As a self-employed hairdresser, barber or stylist, you don’t want to be stuck with the wrong card machine. The wrong setup can complicate transactions, bookkeeping and just be too expensive – but there are several very affordable card machines for hairdressing sole traders.
Based of testing and research, we’ve here picked the best UK payment companies offering card terminals for self-employed stylists, hairdressers and barbers. All these options are mobile too, ideal for events and home visits.
Compare card machines for hairdressers, barbers and stylists:
| Company | Terminal price* | Best for | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|
| SumUp | £22.50–£121.50 | Stylish, simple card machines with free booking system | |
| Square | £19–£169 | Unbeatable amount of free POS and business features, instant payouts | |
| Tide | £59-£199 | Standalone card readers with good business account | |
| PayPal POS (ex-Zettle) | £29–£199 | Ergonomic card readers from recognisable brand | |
| Handepay | Custom quote | Can buy you out of another contract, traditional card machine |
*Prices exclude VAT.
Things to consider when choosing a card machine
Before we cover the options, consider your needs. Perhaps you work your flair in a salon, but what if you’re visiting clients? What if you sell styling products? How do you manage commissions? Can card sales be linked to accounting? Key questions:
Do you want to itemise transactions into services and products?
If you offer your own styling products, it’s easier to use an app-based card reader.
Card readers from SumUp, Square and PayPal connect with a POS app with a product library. This allows you to itemise products on receipts and manage stock better, even if they are not physical products.
Traditional card terminals only deal with transaction amounts entered manually, unless linked with an external POS system.
Do you plan to accept tips?
Customers sometimes tip stylists and hairdressing professionals, so there should be a way for them to do so without going to an ATM.
Most of our selection of card machines can add tips – including SumUp, Square, PayPal and Handepay, but not Tide Card Reader. When activated, a tip is prompted on the terminal or in the app during the checkout process.
Are you receiving or paying a commission from your sales?
If you get commission from products sold in a salon, the salon’s card machine might process those transactions. In that case, payments go to the salon’s bank account, making the owner’s responsible for passing on commissions to you.
If you are renting a chair, room or booth in a salon and – instead of paying a fixed amount – you’re paying the salon a commission from your transactions, there are usually two ways to go.
Either you have your own card machine, in which case you receive payments in your bank account, then pass on commissions to the salon.
Or you use the salon’s card machine and rely on the owner to keep the commission and give the rest to you. Card machines can only be linked with one business and bank account, not multiple.
A few merchant service providers might offer a multi-merchant ID card machine, where several hairdressers are able to use the same terminal and still receive payouts in their own bank account directly. Takepayments used to offer this, but not any more.
What reporting functions do you need?
If you need to export sales to Excel, most of the below solutions can do that for free. Integrating with Xero and other accounting software can cost extra.
SumUp and Tide come with a business account that includes the necessary tools to comply with HMRC’s Making Tax Digital rules being rolled out now. As a sole trader, choosing a card reader with that arrangement can save you time and money.
Can you commit to a long-term contract and do you anticipate a steady card turnover?
Handepay typically has a lock-in of 1 year. Such a contract has the best rates with a history of existing card turnover and steady income.
If sales are less predictable and you can’t tell how much freelance work there’ll be, SumUp, PayPal and Square have competitive fees while also allowing you to accept a wide range of cards without a contract. Tide has no lock-in either, but accepts considerably fewer cards and has more complicated fees.
SumUp is popular, not least because it has a low card rate without a contract on monthly fee: 1.69% per transaction.
There are three card reader models: SumUp Solo Lite that works with an app on a smartphone or tablet, or SumUp Solo and SumUp Terminal that both work independently through 4G or WiFi.
The platform also has its own free booking system for managing appointments, though online payments through this cost 2.5%.
When set up, you can share the calendar on socials and let clients book themselves, pay a deposit and agree to your cancellation policy. It’s a brilliant way to prevent losing money on no-shows, send auto-reminders to customers and fill your calendar automatically as clients can only book what’s available.
Photo: Emily Sorensen (ES), Mobile Transaction
The SumUp Solo card reader is minimalist and accepts tips.
There’s no setup fee, monthly minimum sales charge or other ongoing costs. And it takes only minutes to sign up, buy a card reader and start accepting cards (through Tap to Pay on iPhone/Android straight away if needed).
Payouts reach your bank account within 2-3 working days, or the next day – even on weekends – in the SumUp Business Account that has a Mastercard.
