Best Credit Card Readers for iPhone and Android in the UK (2026)
Revolut Reader has the lowest rate (0.8% + 2p) for Revolut Business users. SumUp Air costs £15 — rates cross Revolut near £1,020 a month in turnover.
- Revolut Reader takes UK card payments at 0.8% plus 2p per transaction.
- The lowest rate in this guide with no monthly fee on the Basic plan.
- Next-day settlement including weekends once you have used Revolut for two days.
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The practical decision is between readers with no monthly fee and a flat 1.69–1.75% rate (Square, SumUp, Zettle) and readers with the lowest per-transaction rate (Revolut 0.8% + £0.02; Tide 0.79% + 3p on plan) that both require a specific business account. Above roughly £1,020/month in card takings, Revolut’s rate costs less than Square’s 1.75% flat — including the £10/month account fee. Below that threshold, a flat-rate no-fee reader costs less all-in.
Best Credit Card Readers for iPhone and Android at a Glance
Six-provider summary by use case. All fees verified against provider websites, April 2026.
| Use case | Best pick | Hardware | Rate | Monthly | Amex |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best Overall | Revolut Reader | £49 +VAT | 0.8% + £0.02 | From £10/mo | No |
| Best for Low Fees | Tide Card Reader | £59–£99 +VAT | 0.79% + 3p (plan) | £0 / £17.99+VAT/mo* | No |
| Best for Fast Payouts | Revolut Reader | £49 +VAT | 0.8% + £0.02 | From £10/mo | No |
| Best for POS Features | Square Reader | £19 +VAT | 1.75% flat | None | Yes |
| Best for Small Businesses | SumUp Air | £15 +VAT | 1.69% flat | None | Yes |
| Best for Ecommerce | Shopify POS | £49 +VAT (Tap & Chip) | 1.5–1.7% | From £25/mo | Yes |
*Tide Sell In-Person plan rising from £12.99 to £17.99 +VAT from 27 April 2026.
Full Comparison Table: Credit Card Readers for iPhone and Android
Use these figures to compare total cost at your actual volume — the monthly break-even matters more than the headline rate. PAYG rates shown unless stated. Tide plan rate is the new rate from 27 April 2026. All fees verified against provider websites, April 2026.
| Provider | Hardware | Transaction fee | Monthly fee | Settlement | Amex | Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| £49 +VAT | 0.8% + £0.02 | From £10/mo | Next day (7-day hold on first) | No | Visit → |
 | £59–£99 +VAT | 0.79% + 3p (plan) / 1.39% + 5p PAYG | £0 or £17.99/mo* | 3 days std (1 day add-on) | No | Visit → |
 | £19 +VAT | 1.75% flat | None | Next working day | Yes | Visit → |
 | £15 +VAT | 1.69% (0.99% on plan) | £0 or £19/mo | Next day 7am | Yes | Visit → |
 | £29 +VAT | 1.75% flat | None | Minutes to PayPal; 1–2 days to bank | Yes | Visit → |
 | £49 +VAT (Tap & Chip) | 1.5–1.7% (Shopify Payments) | From £25/mo (eComm req) | 2–5 business days | Yes | Visit → |
*Tide Sell In-Person plan rising from £12.99 to £17.99 +VAT from 27 April 2026. Shopify Payments rates shown; 0.5–2.0% surcharge applies if using a third-party processor. Shopify Amex acceptance on Tap & Chip Reader confirmed via Shopify help documentation, April 2026. All fees verified against provider websites, April 2026.
Best Credit Card Readers for iPhone and Android
These picks are organised by the decision most likely to matter for mobile card acceptance. Each includes an explicit condition for when it is the wrong choice.
Best Overall Credit Card Reader for iPhone and Android
Revolut Reader. At 0.8% + £0.02 per transaction, Revolut has the lowest published in-person rate for a Bluetooth reader in this guide. Next-day settlement including weekends means Friday sales land Saturday morning rather than Monday. The Reader pairs to the Revolut Business app over Bluetooth and the entire payment flow runs through one account balance.
One detail Revolut does not advertise prominently: the first payout after account opening carries a seven-day hold. If you need day-one revenue immediately, that is a week before the cash is accessible. From day two onward, settlement is genuinely next-day including weekends.
