Accept card payments for your business in the UK

Accepting card payments is easier than ever for small businesses. In the past, business owners had to sign long-term contracts, pay high monthly rental fees and deal with complicated setup processes just to get started. Today, you can start taking card payments in minutes with providers like SumUp, no contracts, no hidden costs and no technical headaches.

To accept card payments in person, you simply need a card machine that connects to the internet. When a customer taps or inserts their card, the machine encrypts the information, sends it to the card issuer and confirms approval in seconds. With a SumUp card reader, you can accept both debit and credit cards, as well as contactless payments like Apple Pay and Google Pay.

SumUp offers different ways to accept payments so you can choose what fits your business. The Air reader connects to your smartphone via Bluetooth, using the SumUp app and your phone’s mobile network to process payments. The Solo works as a standalone device with built-in SIM card and free unlimited data, and the Terminal gives you a portable all-in-one solution with receipt printing and POS features.

If you run a bigger operation with more complex needs, SumUp’s Point of Sale solutions give you advanced tools like inventory management, employee accounts, multi-location support and detailed sales analytics. This is ideal for restaurants, cafés and retail businesses that want to manage orders and payments from one central system while keeping the checkout experience smooth.

This flexibility means you can take card payments in a shop, at a market, on the road or in a busy restaurant, wherever your customers are, without worrying about missing a sale.

Credit card payments work in the same way as debit card payments. When a customer pays by credit card, the authorisation process is automated and identical from your perspective. You simply present the card reader, let the customer tap or insert their card, and the payment is approved within seconds.

Accepting credit cards can help your business reach more customers, since many people prefer to spread the cost of purchases or collect rewards points by using their credit card.

Yes, and it is one of the easiest ways to start taking card payments as a small business. By pairing a portable card reader like the SumUp Air with the free SumUp app, your smartphone or tablet becomes a secure mobile payment terminal.

This allows you to accept Chip and PIN, contactless payments, Apple Pay and Google Pay anywhere you have internet access, perfect for mobile businesses, home visits and events.

Yes. Accepting card payments online with SumUp is simple and built into our product ecosystem at no extra cost. Online sales in the UK have been steadily growing, with nearly 37% of retail sales happening online during the 2020/2021 holiday season. Small businesses can now take advantage of this trend without the complex setup that used to be required.

With SumUp, you can send payment links directly from the app via email, Instagram, WhatsApp or SMS. Customers simply click the link, enter their card details on a secure website, and pay, there’s no need to download software or create an account. You can track the status of each payment in your dashboard and resend links for any that are still pending.

If you want to go further, SumUp also lets you create a free online store in minutes. This allows you to sell securely around the clock and reach customers beyond your physical location. Your online sales are automatically synced with your account, so you can manage everything in one place.

Payment terminals used to be leased by providers as part of costly subscription packages, locking the business in for long periods of time. With SumUp, you simply buy a card machine and pay a fixed fee per transaction – so you’ll own your hardware outright, and you’ll have nothing more to pay while it’s not in use.

The most cost-effective way for small businesses to accept card payments is to use a provider that charges no monthly fees and offers simple, transparent pricing. With SumUp, you buy your card reader once and own it outright, so there are no rental charges or long-term contracts.

You then pay only a low, fixed transaction fee whenever you take a payment. This pay-as-you-go model means you have no costs when you are not trading, which makes it perfect for seasonal businesses, startups and side hustles that want to keep overheads as low as possible.

With SumUp, costs are simple and transparent. You buy your card reader once, with prices starting at just £19, and pay a small fixed percentage per transaction. There are no monthly rental fees or hidden charges, which makes it easy to predict costs and stay in control of your budget.

Traditional providers often lock small businesses into long-term contracts with minimum monthly fees, which can be expensive when sales fluctuate. SumUp only charges you when you get paid, which makes it perfect for businesses of all sizes, including seasonal or part-time operations.

You do not need a limited company to accept card payments. If you operate as a freelancer or sole trader, you can still register for a SumUp account and start getting paid for your services. All you need is a bank account to receive payouts.

This is ideal for professionals such as tutors, photographers, tradespeople and market sellers who want to accept card payments without complicated business paperwork.

Accepting card payments is highly secure when you use a PCI-compliant provider like SumUp. Every transaction is encrypted from the moment it leaves the card reader until it reaches the bank, so sensitive data is never stored on your phone or device.

For businesses, card payments reduce the risk of fraud compared to cheques or cash, since payments are only approved if the funds are available. For customers, card networks include additional layers of protection such as chargeback rights, adding trust to every transaction.

Card payments are designed to be highly secure and protect both businesses and customers. Although some people feel more comfortable with cash or cheques, these traditional payment methods are actually more vulnerable. Cheques can bounce or be forged, and counterfeit notes can cause direct losses for your business.

When you accept a card payment, the transaction is authorised in real time and will only be approved if the customer has enough funds or credit. This means fewer unpaid transactions and no risk of bad cheques.

For customers, security measures such as Chip and PIN and contactless limits provide additional protection. In the UK, contactless transactions have a £100 limit per purchase, and after several consecutive taps, the cardholder must enter a PIN code to verify their identity. This helps prevent fraud if a card is lost or stolen.

With SumUp, payment security goes even further. All card data is encrypted end to end from the moment it is captured by the reader until it reaches the payment processor. No sensitive information is stored on your phone or device, so it cannot be intercepted by a third party.

Because encryption is location-agnostic, SumUp readers remain secure whether you are processing payments in a boutique, at a market stall or on the road. Combined with industry-standard PCI-DSS compliance, this ensures your customers’ data stays protected while you focus on running your business.