last all day off a single charge, which is perfect for on-the-go businesses, like food trucks, which might not have constant access to a charging point.
• Range of connection types including mobile data, WiFi, bluetooth and ethernet.

A920 Pro:

• Simple set up, comes pre-installed out of the box, so you can get going in just three easy steps.
• Next-day payment settlements.
• Offers a range of connectivity options, including 4G, WiFi and Bluetooth.

DX8000:

• It has a sleek, black design, meaning damage and scuff marks won’t be as visible.
• Next-day payment settlements.
• Comes with a 4G-enabled SIM card.
• Can take pre-authorised payments: payment can be completed at a later date, with a deposit taken upfront.

Can takepayments take remote payments?

Not just content with being in pole position as our favourite choice of card reader provider and merchant account service, we also ranked takepayments as our number one payment gateway provider as well.

takepayments provides a hosted payment gateway (compatible with over 50 shopping cart plugins) where your customers will be able to access a secure checkout page for making online card payments.

Being a hosted gateway, this does mean that your customers will be redirected from your ecommerce site to a separate payment page, which can sometimes lead to abandoned carts. However, takepayments’ gateway is fully customisable, so you can make it fit your site’s branding for a more seamless experience.

In addition to a payment gateway, takepayments offers pay by link, so you can add payment links to your invoices and in your emails, and you can create QR codes through the beepaidGO app.

It also provides a virtual terminal, which is software that allows you to quickly and easily take payments over the phone, without the need for a card reader. You can read more about these options in our guide to taking card payments.

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. We dedicated an entirely different round of testing and research to the POS capabilities and equipment of takepayments. You can read more about this in the methodology section of our guide to the best POS systems.

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 device though).

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?

We did come across some usability issues during our testing. Adding new products, for example, was unnecessarily complex. We also ran into some difficulty with tasks like adding in customers details, and applying discounts. takepayment’s interface could have been much clearer here.

We’d say the takepayments POS is more suited to quick-service restaurants, cafes with basic inventories and simple retail shops. However, larger or slightly more advanced businesses might need a more sophisticated POS system. For example, if you need the best POS system for your restaurant, you might need the more advanced range of equipment provided by Clover.

The takepayments tPOS Counter features a large, touchscreen display. Source: Startups.co.uk

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.

It’s a solid choice for businesses that need a simple, all-in-one POS solution, but it won’t be the first choice for those who need slightly more advanced features and sophisticated tools.

Is takepayments good for customer service?

takepayments left us mostly impressed with its help and support options. It provides a range of solid services that include:

• Phone support (available on weekdays from 8am to 7pm, 8am to 6pm on Saturdays, and 9am to 5pm on Sundays)
• Email support
• A live chat function (available on weekdays from 9am to 5pm)
• A knowledge centre

While we appreciated that you can get assistance on weekends (something not all competitors offer), we did think takepayments misses the mark by not providing 24/7 assistance.

A number of competitors like Revolut, Tide, Barclaycard and Worldpay all offer 24/7 support. Certain businesses, hotels for example or late night bars, might need the safety net of all hours support when something goes inevitably wrong.

When we put the knowledge centre through its paces with some test queries, we were consistently provided with helpful and accurate information. We were also impressed to find that when using the live chat function we got a fast response from a real person – we didn’t have to deal with any annoying AI chatbots.

We’d have liked to have seen takepayments provide a user forum, though, where merchants can discuss pain points and solutions, which competitors like Square and Worldpay do have.

What about security measures?

You’ll have peace of mind that takepayments is a fully secure provider. It conforms to PCI standards, and it’s partnered with leading banks like Barclaycard, which have state-of-the-art security measures to keep your money safe.

Is takepayments right for my business?

Essentially, if you’re a newer business that’s starting to take in a higher volume of card payments, takepayments is great if you want to start planning your finances more effectively, but you don’t necessarily need all the bells and whistles of a full blown POS system.

But if you’re a more established business looking for a hospitality POS system, for example, takepayments won’t be your ideal solution. A hectic bar might need the more extensive range of countertop hardware provided by Clover, or a restaurant chain would need the more advanced, industry-specific software features provided by Lightspeed Restaurant.

takepayments versus competitors

You can check out our helpful table below to understand how takepayments compares against its rivals:

Swipe right to see more

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OUR TOP PICK
takepaymentsplus	Barclaycard Smartpay Touch	Tide Card Reader Plus	Square Terminal	Zettle Reader 2	Clover Flex	SumUp Air	Smartpay Anywhere (by Barclaycard)
Hardware cost Rental from £25 per month	Hardware cost £29 + VAT per month	Hardware cost £79 + VAT	Hardware cost £149 + VAT	Hardware cost £49 + VAT	Hardware cost £450 + VAT	Hardware cost £34 + VAT	Hardware cost Upfront cost of £29 + VAT
Transaction fees Personalised per business – range between 0.3% to 2.5%	Transaction fees 1.6% or based on your card turnover	Transaction fees 1.5%	Transaction fees 1.75% per contactless or chip + PIN payment	Transaction fees 1.75% for all contactless or card payments	Transaction fees Quote-based	Transaction fees 1.69% for in-person payments	Transaction fees 1.6% or based on your card turnover
Mobile/Wi-Fi? Mobile Data, Wifi, Bluetooth, Ethernet	Mobile/Wi-Fi? Smart SIM, Wi-Fi or mobile data network	Mobile/Wi-Fi? 4G and Wifi	Mobile/Wi-Fi? Wi-Fi and Ethernet (this requires Hub for Square Terminal)	Mobile/Wi-Fi? 4G and Wifi	Mobile/Wi-Fi? 4G and Wifi	Mobile/Wi-Fi? 4G and WiFi	Mobile/Wi-Fi? 4G and Wifi
Payout time Next business day	Payout time One to two business days	Payout time One to three business days	Payout time One business day (barring Friday and Saturday)	Payout time One to two business days	Payout time One business day (with Clover’s “faster funding”)	Payout time One to three business days (barring Friday and Saturday)	Payout time One to two business days

Compare costs on Card Readers for Your Business Needs Compare Costs

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 Zettle offer this for free, it’s something we think takepayments needs to seriously consider adding to its arsenal.