If you’re a self-employed taxi driver, you may need to install a card machine, and so do taxi fleet owners employing their drivers.
Either way, most taxis make more money with a card terminal so all passengers can pay the way they prefer. But what’s the best credit card machine for taxi drivers? We’ve tested quite a few that would suit taxis and shortlisted the best in this comparison.
Black cabs, private hire taxis and other licensed cab drivers in London have to abide by different rules than outside the city, which we’ll cover in the last section. The rules mean not all the card machines on this list are approved for London. For example, PayPal Reader and SumUp are not currently accepted.
Still, all the options included here are ideal for taxis throughout the UK.
>>For Irish alternatives, see this article instead
Mobile Transaction’s top picks of card machines for taxis:
| Card machine | Pricing | Key benefit |
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“Instant access to funds with card, cab-specific add-ons and it works abroad” |
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“Easy setup, sleek designs and free next-day funds in SumUp Business Account” |
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“Simplest deal out of all cab-specialised card readers; TFL-approved” |
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“Great for taxis with lots of international customers due to its multi-currency accounts” |
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“Offline mode for rural areas; TFL-approved” |
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“Compact card reader, links with PayPal” |
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“Custom rates ideal for the higher transaction values” |
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“Hardware kits tailored for taxis; TfL-approved” |
*Excluding VAT.
myPOS sells a few different card terminals with no contractual commitment or fixed monthly costs.
The myPOS Go 2 terminal – for £29 + VAT plus a £6 delivery charge – is the cheapest and simplest model. It’s ideal for taxis because it’s independent, small and comes with a SIM card with unlimited data for card processing. It has mobile connectivity options (4G and WiFi) and should work in rural areas.
Photo: Emmanuel Charpentier (EC), Mobile Transaction
The pictured myPOS Go 2 and Pro (now replaced by Ultra) come with a debit card linked to an online account.
myPOS is more of a European company than UK-based. Their terminals and SIM cards work across the EU and EEA without having to put in a special agreement, so private hire drivers and taxis operating around the border (e.g. Northern Ireland/Ireland) could benefit from that flexibility.
Accepted cards
Transaction rates are determined by the type of card and where it is issued. UK- and EEA-issued Visa or Mastercard cards cost 1.1% + 7p per transaction. American Express costs 2.45% + 7p and all other cards incur a fee of 2.85% + 7p.
Payments settle immediately in an online myPOS account, and you can spend this money straight away for refuelling after trips with the Business Visa card included.
Transferring money from the e-money account to your bank account costs £1.50 per payout.
“myPOS sells the cheapest independent card machine (Go 2), though it takes more time and effort initially to sign up. Taxis love the instant transfers and Visa card, since you can spend funds immediately after each ride.”
– Emily Sorensen, Senior Editor, Mobile Transaction
It’s not that simple to register, as you need to submit paperwork and have an identity verification video call before the account is set up. In the UK, myPOS offers round-the-clock customer support every day of the week, though.
If you like the idea myPOS’s online merchant account, but prefer a better terminal, the myPOS Ultra touchscreen terminal with a receipt printer is available for £229 + VAT.
On Ultra, you can download additional apps that taxi drivers may find useful, such as dispatch software.
SumUp Solo is a cheap, independent and very small card payment machine for taxi drivers. You buy it for £71 + VAT upfront, then pay only a fixed transaction fee of 1.69% for any card accepted. There’s no contractual commitment or monthly fees.
Photo: EC, Mobile Transaction
SumUp Solo Lite (bottom) is the cheapest mobile credit card machine, but Solo (top right) and Terminal (top left) are more convenient for taxis with their printers.
Alternatively, you can use the SumUp Solo and Printer duo, the cheapest card machine package with a receipt printer in the UK. You can otherwise send text and email receipts from the terminal display.
For more payment features and a built-in printer, we recommend SumUp Terminal. It looks more like a mainstream, touchscreen card machine.
Solo and Terminal have a built-in SIM card with unlimited free data, working with 4G and WiFi alike.
A cheaper option, SumUp Solo Lite, connects with the SumUp Business app on your phone or tablet, using the mobile device’s 4G to process payments over the internet. The app also lets you send payment links, track payments and more.
