Our Verdict
For a mobile or Amex-facing business, the myPOS Go 2 is an easy yes: £29 hardware, 1.10% + 7p including American Express, and a reader that works without a paired phone. Little on the UK market matches that combination at the price.
The one real catch is where your money lands. Takings settle in about three seconds, but into a myPOS e-money wallet with a UK IBAN, not your own bank account, and moving funds out to a UK bank costs £1.50 a transfer.
Spend straight from the free myPOS Mastercard and that friction largely disappears.
See myPOS pricing →Everything below explains the trade-offs in full.
myPOS Card Reader at a Glance
Best For
myPOS fits best if you are a mobile tradesperson, market stall operator, or hospitality venue with Amex-carrying customers.
The reader runs on a free 4G SIM with WiFi as backup. No paired phone or tablet required. An electrician finishing a job with a flat phone battery can still take the next payment.
If you run a market stall or food festival stand and regularly take Amex from corporate card holders, myPOS saves you the conversation about whether you accept the card.
Not Ideal For
myPOS is a weaker fit if you are a seasonal trader who parks the device over winter. The £15 inactivity fee applies after 10 months with no transactions.
If you insist on printed receipts at the cheapest hardware price, you are pushed to the £169 Go Combo.
Businesses that want takings dropping directly into an FSCS-protected bank account should factor in the £1.50 transfer fee on every sweep.
Key Facts
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Hardware | £29 + VAT (Go 2); £169 + VAT (Go Combo with printer dock). No monthly fee, no contract, PAYG. |
| In-person rate | 1.10% + 7p across Visa, Mastercard, Maestro and Amex. Custom pricing above £10,000 a month. |
| Settlement | Instant to the myPOS e-money account; £1.50 per Faster Payments transfer out to a UK bank. |
| Account type | FCA-authorised EMI (ref 900826), UK IBAN, not FSCS-protected. £15 inactivity fee after 10 months with no transactions. |
| Verified 21 April 2026. | |
What Is the myPOS Card Reader?
The myPOS Go 2 is a standalone 4G card reader, but the account it settles into is what shapes your decision: it is an e-money account, not a bank.
The provider, myPOS Payments Ltd, is an FCA-authorised Electronic Money Institution (FCA reference 900826), and the account you open carries a UK IBAN.
That account comes with a free business Mastercard debit card and multi-currency support. We’d describe it as a payment wallet rather than a bank account.
The Go 2 is the reader most people mean by “the myPOS card reader”. It is the entry model in a small family that runs from a free Tap to Pay app up to the counter-top Ultra.
They share the same account and card acceptance. What separates them is printed receipts and on-device POS software.
Fees and Costs
Card Payment Fees
In person, UK consumer cards cost 1.10% + 7p per transaction. That covers Visa, Mastercard, Maestro, and American Express. We verified these against the myPOS UK fees page in April 2026.
Amex at the same rate is rare in the UK. Your rivals charge extra or decline it entirely.
A £40 sale costs 51p in fees. A market day of 50 transactions at a £40 basket is £2,000 turnover and £25.50 in fees.
At 150 transactions a day you are at £6,000 turnover and £76.50 in fees.
Custom pricing is available above £10,000 a month in card turnover. myPOS does not advertise this prominently. We’d suggest asking before accepting the published rate.
Online rates rise and vary by how you take the payment. The rate card below sets the in-person headline against every online option.
| Payment channel | Rate |
|---|---|
| In person (Visa, Mastercard, Maestro, Amex) | 1.10% + 7p |
| Payment links / Payment Request | 1.30% + 15p |
| American Express online | 1.30% + 15p |
| Hosted checkout (non-Amex) | 2.50% + 15p |
| Mail or telephone order (keyed) | 2.90% + 15p, plus 0.5% |
| Verified 21 April 2026. | |
If you run a mix of in-person and online, map the split before signing up. The online end of the range is less competitive than the in-person headline.
Other fees to budget: £15 chargeback fee per case, 1% ATM withdrawal fee on the myPOS Mastercard (£2 min, £10 max), and the £15 inactivity charge after 10 months.
If you are doing your VAT return quarterly, add the transfer fees to your HMRC payment to the cost model. Paying the VAT bill directly from your myPOS Mastercard removes that fee entirely.
Hardware Costs
The Go 2 is £29 plus VAT, paid once. You own the device outright: no rental, no return on cancellation, no lease paperwork.
In your box: reader, charger and cable, the free business Mastercard debit card, a user guide, a card acceptance sign, and a sticker.
| Model | Price (excl. VAT) | Receipts | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tap to Pay | £0 | Digital only | Occasional acceptance on a compatible phone, no hardware to buy |
| Go 2 | £29 | Digital only | Mobile and outdoor sellers who do not need a printed receipt |
| Go Combo | £169 | Built-in printer (dock) | Hospitality and retail needing printed receipts with mobile flexibility |
| Ultra | £119 | Built-in printer | Counter-top or higher volume: Android, touchscreen and app installs |
| Verified 21 April 2026. | |||
All four share the same myPOS account and card acceptance, so the price gap buys hardware, not capability. The roughly £140 step up to the Go Combo buys printed receipts; the Ultra adds an on-device Android POS.
A mobile plumber emailing receipts from the van after a job is fine on the Go 2 alone. A coffee van at a Saturday market, serving tourists who ask for a paper receipt, will want the Go Combo.
