- Pros: Fairly simple package. Potentially tailored fees. Good quality terminals.
- Cons: Year's lock-in. Hourly, not real-time, reporting portal. No EPOS integrations. Limited customer service.
- Choose if: You already bank with NatWest and want to keep everything payments-related with one provider.
Overview
In brief
How it works
Our opinion
In detail
Card machines
Pricing
Online payments
Service and reviews
How it works
NatWest is one of few UK banks with a card machine offering (another one is Barclaycard), though it was only launched in 2020. Called Tyl by NatWest, it provides card payment machines to rent, a virtual terminal, payment links and an online payment gateway.
Background
Tyl was created by the software company Pollinate using Android-based hardware. NatWest didn't develop it in-house, but hired an outside team (Pollinate) to build the solution for small-business payments, and NatWest sells it as their own.
Merchants get free access to a browser dashboard (Tyl Portal) to track sales, chargebacks and more. This is updated once an hour – not entirely real-time like most cloud-based payment solutions. There is no smartphone app for the Tyl portal, only a customer loyalty app for consumers spending at your store.
To sign up with Tyl, companies and sole traders fill in an online contact form, receive a phone call, get a quote and sign a contract.
After the application is processed after a few days, you should receive your chosen card machine within 48 hours.
Photo: Tyl/NatWest
Check sales and account details from a web browser in the NatWest Tyl portal.
NatWest promises a quick application and simple pricing, but the lack of a dedicated team handling Tyl merchants means onboarding may take longer than expected.
Tyl benefits from relatively fast payouts. You should receive card transactions the next working day in your business bank account, which could be from any British bank, not necessarily NatWest.
Best Tyl alternatives? Compare card payment machines in the UK
Our opinion: lacks POS integrations, not a system to grow with
NatWest has clearly put effort into create a good-looking website with an attractive-looking card machine solution.
Next-working day payouts sound great, as do the reliable PAX A920 Pro terminal or other relatively affordable rented card machines.
| Tyl by NatWest criteria | Rating | Conclusion |
|---|---|---|
| Product | 3.7 | Passable/Good |
| Costs and fees | 3.8 | Good |
| Transparency and sign-up | 3.8 | Good |
| Value-added services | 3.4 | Passable/Good |
| Service and reviews | 3.5 | Passable/Good |
| Contract | 3.8 | Good |
| OVERALL SCORE | 3.7 | Passable/Good |
The monthly charges and card rates are unlikely to be cheaper than SumUp's or Square's for small businesses making less than £50k a year.
At the same time, the card machines are decent PAX models. The previous Clover Flex terminal (not available to new merchants) wasn't the fastest nor cheapest card machine with its added software fees, so Tyl's new range is a more solid selection.
"I'm personally baffled by the fact the backend dashboard only updates sales once an hour – the norm for modern card machines is real-time reporting."
– Emily Sorensen, Senior Editor, Mobile Transaction
I'm not pleased by Tyl's lack of POS system features and the fact it doesn't integrate with POS software. This makes me hesitant to recommend it to new businesses expecting to need inventory systems, customer loyalty functions etc. down the line.
As one of the few English banks with a card payment solution, it is admirable that NatWest has dipped its toes into this dynamic market. It looks like a sufficient solution for sole traders and businesses needing a standalone card terminal, but improvements are still needed to both its product and customer service.
Card machines
Tyl has three card machines to rent:
- PAX A920Pro – Mobile touchscreen card terminal with a receipt printer, for use anywhere.
- PAX A50 – Mobile, small touchscreen card terminal without a printer, for use anywhere.
- PAX A80 – Push-button countertop card machine for stationary use.
Tyl used to offer Clover terminals, but they are no longer available for new sign-ups.
All the card machines accept chip and PIN and contactless cards from Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and the mobile wallets Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay.
PAX A920Pro – the most versatile terminal
Let's start with the star of the show: PAX A920Pro. This is a popular card machine with built-in cameras (which Tyl doesn't make use of, though), receipt printing and a SIM card for 4G connectivity.
"PAX A920Pro is very popular in the UK, not just from NatWest. We've tested the terminal on several occasions and didn't have any issues – it's fast, good quality and easy to hold."
– Emily Sorensen, Senior Editor, Mobile Transaction
After receiving the card machine, you can set it up easily with an activation code, connect with WiFi and take payments immediately after.
Photo: Mobile Transaction
PAX A920Pro is easy to navigate with its virtual buttons.
The payment software is quite simple, accepting popular card brands and can handle other basic things like refunds.
It comes with a desk cradle, but the terminal's rubber dots underneath make it stable on a countertop without it.
You'd choose A920Pro over Tyl's other machines for its built-in receipt printer, wireless portability anywhere and screen quality. Many bars, restaurants, corner shops and event spaces like the design.
Photo: Mobile Transaction
The underside of PAX A920Pro is smooth for a comfortable grip.