“We’ve always liked SumUp’s dedication to user-friendly transactions and shiny look of their terminals. I never had issues accepting cards with them.”
– Emily Sorensen, Senior Editor, Mobile Transaction
Solo Lite is cheapest (£22.50 + VAT) because it needs the SumUp Business app on a Bluetooth-connected phone or tablet. It’s very easy to figure out, with a product library for adding services or hair products for clients.
Accepted cards
The Solo card reader (£71 + VAT) works independently so it’s pricier upfront, but then you don’t need a phone app. It has very few features, though, allowing you to just enter transaction amounts and tips.
SumUp Terminal (£121.50 + VAT), on the other hand, contains an items library for upselling styling products, discount options and more.
Whereas pocket-sized Solo can be paired with a unique receipt printer for £98 + VAT when bought together, Terminal has a built-in printer and large touchscreen. This means it’s longer, but more versatile and conventional-looking.
I do find SumUp’s free sales reports rather basic, but probably sufficient for individual sole traders. The system does integrate with accounting software through the POS Plus subscription, which adds cash management, barcode scanning through SumUp Terminal and preset discounts too.
But SumUp’s business account is Making Tax Digital-compliant (powered by Sage), so you don’t necessarily need external accounting software.
Customer support is available between 8am-7pm on weekdays and 7am-5pm on weekends, which is the most support hours offered by a commitment-free card reader.
Overall, SumUp is a great low-cost card machine for mobile hairdressers who are not ready to commit to a contract or know what their freelance income will be over the next year.
If you’re going for most features, the deceptively plain-looking Square Reader (£19 + VAT) is your best card reader-with-app solution.
It accepts chip (PIN on mobile app screen) and contactless cards. The lack of PIN pad means it’s the smallest of all card readers, and the most lightweight. It connects via Bluetooth with the Square app on your smartphone or tablet, authorising card payments through the mobile device’s internet connection.
Photo: ES, Mobile Transaction
Square Reader is very small, so it’s easy to bring to clients’ houses and back to your desk.
The transaction rate is 1.75% for all domestic chip and contactless cards (non-UK cards cost 3.25%). In addition, you get invoicing, over-the-phone payments, ecommerce, a booking system and payment links without monthly fees.
Square’s free version of the booking system is similar to SumUp’s, but lacks the cancellation policy features which cost extra along with more advanced functions. Since it has optional subscription tiers, it’s more scalable long-term as your clientele grows.
Like SumUp, you can accept contactless cards or mobile wallets directly on the phone through Tap to Pay in the app, if you’ve forgotten the card reader.
There are no fixed charges apart from the card rate. If you need accounting or nearly any other tools, you can integrate with many partner platforms.
For an additional 1.5% fee, you can get instant payouts to your bank account, otherwise transactions reach the bank account next day, 7 days a week. With Square Card, you can access funds immediately without an extra fee and withdraw the cash.
The free POS app has the most product and payment features out of all app-based card readers. For example, you can sell e-gift cards, get customer feedback through digital receipts and refund custom amounts.
Accepted cards
If you prefer a standalone card machine with a receipt printer, there is also Square Terminal for £149 + VAT. This beautiful, portable touchscreen terminal has POS software built in. It only works with WiFi, not 4G, making it best for a fixed location – though its offline mode saves the day if there’s no connection.
The new Square Handheld (£169 + VAT) is slightly pricier, doesn’t work with 4G either or has a printer, but it’s slimmer and scans barcodes.
Photo: ES, Mobile Transaction
Square Terminal is wireless and versatile with plenty of checkout features.
Overall, Square is excellent for its ease of use and the quick, online sign-up. It only offers 9am-5pm customer support on weekdays, but most merchants would not need help given the user-friendly interface and lack of complicated terms.
There’s no fixed contract, so you can simply stop using it any time, then resume when you need it next.
Tide Card Reader is actually a choice between two card machines. They settle transactions – slowly – in the Tide Business bank account within 3 working days. For a monthly fee, you can get next business day payouts, which I find a bit ridiculous considering the fact others like Square offer this free.
The greatest advantage of Tide is perhaps the low cost of the standalone card machines: from £59 for the one without a receipt printer or from £79 with a receipt printer (subject to offers). They don’t have contract lock-in, just a pay-as-you-go fee starting from 1.39% +5p per transaction.
