Independent UK card payment reviews
SumUp vs Revolut Business: which card reader fits your UK business?
Both are popular with UK sole traders, micro-businesses and mobile traders, and both sell a small card reader with no long merchant contract. The practical difference is what sits around the reader: Revolut Business pairs card acceptance with a business account and multi-currency tools, while SumUp is built around straightforward card acceptance on its own. Confirm current rates, hardware prices and terms with each provider before deciding.
Revolut Business Payments and SumUp at a glance
Revolut Business Payments: Pay-as-you-go transaction pricing, with plan tiers that can change what you pay. Check the current published rates for your plan and card types.
SumUp: Pay-as-you-go transaction pricing on the core reader, with separate rates published for other payment types. Check the current published rates.
Revolut Business Payments: No long-term merchant contract on the standard offering. Plan subscriptions may renew monthly or annually, so check the terms you sign up to.
SumUp: No long-term merchant contract on the core reader. Added services may have their own terms.
Revolut Business Payments: Revolut Reader, a compact contactless and chip and PIN device, plus tap-to-pay on a supported phone. Hardware is bought rather than rented.
SumUp: Compact SumUp card readers, including entry-level and standalone models, plus tap-to-pay on a supported phone. Hardware is bought rather than rented.
Revolut Business Payments: In-person via the reader, plus payment links, invoicing and online acceptance through Revolut Business tools.
SumUp: In-person via the reader, plus payment links, invoicing and an online store or ecommerce plugins.
Revolut Business Payments: Card takings settle into your Revolut Business account. Onward transfer to another UK bank is a separate step.
SumUp: Payouts are made to a linked UK business bank account on the provider's stated schedule.
Revolut Business Payments: Integrations are published for common accounting and commerce tools. Confirm your specific till or platform is supported.
SumUp: Integrations are published for common till, accounting and ecommerce platforms. Confirm your specific software is supported.
Revolut Business Payments: In-app and online support, with availability varying by plan. Check what is included on the plan you choose.
SumUp: Online and phone support with published hours. Check current availability.
Sourced from each provider's official pages, last checked September 2026. Terms vary by merchant, so check your individual quote or agreement.
Pricing and contract considerations
Neither provider works like a traditional acquirer with a multi-year merchant agreement and a rented terminal. Both sell hardware outright and charge per transaction, which removes most of the exit risk but shifts the comparison onto the transaction charges and any subscription.
- Transaction charges. Both publish pay-as-you-go rates that can differ by card type and by whether the payment is taken in person, by link or online. Read the current published rates for the exact channels you use.
- Plan or subscription cost. Revolut Business is sold in plan tiers, and the plan you are on can affect both the monthly cost and the transaction pricing. Include the plan fee when you calculate cost per pound taken.
- Hardware cost. Both readers are bought rather than rented, so the outlay is one-off. Check current device prices and what is included in the box.
- No long merchant term. Neither ties the core offering to a multi-year merchant agreement, so there is generally no early termination charge of the kind found on traditional acquirer contracts. Confirm the terms you are signing.
- Currency handling. If you take payments from overseas cards or in other currencies, check how each provider treats the conversion. This is often where the real cost difference sits for cross-border businesses.
- Effective rate. Add transaction charges, any plan fee and the hardware amortised over its life, then divide by card turnover. That figure, not the advertised rate, tells you which is cheaper for your business.
Machines, payment channels, settlement and support
Readers and hardware
Both are compact, battery-powered devices that accept contactless, chip and PIN and mobile wallets, and both providers also offer tap-to-pay on a supported phone. Neither is designed as a fixed countertop estate for a multi-till retailer; for that, a traditional terminal provider is usually a closer fit.
In-person versus online
For purely in-person trading, both cover the basics well. If a meaningful share of your revenue comes from a website, compare the online tools specifically, including checkout options, plugins for your platform and how card-not-present transactions are priced.
Business account considerations
This is the clearest structural difference. Revolut Business holds your takings in a Revolut Business account with cards, expenses and multi-currency features. SumUp pays out to whichever UK business bank account you already use. Whether that is an advantage depends on whether you want to move your banking.