Not right if: your customers frequently pay by Amex — the Reader does not accept it. Or if you cannot justify opening a Revolut Business account (minimum £10/month) alongside the hardware cost.
Visit RevolutBest Credit Card Reader for Low Fees
Tide Card Reader on the Sell In-Person plan. From 27 April 2026 the plan costs £17.99 +VAT/month and drops the consumer debit rate to 0.79% + 3p — the lowest per-transaction rate in this guide for any reader without a rental contract.
The break-even against Tide’s PAYG rate (1.39% + 5p, no monthly fee) is roughly £1,100/month at an average £30 transaction. Above that, the plan saves money. Below it, PAYG costs less. Run the maths on your actual volume before subscribing.
Not right if: you cannot bank with Tide — the reader is not sold to non-Tide customers. Also not right if your customers pay regularly by Amex, which Tide does not accept.
Visit TideBest Credit Card Reader for Fast Payouts
Revolut Reader. Next-day settlement including weekends and bank holidays separates Revolut from Square (next working day) and Tide (three working days standard). A Saturday sale reaches the Revolut account by Sunday morning. For a business managing tight weekly cashflow, those two days are real working capital.
Not right if: the seven-day first-payout hold creates a cash problem at launch. SumUp’s standard next-day 7am settlement starts from day one without any hold, and the £15 hardware cost is £34 lower than the Revolut Reader.
Visit RevolutBest Credit Card Reader for POS Features
Square Reader. The Square POS app is free and covers unlimited employee accounts, real-time sales analytics, inventory management, customer CRM, gift cards, and an online store — all without a monthly subscription. Most businesses that need a point-of-sale alongside a card reader can run the whole operation through Square without a second software bill.
£19 +VAT for the hardware, no contract, and Amex accepted at the same 1.75% flat rate. For a café, independent retailer, or market trader who wants a till as well as a reader, this is the most complete free POS offering in this guide.
Not right if: you process more than £6,000/month in card takings. At that volume Revolut’s or Tide’s lower per-transaction rate beats Square’s flat 1.75%, even after including account fees.
Visit SquareBest Credit Card Reader for Small Businesses
SumUp Air. £15 +VAT is the lowest hardware entry cost in this guide. No monthly fee, no contract, and next-day settlement at 7am. At 1.69% the rate is slightly cheaper than Square’s 1.75%, and Amex is accepted at the same flat rate. For a sole trader taking a few hundred pounds a week, the total first-year cost at typical volumes sits under £200.
Not right if: you already know you will scale past £5,000/month quickly. The upgrade path — either to SumUp Payments Plus (0.99%, £19/month) or a different provider — is easier to plan from the start than to switch mid-operation.
Visit SumUpBest Credit Card Reader for Ecommerce Integration
Shopify POS. If you already run a Shopify online store, adding Shopify POS gives unified inventory across web and physical sales. A product sold in-person deducts from the same stock pool as an online order, with no manual sync. No other provider in this guide offers that natively.
The cost structure is the most complex here. Shopify Payments is effectively mandatory: using a third-party processor adds a 0.5–2.0% surcharge per transaction on top of all other fees. The Tap & Chip Reader costs £49 +VAT and the eCommerce plan starts at £25/month. Settlement takes 2–5 business days.
Not right if: you do not have or plan to start a Shopify eCommerce subscription. The reader makes no sense without the broader platform, and the platform cost is significant for a business taking only in-person payments.
Visit ShopifyCredit Card Readers for iPhone and Android Compared
Revolut Reader
Tide Card Reader
Square Reader
How to Choose a Credit Card Reader for iPhone and Android
Compatibility with iPhone and Android Devices
Every Bluetooth reader in this guide pairs to both iPhone and Android via BLE. The variable is app quality on each platform. Square and Revolut maintain parity across iOS and Android. SumUp’s Android support is solid. Zettle’s Android app has historically attracted more reported issues than its iOS counterpart — check current app store reviews before committing.
Tap to Pay on iPhone (no hardware required) is available on Square, SumUp, and others. Android equivalent support is rolling out but varies by provider. If you want to test card acceptance before buying hardware, Tap to Pay is the lowest-friction entry point.
