9 best card machine options for a small business in Ireland

What’s the best, or cheapest, card payment device for small businesses in Ireland? You can choose between low-cost card readers with a reasonable (or no) contract or pricier models with variable fees.

Zettle is not available in Ireland, but SumUp, Square and Elavon are. The simple Revolut Reader could work for merchants already familiar with its online account, while myPOS also sells standalone credit card machines without lock-in and with plenty of payment features.

Clover Mini and Clover Flex are popular touchscreen terminals offered by AIBMS on a contract, while newcomer Yavin’s card machine is cheaper and commitment-free. Worldpay, also with a contract, is the closest alternative to Clover with its tailored, high-end terminals.

Certain independent sales organisations, such as Paymentsense, rent out mobile terminals with contractual commitment. Those contracts have many different fees and terms better suited for high turnovers and a steady stream of transactions.

Compare the best card payment machines for a small business in Ireland:

In Ireland, SumUp is one of the easiest and cheapest ways to get started with payments. There’s no contractual commitment, no monthly fee and no long sign-up. You just create a SumUp account online, order the card payment device and wait 3-5 working days to receive it.

There are three card readers: SumUp Air that works with an app (downloaded on iPhone, iPad or an Android device), SumUp Solo with a touchscreen and countertop base or SumUp Solo with a receipt printer attached. The last two are pricier, but come with a SIM card built in so they work independently without a phone or tablet.

SumUp merchants also get free access to payment links for remote payments, QR codes, email invoices and electronic gift cards. If you want a super-simple online store to share on social media, the free Online Store lets you create one in minutes.

Photo: Mobile Transaction

SumUp Air, Solo and Solo & Printer terminals.

The only thing you’re paying is a transaction fee: 1.69% for all card payments. The free SumUp Card and Business Account provide an IBAN and next-day settlement (weekends inclusive), if you can’t wait 2-3 working days to receive transactions in a bank account.

For the monthly fee, you can subscribe to a more advanced point of sale (POS) system.

>> To SumUp website

American company Square only recently launched in Ireland. It is a pay-as-you-go payment platform without contract lock-in or monthly fees for its card machines.

For €19 + VAT, you can purchase Square Reader that works with a free, feature-rich Point of Sale app on your iPhone, iPad or Android device. It doesn’t have a physical keypad, instead prompting payers to enter their PIN in the app on your mobile device.

The more expensive Square Terminal works on its own with a direct connection to WiFi and prints receipts. It can’t connect with 3G/4G, so is better suited for fixed premises with a stable internet connection. The touchscreen terminal has many free POS features that are regularly updated.

One of the clear advantages is Square’s wide selection of remote payment tools for all users. This includes payment links, email invoices, QR code payments, ecommerce, recurring payments, eGift cards and keyed payments. None of these have monthly fees, unless you upgrade to a monthly online store plan.

Photo: Mobile Transaction

Square Terminal next to Square Reader.

You can also upgrade from the free Point of Sale app to the paid Square for Restaurants, Retail or Appointments POS systems with more specialised features.

Transaction fees are fixed at 1.75% + VAT for chip and contactless cards, or higher for remote and online payments. Payouts take one working day to reach your bank account.

>> To Square website

The French fintech company Yavin now offers two WiFi/4G mobile card machines in Ireland. One is a small Yavin Reader (Nexgo N6 model) that looks and feels similar to a smartphone, but accepts chip cards, contactless and online payments.

The slightly pricier and bigger Yavin Terminal (Nexgo N86) also has a large touchscreen and the same payment features, plus a built-in receipt printer.

They both have a long battery life, SIM card and connect with compatible POS systems. Their offline mode allows you to accept cards without a connection, completed later when online again.

If there are any issues using the product, Yavin has a helpline to support. We know that their team is generally dynamic and focused on serving small businesses well.

The terminals are purchased upfront for €179 (Reader) or €199 (Terminal), but you get 50% off if stating Yavin’s promo code during sign-up. Apart from that, there’s a €29 (VAT not applicable) monthly fee, but the commitment-free contract can be paused, resumed or cancelled any time.

Transactions incur custom rates that vary between the types of cards accepted. Small businesses can expect low rates for domestic Visa and Mastercard transactions, but the monthly fee means you should make a few thousand euros every month at least to make it worthwhile.

Local cards typically incur a fee of around 0.7% while other European cards tend to cost 0.85%, plus a €0.02 fixed gateway fee that’s added to all transactions.

Yavin’s card machines are high-quality Nexgo touchscreen models.

The card machines are sent from France, and shipping takes about a week. They come connected with your IBAN and ready to accept payments upon arrival. Funds take just one working day as standard to clear in your bank account.