Settlement and cash flow
Check each provider's current payout schedule and any cut-off times, and factor in the extra step if you need funds moved from a Revolut Business account to a different bank. For businesses paying suppliers from daily takings, that step matters.
Support
Support channels and hours differ, and on Revolut Business they can vary by plan. If you trade at weekends or in the evening, confirm you can reach someone when a reader fails, not just during office hours.
Growth beyond a reader
If you expect turnover to rise substantially or you will need multiple terminals, EPOS integration or table-side ordering, it is worth comparing both against a full acquirer quote as well, rather than only against each other.
Best fit and what to check
Revolut Business Payments
May be worth considering for
- Businesses that want card takings, banking and expenses in one place
- Traders who invoice or take payment links as well as in person
- Businesses handling more than one currency or overseas customers
- Owners comfortable moving day-to-day banking to a digital provider
Check before committing
- Which plan tier you need, and what that plan costs monthly or annually
- The transaction rates that apply on your plan for your card mix
- How and when funds move from the Revolut Business account to any other bank you use
- Support availability on your plan, including outside office hours
SumUp
May be worth considering for
- Sole traders, market and event traders taking occasional card payments
- Small businesses that want to keep their existing bank account
- Businesses wanting the simplest possible setup with no subscription decision
- Traders who need a standalone reader that works without a phone
Check before committing
- The current published rate for each channel you use, including payment links and online
- The payout schedule to your bank and any cut-off times
- Which reader model you actually need, and its current price
- Whether the integrations you rely on are supported for your software
What we would check before recommending either provider
If you asked us to look at this choice, we would not start from the brochures. We would start from what you are taking and how.
- Your card turnover and the split between debit, credit, business and international cards
- Average transaction value, because small tickets and large tickets favour different pricing shapes
- The proportion of revenue taken in person, by link or online
- Whether you want to change where your takings are held
- Any existing merchant agreement or terminal hire still running, and its exit terms
- How quickly you need funds available on a normal trading week
For many small businesses either provider is workable and the deciding factor is banking preference rather than price. At higher turnover, a quote from a full acquirer is often worth putting alongside both.
Revolut Business Payments vs SumUp
Frequently asked questions
No pressure and no jargon. If your question is not here, call us and ask it directly.
Neither is cheaper in every case. Both use pay-as-you-go transaction pricing, and Revolut Business also has plan tiers that affect the monthly cost. Work out the total of transaction charges plus any plan fee against your own card turnover, using each provider's current published rates, rather than comparing headline percentages.
Both are compact devices accepting contactless, chip and PIN and mobile wallets, bought outright rather than rented. The practical differences are the current device price, which models can work standalone without a phone, and how each fits the way you trade. Check the current specifications on each provider's site before ordering.
Card takings from Revolut card acceptance settle into a Revolut Business account, so it forms part of the setup. SumUp pays out to a linked UK business bank account instead. If you do not want to change where your money lands, that difference matters more than the rate.
Neither core offering is sold on the kind of multi-year merchant agreement and rented terminal used by traditional acquirers, so early termination charges of that type do not usually apply. Subscriptions and added services have their own terms, so read what you are signing up to.
Both publish tools beyond the reader, including payment links, invoicing and online acceptance. If online is a meaningful share of your revenue, compare those tools and their pricing directly, because in-person rates do not necessarily apply to card-not-present transactions.
Both are commonly used for mobile trading. The questions that decide it are whether you need a reader that works without a phone, how reliable connectivity is where you trade, and whether you want takings paid into your existing bank or a Revolut Business account.
If your card turnover is growing, or you need several terminals, EPOS integration or table-side payment, it is worth putting a quote from a full acquirer alongside both. We can review your statement and explain plainly how the options compare.
Compare your current deal against both
Send a recent statement and we will work out what your arrangement actually costs, then explain plainly how it compares. If it is already competitive, we will say so.
Revolut Business Payments sources
SumUp sources
Information from these sources last checked September 2026. Provider names and trademarks are used for identification only. Card Payment Connect is independent and is not affiliated with or endorsed by either provider.