Card Reader Hardware and Ease of Use
All Bluetooth readers here are pocket-sized. The practical differences are charging standard (Square and SumUp use micro-USB; Revolut uses USB-C) and what happens when the battery dies mid-shift. Tide’s reader runs independently of the phone, so a dying phone does not stop payments. For Bluetooth-paired readers, the phone’s charge level becomes part of the checkout reliability equation.
Setup time on Bluetooth readers is under 15 minutes from account creation to first transaction. Shopify POS takes longer if the eCommerce subscription is new. Tide requires a verified Tide business account before the reader can process payments, which can add several days.
App Features and POS Tools
Square has the deepest free POS: inventory, CRM, employee management, reporting, and an online store all included at no extra cost. SumUp and Zettle cover basic inventory and sales reporting. Revolut Business’s app is built around banking rather than POS — in-person payments work well, but advanced till features are not there.
Shopify POS Lite (included with any Shopify eCommerce plan) covers basic checkout. POS Pro adds unlimited staff accounts, purchase orders, and multi-location inventory for £69/month per location on top of the eCommerce plan.
Transaction Fees and Upfront Costs
Revolut at 0.8% + £0.02 (plus £10/month account fee) beats Square at 1.75% flat once monthly card takings clear roughly £1,020. Below that, Square costs less all-in despite the higher headline rate.
Tide’s Sell In-Person plan (£17.99 +VAT/month from 27 April 2026, 0.79% + 3p) beats flat-rate readers above roughly £1,100/month at a £30 average transaction. PAYG at 1.39% + 5p with no monthly fee wins below that threshold. Run the maths on your actual volume before subscribing to either plan.
Payout Speed
Revolut: next-day including weekends (seven-day hold on first payout). SumUp: next day at 7am. Square: next working day. Zettle: minutes to PayPal, then 1–2 days to bank. Tide: three working days standard (£2.99 +VAT/month for next-day). Shopify: 2–5 business days.
The difference between next-day and three working days is three days of working capital on any given week’s takings. For businesses managing tight stock cycles or supplier payment terms, settlement speed matters as much as the transaction rate.
Connectivity and Battery Life
Square, SumUp, Zettle, Revolut, and Shopify all pair to the phone over Bluetooth — which means they inherit the phone’s problems. A flat battery, a dropped connection, or a backgrounded app stops checkout. In a stable shop on WiFi, this rarely matters. At an outdoor market, an event pitch, or in a building with poor signal, it matters often.
Tide Card Reader is the only device in this guide with a built-in 4G SIM. It does not depend on the phone for connectivity or power. For any mobile trade where signal is unreliable, that is the relevant differentiator — not the headline rate.
Fees and Costs to Watch
Card Reader Cost
SumUp Air: £15 +VAT. Square Reader: £19 +VAT. Zettle Reader 2: £29 +VAT. Revolut Reader: £49 +VAT. Shopify Tap & Chip: £49 +VAT. Tide Card Reader: £59 +VAT (with Sell In-Person plan) or £99 +VAT (standard). Hardware is a one-off cost; include it in the first-year total rather than the monthly comparison to get an honest picture.
In-Person Transaction Fees
Flat-rate providers (Square 1.75%, Zettle 1.75%, SumUp 1.69%) charge the same percentage on all card types including Amex. Plan-based providers (Revolut 0.8% + £0.02, Tide 0.79% + 3p) quote consumer card rates; commercial card and non-UK card rates are higher. If a meaningful share of your customers pay by corporate card, always ask for the full rate card rather than the headline figure.
Remote and Online Payment Fees
In-person rates do not apply when you key in a card number or take an online payment. Square: 2.5% keyed, 1.4% + 25p online. Revolut: 1% + £0.02 online, 1.7% + £0.20 for Amex online. Zettle: 2.5% online. SumUp: varies by plan. Shopify: 1.5–1.7% via Shopify Payments online, with a 0.5–2.0% surcharge added if using a third-party processor.
Monthly Fees and Subscription Costs
Square and Zettle: no monthly fee on the standard plan. SumUp: £0 flat or £19/month (Payments Plus, 0.99% rate). Revolut: minimum £10/month Business account required. Tide: £0 PAYG or £17.99 +VAT/month (Sell In-Person plan, from 27 April 2026). Shopify: from £25/month eCommerce plan required, plus £69/month/location for POS Pro if advanced features are needed.