Accepted cards
“I’ve always found the SumUp app very handy, with useful features like Tap to Pay and a transactions overview. Both Solo and Solo Lite card readers might feel a bit delicate for cab drivers with their glass surface, but not that slippery in the hand.”
– Emily Sorensen, Senior Editor, Mobile Transaction
Payments clear in your bank account within 1-3 working days, or the day after by 7am (weekends and bank holidays too) in the free SumUp Business Account and Mastercard.
The card machines work best handheld, as they have no official card reader mounts to install in the passenger compartment. This makes SumUp unsuitable for licensed taxi drivers in London, where it is a requirement to have a fixed card terminal with the passenger.
Photo: EC, Mobile Transaction
SumUp Solo and Printer works without a mobile app and prints paper receipts.
The wide choice of accepted cards makes SumUp a good choice for taxis serving lots of tourists (for example, airport transfers). We also like the free booking system included in all SumUp accounts, which taxi companies might want to use for scheduling pick-ups.
Additionally, the low fixed transaction rate stays the same for foreign and premium cards in contrast with most other card machine deals.
For £19 per month, you can reduce the fixed rate to 0.99% for domestic consumer cards, but international and commercial cards then cost 1.69% to accept.
SumUp’s customer support is available weekdays between 8am and 7pm and weekends between 7am to 5pm.
CabCard Services is a UK-based company specialising in card terminals for taxi drivers. Over 10,000 taxi drivers use CabCard, and we can see why: the pricing is uncomplicated and very affordable, and it includes dedicated 24/7 customer support via phone, email and web chat.
What’s more, CabCard’s Pocket 4G Terminal (Datecs BluePad 55 model) has been approved by Transport for London for use in London’s licensed taxis together with a DPP-250 receipt printer.
Photo: CabCard
CabCard’s 4G handheld reader is easy to use, with some of the lowest fees in the taxi sector.
Taxi drivers and fleet owners can choose between two card machine models: a larger terminal with receipt printing, and the Pocket 4G Terminal. The latter is the model featured for individual drivers.
CabCard Pocket 4G Terminal costs 99 + VAT upfront. It works independently, processing payments through the local 4G network through the built-in SIM card with data included. You can add tips directly on the card reader.
There are no monthly fees for this card machine, and the daily or weekly (your choice) bank account settlement is also free of charge. Instead of clearing transactions in a bank account, you can choose to process payouts to a prepaid Visa CabCard card.
For individual taxi drivers, all transactions incur a 10p authorisation charge in addition to the following rates:
- Personal Visa/Mastercard debit and credit cards issued in UK/EEA: 1.5%
- Business Visa/Mastercard debit cards issued in UK/EEA: 1.5%
- Business Visa/Mastercard credit cards issued in UK/EEA: 2.5%
- All non-EEA/UK Visa/Mastercard: 2.5%
- All Amex: 2.5%
Accepted cards
Compared with SumUp’s single rate of 1.69%, CabCard is pricier for short journeys because of its fixed 10p added to transactions whereas longer journeys have a lower cost due to CabCard’s lower 1.5% rate for most cards.
Taxi fleet owners can get special card rates (1% or less), the option to spread the cost of hardware over a contract term, and no setup or upfront charges. This includes software allowing you to monitor your fleet’s sales and driver performance in real time from the backend account.
Fleets can get their contract tailored in different ways, e.g. by deciding how drivers get paid through the CabCard system.
Self-employed taxi drivers also have access to view transactions and payout times in a CabCard dashboard on a tablet or smartphone.
Revolut Terminal is an independent card machine that can print receipts and accept the most popular card brands.
To buy it, registered cab companies (not sole traders) can sign up for a full Business account with a monthly fee and periodic verification requests in the name of security, which we’ve found tedious over time.
The key advantage of Revolut Business is its excellent multi-currency accounts that let you keep different currency amounts separate to avoid exchange fees.
The transaction fee for domestic consumer Visa and Mastercard is also low at 0.8% + 2p. Domestic and European Amex cards cost 1.7% + 2p to accept, and all other costs cost 2.6% + 2p.