>> To Yavin website

A new entry in Ireland, Revolut Reader is a chip and contactless card reader that works with the Revolut Business app on your phone. It has a simple touchscreen and the Revolut logo edged onto both sides so customers will trust the device for payments.

To get it, you’ll need to register for a Revolut Business account, then a Merchant Account allowing you to accept cards online (e.g. via QR code and payment link) and in person (via card reader).

So far, you can’t connect the reader with a dedicated point of sale (POS) app in Ireland, so you’ll have to navigate to the Merchant section in the Business app and request a payment via the card reader. It’s quick enough to do if you’re used to it, but not intuitive the first time around.

The app has a very basic product library to itemise the digital receipts and an overview of transactions. It doesn’t register cash transactions and can’t connect with other hardware like a receipt printer.

Photo: Mobile Transaction

Revolut Reader is small and lightweight with a basic touchscreen.

The main advantage is perhaps the low transaction fee for domestic cards: 0.8% + €0.02 for consumer Visa and Mastercard cards issued in the EEA. This, unfortunately, does not include Northern Ireland, which is charged the higher rate of 2.6% + €0.02 along with all other cards (non-consumer and non-EEA cards).

All payouts reach the Merchant Account within 24 hours, even on weekends. Then you can immediately transfer funds to the Business Account that’s linked to the Business Mastercard included with the account, and spend it on expenses. Revolut is famed for its multi-currency accounts, benefitting cross-border merchants.

>> To Revolut website

Clover is known for their white, standalone payment terminals with large touchscreens.

Clover Flex is the smallest one. It prints receipts and has enough POS features to work as a portable checkout with card payments built in. Clover Mini is more like a tablet terminal, best stationed on a counter (although it can be carried around).

The amount of POS features on the terminals depends on the software plan, which comes with a monthly fee. The simplest subscription only works with WiFi, so a truly mobile terminal reliant on 3G requires a higher monthly cost. Additional features are downloaded from the Clover App Market, but these have separate costs.

The main provider of Clover terminals in Ireland is AIB Merchant Services. Here, you can expect to commit to 3- or 4-year contracts with a merchant account, payment processing, terminal lease and software subscription included.

Photo: Clover

Clover Flex and Clover Mini.

Suffice to say, the Clover solution is better suited for merchants with a stable turnover, as you will be locked into a contract with at least €70+ paid monthly just for the lease, merchant account and basic software. On top of that, you pay transaction fees and miscellaneous costs for setup, chargebacks and PCI compliance.

Businesses with a larger turnover can, however, benefit from lower transaction fees negotiated with AIBMS. Moreover, the software customisations are attractive for those who like to pick and choose till features.

>> To Clover website

The payment company myPOS sells several mobile card terminals with a built-in SIM card designed to work across Europe. This makes myPOS a great choice for cross-border merchants, for example if selling both in Ireland and Northern Ireland.

The card machines range in price from €39 + VAT for myPOS Go 2 (basic, standalone card reader) to €219 + VAT for myPOS Slim or the Carbon with a receipt printer. The touchscreen terminals Carbon and Slim offer apps with features for serving customers face-to-face and also remotely.

myPOS does not have monthly fees or contractual commitment, but the sign-up process takes a few days to complete since various proof is required. Most card transactions (Visa, V Pay, Mastercard and Maestro cards from the EEA and UK) cost 1.69% + €0.05. All other cards cost 2.89% + €0.05 per transaction.

Photo: myPOS

myPOS Go 2 credit card machine.

Transactions through myPOS don’t go to your bank account. Every merchant gets an online e-money account where payouts go. You can then choose to transfer it to your Irish bank account for a fee, transfer it internationally or spend it with the complimentary myPOS Visa card.

myPOS also has a virtual terminal for telephone payments, payment links, invoicing and other online tools. There are, however, several different fees related to payment transfers, chargebacks, shipping etc. so it’s not necessarily the cheapest option.

>> To myPOS website

Elavon offers a pay-as-you-go card reader called Elavon MobileMerchant. It works with a free mobile app, which is rarely updated so we can’t wholeheartedly recommend it.

The first MobileMerchant card reader costs €19 (one-off price). The “standard fee” for card payments is 1.75%, which covers Visa and Mastercard transactions. Other card brands have different rates: 1.9% for Amex and 2.5% for JCB, Diners Club and UnionPay.

Photo: Elavon

The Elavon MobileMerchant reader is very basic – and so is the connected mobile app.

The mobile app is extremely basic, but does the job of accepting cards. Payment amounts have to be entered manually as opposed to adding items from a product library (which SumUp and Square allow). It cannot connect to a Bluetooth printer for paper receipts, but sends digital receipts.

Then again, the complimentary virtual terminal is attractive for over-the-phone payments. Additionally, Elavon MobileMerchant doesn’t have lock-in or monthly fees.