PAX A50 – pocketable for greater portability
Need something smaller and portable? The pocket-sized PAX A50 terminal is also independent, but lacks a receipt printer, making it slim like a smartphone. Although it doesn't print end-of-day reports, it accepts card payments and refunds.
PAX A80 – for fixed checkouts
Then you have the more conventional-looking card machine for a fixed countertop: PAX A80. It has push-buttons underneath a small touchscreen display and requires plug-in power – not battery – so it's strictly for a fixed location. You'll need a WiFi or Ethernet connection too (not 4G).
"My long-term use of push-button terminals like PAX A80 is pretty eventless for a good reason – they just work very well so you don't think about it. The push-buttons and ergonomic shape make them easy to hold, and payments go through smoothly."
– Emily Sorensen, Senior Editor, Mobile Transaction
PAX A80 comes with two receipt rolls for its built-in receipt printer. The push-button PIN pad will appeal to retailers prioritising accessibility over the more popular touchscreen terminals.
POS integrations and Tap to Pay
Unfortunately, none of Tyl's PAX terminals integrate with external POS systems, so Tyl by NatWest is not for merchants who need a fully unified checkout system with their chosen EPOS.
Tyl by NatWest also offers Tap to Pay on iPhone or Android, meaning you can accept contactless payments directly on your mobile device through an app. This has no rental fee, but still requires a Tyl account.
| NatWest Tyl pricing | |
|---|---|
| PAX A920Pro – rental | £19.99 + VAT/month |
| PAX A50 – rental | £14.99 + VAT/month |
| PAX A80 – rental | £13.99 + VAT/month |
| Online payments subscription | £14.95 + VAT/month |
| Contract lock-in | Card machines: 12 months Online payments: 1 month |
| Transaction fees | Up to £50k turnover: 1.39% + 5p for UK & European personal cards 1.99% + 5p for other cards Above £50k turnover: Custom rates |
| Refund processing | Free |
| PCI-DSS compliance | Costs apply |
The card machines have a lock-in of one year, whereas online payments have a monthly, rolling subscription.
The card terminals come with a monthly rental cost between £13.99-£19.99 excluding VAT.
Transaction fees depend on turnover. Merchants processing up to £50,000 annually (about £5.2k monthly) get two fixed rates with a fixed authorisation fee: 1.39% + 5p for consumer Visa and Mastercard cards issued in the UK or Europe, and 1.99% + 5p for all other Mastercard and Visa card transactions. American Express cards have their own fees quoted during onboarding.
For businesses with an annual card turnover in excess of £50,000, transaction fees are tailored around the type of business, turnover size and cards accepted. Domestic Visa and Mastercard are typically cheapest whereas Amex costs more.
"Most businesses selling for less than £50k annually would pay less with SumUp or Square's fixed card rates and lack of monthly fee. So it's only really beneficial for £50k+ businesses to look into a contract with Tyl by NatWest."
– Emily Sorensen, Senior Editor, Mobile Transaction
Other charges will most likely apply for chargebacks, early termination of a contract (if applicable) and more, but refunds should be free to process.
PCI-DSS compliance (international card payments standard) has to be set up at the beginning of the online payments package, so costs will most likely apply to that. It's unclear whether the card machines incur extra fees for PCI compliance.
Online payments
Like most merchant service providers, Tyl offers these basic online payment options:
Virtual terminal: A fairly advanced virtual terminal can be accessed through a browser.
Payment links: The virtual terminal lets you create payment links to send via email, text or QR code. These lead to a web page where customers can pay online.
Online payment gateway: Tyl's payment system can be implemented as an online checkout on compatible ecommerce platforms like WooCommerce. This can be customised to suit your branding.
All these online payment methods come with a monthly rolling contract where PCI-DSS compliance needs to be implemented.
Photo: Tyl/NatWest
Example of a Tyl payment page where a payment link leads to.
Customer service, reviews and our experience
Tyl by NatWest offers customer support Monday to Saturday between 8am and midnight and Sundays between 9am and 5pm. Any account changes have to be dealt with on working days between 9am-5pm.
There used to be a web chat, but this seems to have been disabled – we checked on several weekdays during working hours, and it said all agents were offline.
Tyl by NatWest has received numerous customer reviews since its beginning, but it looks like the many positive ones are fake. The genuine-looking reviews talk of a hard time getting any useful customer support, sign-up issues, frozen accounts with no reason given, fees not being better than other providers, and products not working properly.
"It sounds as if Tyl only has a few staff members to support their merchants, and with technical and account issues, this can be a major problem."
– Emily Sorensen, Senior Editor, Mobile Transaction
We tried to get a quote through Tyl's contact form using genuine details, which apparently should yield a response within an hour. We submitted a phone number with a voicemail to encourage contact by email, but never heard from Tyl afterwards via email. It seems a phone call really is required before getting any information, which could be a turn-off for merchants who want to avoid giving personal information.