Accepted cards
Revolut actually sells two card machines: Terminal which has a printer and looks more conventional (£169 + VAT), and Lite Terminal (£119 + VAT) without a printer, with the same software and it fits in a pocket.
Both of them would work well in a cab, but you have to be happy using Revolut as your main business account, since that’s where payouts go within 24 hours. I’ve personally had issues getting things resolved with Revolut’s support, but the fact you can accept multiple currencies on the terminal and avoid exchange rates makes it all worthwhile for some drivers.
The Viva.com (previously Viva Wallet) Black Cab Solution is a bundle containing a Datecs BluePad 55 card reader (same as CabCard’s) with a holder for the customer compartment and wireless receipt printer. This makes it compliant with Transport for London’s rules for Black Cabs, so it is on their list of approved card machines.
Taxi fleets and other private hire cabs can, however, also benefit from the taxi management features included in the solution.
Photos: Viva.com
Viva.com’s card reader connects with an app that controls it over Bluetooth.
The card reader requires downloading the Viva.com app on your smartphone. In this, you enter the transaction which is then sent to the card reader placed in the passenger compartment, ready for a contactless tap or chip and PIN transaction.
Pricing has to be requested from Viva directly, but everyone has the choice of paying either one upfront cost for the card reader (purchase) or a monthly subscription fee to avoid the upfront price. This can be cancelled any time – there’s no long-term contract.
Transaction rates also need to be requested from the company. Promisingly, everyone has the option to earn back the cost of transactions by using the complimentary Viva Debit Card for business expenses.
Another cool feat of the Viva.com Black Cab bundle is the fact you can accept cards offline on the card reader. So if you’re driving in rural areas or anywhere with a spotty network connection, this won’t be an issue for card payments.
Just note that transactions are only fully completed the next time there’s a live internet connection through the built-in SIM card, so there is a slight risk of it not going through if the card processor detects a problem then.
Accepted cards
Transactions settle in an online Viva.com business account the next day, though it is possible to manually deposit funds into a bank account, which takes a further 1-2 working days. The online account is linked to the Viva Debit Card, so it is most convenient to use this as your main business account.
PayPal Reader (previously Zettle Reader) from PayPal POS is another low-cost card reader that works in conjunction with a mobile app.
It normally costs £69 but the first one is £29 + VAT, and then you only pay a fixed transaction rate of 1.75% for any card accepted. There are no monthly fees and no contractual lock-in.
PayPal POS accepts the widest choice of credit and debit cards out of all options on this list. Like SumUp, PayPal’s fixed rate is the same for premium and foreign cards unlike many other card machine services that charge more for these.
Payments go directly into your bank account within 1-2 working days. There are no payout fees.
The card reader connects via Bluetooth with a compatible iPhone, iPad, Android phone or tablet with the PayPal POS app installed. You enter the fare amount in the app, and the card reader switches on, ready to accept a contactless or chip and PIN payment.
Receipts are sent via email or text from the app, but it’s also possible to connect a mobile receipt printer for paper receipts.
The payment app works like a simple point of sale (POS) system with a few extra features like tipping, but there’s not much else we think is useful for taxis.
PayPal’s customer service team is only available on weekdays between 9am and 5pm and is notoriously bad.
Accepted cards
Similar to SumUp, there is no official card reader mount to secure PayPal Reader in the passenger compartment. That means you can only use it handheld in the cab, so it is not approved by Transport for London.
The standalone PayPal Terminal is a nice alternative with an optional printer, but it’s more suitable for a horizontal countertop than vertical cab wall.
Takepayments is a UK merchant service provider offering card machine contracts to a various small businesses, including taxi drivers. Their contracts are 12 months for a mobile terminal with a SIM card.
Because the card machine is rented, you pay a monthly charge – for instance, £25 + VAT for the Takepaymentsplus plan.
Card rates are based on your expected turnover, transaction size and types of cards accepted. If you want to accept Amex, you’ll need to get an extra contract with American Express.
Photo: Emily Sorensen, Mobile Transaction
Takepayments’ most popular card machine is PAX A920Pro.