Tide offers full-fledged bank accounts, and the card readers are a fairly recent addition with some limitations. For instance, refunds are not done instantly and require a Tide employee to action it. But users do not have to subscribe to a paid account to use one of the card machines, so it’s still a worthy deal.
Accepted cards
Stylists, barbers and hairdressers who want a commitment-free card machine that works independently and on the go might like Tide Card Reader.
Being linked with Tide’s Making Tax Digital tools also makes your life easier with HMRC, though there’s no booking system on the platform, so this will have to be managed separately.
Still, we think it’s a promising solution as long as you’re happy with Tide as a banking solution and willing to overlook a few of the shortcomings it might still have.
Learn more: Tide Card Reader review – still being improved
PayPal Reader has replaced Zettle Reader, but it’s similar to the original. It’s still a cool, pocket-sized device that connects via Bluetooth with a simple POS app on your smartphone or tablet.
Photo: ES, Mobile Transaction
The black Zettle Reader has been used by stylists in Kennaland hair salon in Hackney, London.
A pricier model, PayPal Terminal (from £149 + VAT), works independently and looks a lot like a smartphone.
PayPal has no monthly fees, minimum sales requirement or setup fee, just a 1.75% transaction fee which PayPal says is subject to change (i.e. will probably rise eventually). If you don’t sell anything, you pay nothing. There’s no contractual commitment either.
Accepted cards
The POS app comes with a somewhat basic product library where you can add individual products and services, thereby track what’s been purchased. There isn’t any booking system or online service page linked, though.
The software includes reporting tools, viewed fully in your PayPal POS account from any web browser. It integrates with Xero and QuickBooks for more accounting tools, if exporting sales to Excel does not cut it for your books.
Payouts to your bank account take 1-2 working days, which is fairly standard these days. Merchants can alternatively receive payouts within minutes in the online PayPal account.
You can phone PayPal POS’s support between 9am-5pm on weekdays or email any time, although replies only happen during office hours.
In the past, small businesses and self-employed professionals have spoken highly of Zettle for its easy of use and affordability (we have tested it and talked with Zettle customers, so we know).
But PayPal’s takeover of the company has changed things by removing online payment options, for example, and made the app and fees more unreliable. Its customer service is also poorly rated with issues not being dealt with promptly, so we can’t fully recommend it.
Learn more: PayPal POS (Zettle) review – previously a leading card reader
Handepay rents out Castles card machines to small businesses like sole traders.
The mobile terminal has a SIM card and works independently via 4G. It won’t fit in a regular pocket, but it’s definitely portable and will appeal to those who prefer a traditional card machine.
It can link with a few POS systems like Epos Now, but this costs considerably more per month. Independent hairdressers would just accept amounts and tips on the terminal to avoid the hassle.
Handepay has no setup fee, minimum monthly service charge, authorisation fee (typically added to card rate), PCI-DSS compliance fees or charges for reporting access (expect basic reporting tools, while accounting integrations cost extra).
You can, however, expect early cancellation fees and must cancel a contract in writing before the end of a contract. And like other terminal providers, expect to pay for a separate contract if you want to accept Amex.
If you’re stuck in another card machine contract, Handepay will try to beat your current fees – or pay £1,000 if they can’t. Claiming this reward can be a little convoluted, but it shows confidence in their rates to publicise this offer.
Accepted cards
Handepay’s customer service is spread across a terminal rental company, Merchant Rentals, and the merchant account provider, Evo Payments or Worldpay. We’ve seen customer complaints that this has complicated issues further, since you’re dealing with disconnected teams.
If you rent from Worldpay, more of the services are handled in-house because they provide the merchant accounts directly.
This is a solution that’s only really competitive with a consistent card turnover, as fees are based on this. If you don’t make any money during some months, you still pay the monthly fee that covers a certain number of card payments, so even if there are no minimum monthly turnover fees, the monthly cost is essentially a replacement for that.
Learn more: Handepay card machine review – what are the pros and cons?
Summary of card machines for hairdressers
| Company | Terminal price* | Best for | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|
|
£22.50–£121.50 | Low fee, tax compliance and free booking system | |
|
£19–£169 | Many free payment features, instant payouts | |
|
£59-£199 | Cheap standalone terminals with banking | |
|
£29–£199 | Ergonomic card readers, PayPal integration | |
|
Custom pricing | Can buy you out of another terminal contract |
*Prices exclude VAT.