A monthly fee only makes financial sense if your card volume clears the break-even. For Revolut that is roughly £1,020/month. For Tide’s plan (at the new rate), roughly £1,100/month at a £30 average ticket. Subscribing below those thresholds costs more than a flat-rate no-fee reader.
Refunds, Chargebacks and Other Charges
Most providers do not return the original processing fee on a refunded sale. A 1.75% charge on a £100 transaction stays with the provider even if the customer gets their money back. On any business with a meaningful refund rate — clothing, events, online-led retail — that adds up and is rarely included in rate comparisons.
Chargebacks typically cost £10–£25 per dispute on most providers, regardless of outcome. Square and SumUp handle disputes in-app. Tide disputes go through Adyen’s process. Ask each provider for their specific chargeback fee before signing up if your category carries dispute risk.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use a card reader with any iPhone or Android phone?
Yes. All Bluetooth readers in this guide pair to any iPhone running iOS 14 or later and any Android running Android 8 or later. The constraint is the provider’s app: Bluetooth must be enabled and the app must be open or backgrounded. Older phones may experience slower Bluetooth pairing or occasional app performance issues.
Do I need a business bank account to use a mobile card reader?
Most providers require a UK bank account for settlement. Revolut Reader requires a Revolut Business account (minimum £10/month). Tide requires a Tide business account. Square and SumUp settle to any UK business bank account. Zettle settles to PayPal first, then transfers to any bank. Shopify settles via Shopify Payments to a linked UK bank account.
What is the cheapest card reader for iPhone and Android?
SumUp Air at £15 +VAT has the lowest hardware entry cost in this guide. For businesses processing under £1,000/month, the total first-year cost on SumUp at 1.69% with no monthly fee is lower than any plan-based alternative. Square at £19 +VAT is the next cheapest and includes a more capable free POS app.
Which card readers accept American Express?
Square, SumUp, and Zettle accept Amex at the same flat rate as other cards. Revolut Reader does not accept Amex (the Revolut Terminal does, but not the Reader hardware). Tide does not accept Amex. Shopify POS via Shopify Payments: Amex accepted on the Tap & Chip Reader (confirmed via Shopify help documentation, April 2026).
Can I use a card reader without an internet connection?
No — card payments require a live connection to authorise in real time. Bluetooth readers use the phone’s WiFi or mobile data. Tide’s reader uses a built-in 4G SIM with WiFi as a fallback. Square supports offline transaction queuing for up to 24 hours, but payments are not authorised until reconnected and carry a risk of decline on reconnection.
How do card readers connect to iPhone and Android?
Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) is the standard connection method. Pairing takes 30–60 seconds on first setup and reconnects automatically on subsequent uses. The phone’s Bluetooth must be on and the provider’s app must be running. Tide’s reader connects over its own 4G SIM or WiFi and does not pair to the phone at all.
Is there a card reader that works without a phone?
Yes. Tide Card Reader has a built-in 4G SIM, a touchscreen, and runs completely independently of a phone. It is the only reader in this guide with lifetime free 4G connectivity included in the purchase price. The trade-off: a Tide business account is required, and the hardware costs £59–£99 +VAT depending on whether you take the Sell In-Person plan.
Fees and hardware prices verified against provider websites, April 2026. Tide Sell In-Person plan rising from £12.99 to £17.99 +VAT from 27 April 2026. Shopify Amex acceptance on Tap & Chip Reader confirmed via Shopify help documentation, April 2026. This page is editorial content, not regulated financial advice.
We compiled this guide by researching providers in the card reader apps for iPhone and Android market, checking current rates, fees, and terms from each provider’s primary website. Selection reflects a combination of pricing, features, accessibility, and overall value for typical UK business needs. Verified in April 2026.
All product and pricing claims are sourced from providers’ primary websites, FCA register entries, and official documentation. Rates and fees change — confirm current terms with providers before applying.
Some links on this page are affiliate links. If you sign up or purchase through one of these links, we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. This does not affect our editorial judgements or rankings. See our editorial policy for details.