A downside for self-employed taxi drivers working uneven hours is the monthly minimum sales volume charge – if you don’t make a specific minimum (determined at the start of your contract) for a month, you pay a charge from £10 + VAT.
Although there’s no setup fee, you pay an early termination fee if leaving before 12 months are up.
Accepted cards
Transaction rates vary between payment cards. The range of fees is typically 0.3%-2.5% with the lowest fees attributed to domestic, personal Mastercard and Visa cards. Foreign, premium cards usually have the highest fees. You also pay a flat authorisation charge on top of the percentage.
Takepayments likes to get to know its merchants before signing them up, and it is during this conversation that you can inquire about card machines.
Takepayments’ main card machine, PAX A920Pro, is not currently approved for London taxi drivers, but it may be accepted if you ask Transport for London. That’s because the card machine has a receipt printer and can be fixed to a car.
Takepayments’ customer support is available to phone every day of the week, but only within opening hours: weekdays between 8am-7pm, Saturdays 9am-5pm, and Sundays between 9am-1pm.
PayaCardServices offers a taxi-specific card payment solution (sometimes called Payataxi) that includes a Miura M010 card reader, Bluetooth printer for receipts and card reader mount for the passenger compartment. This setup makes it suitable for London taxis.
Photo: PayaCardServices
The TfL-approved Payataxi hardware bundle includes a card reader, receipt printer and mount.
The terminal only works with a connected mobile app on your phone, so you’ll need a phone to process payments.
You can choose between several different price plans depending on whether you are a black cab driver or private hire driver. The most tailored solutions are for private hire fleets, but black cab drivers get multiple pricing options.
The black cab solutions has three main options (prices exclude VAT):
Pay Weekly, option 1: £75 installation fee, £4.99 a week, 2.69% +15p Mastercard/Visa, 3.95% +15p Amex
Pay Weekly, option 2: £75 installation fee, £99 for hardware kit, £2.99 a week, 2.39% +15p Mastercard/Visa, 3.95% +15p Amex
Buy Outright: £75 installation fee, £299 for hardware kit, no weekly fee, 1.99% +15p Mastercard/Visa, 3.95% +15p Amex
Accepted cards
Fleets and private hire companies can just pick one plan (excluding VAT):
Pay As You Go: £99 setup fee, from 3.5% per transaction, no weekly fee or lock-in
Some of these plans come with contractual commitment, so do ask PayaCardServices for more details. You may also have to pay for PCI compliance (card payment security standard). We’ve noticed the company has removed the Payataxi web page showing the Miura reader, so you have to ask the company directly about it anyway.
London taxis – what are the rules imposed by TfL?
All licensed taxis, Black Cabs and private hire taxi services in London are only allowed to use Transport for London’s (TfL) approved card machines. Otherwise, the taxi will be given an unfit notice and in some cases have the licence revoked.
What does TfL require around card payments?
- All licensed taxis in London must have a TfL-approved card payment machine installed in the passenger compartment.
- Drivers are not allowed to use a handheld, non-fixed terminal with passengers – the terminal must be fixed in the customer compartment.
- The card terminal must be able to produce a printed receipt if requested by the customer.
- The taxi must display contactless and card acceptance signs.
- You are not allowed to add a card payment surcharge to the fare total.
TfL does not allow any exemptions on these rules, although if there are possibly-compliant card machines not on the approved list, you can contact TfL who will consider whether to include it.
We’ve looked at the models currently listed as approved which includes:
| TfL-approved card machine model | Where to get it |
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| Datecs BluePad 55 | CabCard Services Viva.com |
| Miura M010 | Acceptacard/Payataxi Cabvision ComCab The Payment House |
| Miura M020 | Taxiworld The Payment House |
| Miura M021 | Cabvision |
| PAX A35 | CMT |
| Verifone P630 | Curb |
| WisePad 3S | Helix Pay |
Some of the providers and models shown are outdated, and it may well be that newer models are now approved since some of the ones listed are being phased out across industries.
Furthermore, some of the setups are not approved by TX4, Vito, TXe or Dynamo taxis. The TfL website says which providers are approved for your type of taxi.
