Learning • 4 min read

Best Card Machine for Cafes

Fast, low-cost card machines suited to high-volume, low-value cafe transactions.

The cafe challenge

Cafes take lots of small transactions. Authorisation fees and monthly minimums matter more than headline rate.

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Top options

SumUp Solo

Low upfront cost, pay-as-you-go, ideal for small independents.

Square Reader

Cheap hardware, integrates with Square POS.

Teya reader

Bundled software with next-day settlement.

Dojo Go

Suits busier cafes with steady daily volume.

Watch the small-transaction economics

A 5p authorisation fee on a £2.80 coffee adds 1.8% on top of the percentage rate. Providers with no or low authorisation fees can matter more than the transaction rate itself.

Key takeaways

●Authorisation fees dominate small-transaction economics.
●Pay-as-you-go suits smaller cafes; monthly plans suit busier ones.
●Watch monthly minimums during quieter months.

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