Monthly Fees and Contract Terms
No monthly service fee, no annual fee, no account-opening fee. PAYG pricing with no contract.
No minimum term or early-exit charge is published on the primary source pages. If exit flexibility matters to your cash flow, confirm that detail with myPOS before signing up.
The cost to watch in the absence of monthly fees is the inactivity charge: £15 is deducted after 10 months with no transactions.
If you are a Christmas-only trader, that is a real annual cost hitting your account in autumn. Your workaround: run a token transaction each quarter, or close the account at the end of season and reopen when you start trading again.
Payouts and Settlement Times
Standard settlement times. Settlement into your myPOS account is instant: about three seconds from card authorisation. We confirmed this against myPOS’s own timing description.
No batch processing overnight, no weekend delays, no bank holiday cut-off on this first leg.
Moving money from your myPOS account to an external UK business bank costs £1.50 per transfer. If you sweep your cash flow to your main bank daily, that adds up.
If you transfer twice a week, you pay roughly £12–£13 a month in transfer fees on top of your card fees. Worth factoring into your monthly cost model.
- To a UK bank (Faster Payments): £1.50 per transfer
- SEPA euro transfer: £4 per transfer
- International (SHA): 0.25%, minimum £9
The free myPOS Mastercard debit card is the lever here. If you pay your suppliers, fuel bills, or VAT to HMRC from your myPOS balance, you skip the transfer fee entirely.
We’d recommend setting up your supplier payments from the myPOS balance before your first month of trading. That turns the £1.50 transfer fee into a non-issue.
Faster payout options. Settlement to the myPOS account is instant by default, with no extra charge. myPOS runs no instant payout upsell of the kind Square and SumUp charge for.
The first leg of settlement is already instant.
If instant needs to mean in your bank account rather than in your myPOS account, the £1.50 external transfer is the relevant number.
myPOS does not publish a premium faster-transfer option for external payouts beyond the standard fee.
Card Reader Features
Accepted Payment Types
You will not turn a paying customer away: the Go 2 takes every major card and wallet, including American Express, and Amex runs at the same 1.10% + 7p rate as Visa and Mastercard.
Acceptance spans contactless, chip & PIN, and magstripe, plus Apple Pay and Google Pay through the contactless reader. That Amex parity is the standout for tourist-facing and corporate-spending venues.
Square, Revolut Reader, and most traditional acquirers either surcharge Amex, route it at a higher internal rate, or decline it outright.
A hotel, restaurant, or retailer with regular American Express customers pays an extra 0.5%–1.5% on those transactions elsewhere. On myPOS Go 2, you do not.
Digital receipts are sent from the device by email or SMS. Printed receipts require the Go Combo dock.
Connectivity and Portability
Small enough to live in an apron pocket, the Go 2 is a true standalone terminal. That matters if you trade from a stall or the back of a van, where there is no wi-fi to borrow and no socket to plug into. Here is what you actually get:
| Spec | Detail |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 136.6 x 67.6 x 21 mm |
| Weight | 181.6g (with battery) |
| Connectivity | Free 4G SIM plus 2.4GHz WiFi, auto-switching |
| Charging | USB-C |
| PIN entry | On-device pad, no paired phone |
| Verified 21 April 2026. | |
If you run an indoor counter, you can use WiFi during service and fall back to 4G if the router drops.
The self-contained design removes a failure point for off-grid trading: a plumber in a basement, a festival trader between network cells, or a mobile groomer on a residential street.
Battery Life and Reliability
Expect a full trading day on a single charge. myPOS quotes a full day but does not publish exact hours or a transaction count, so treat it as a guide, not a guarantee.
If you trade through long days, treat the published battery claim with caution. Heavy users carry a small power bank as backup.
We’d suggest testing battery endurance on a quieter trading day before a high-volume event.
App, Dashboard and Reporting Features
App features. The Go 2 is a payment terminal first, a POS second. The on-device interface handles payments, refunds, basic item entry, tipping prompts, and digital receipts.
Deeper reporting, transaction history, multi-user controls, and account management sit in the myPOS mobile app and the web dashboard.
What you do not get on the Go 2 itself is full POS functionality: no built-in loyalty, no deep inventory, no integrated staff rota, no CRM.
For a mobile trader taking payments, that is rarely an issue. For a cafe wanting a counter-top workflow with item grids, the Ultra at £119 is the better fit.
The myPOS account also includes a full remote payment toolkit for taking payments without the reader in hand:
- Payment Request: a one-time payment link
- Payment Tag: a reusable link where the customer sets the amount
- PayLink: a fixed-amount link
- PayButton: an embeddable button for your site
- Virtual Terminal: key in card-not-present payments
- Hosted checkout: a full ecommerce checkout page
Confirmed ecommerce integrations are WooCommerce, Magento, OpenCart, and PrestaShop. If you run Shopify or Wix, check current plugin availability before committing.
Online rates on these tools are higher: 1.30% + 15p for payment links on standard cards, 2.50% + 15p for hosted checkout. Map your channel mix honestly before ordering.
Reporting and analytics. Reporting is built for a small business and its accountant, not a deep analytics suite: real-time transactions, daily and monthly summaries, refunds, and multi-user access across the app and web dashboard.
CSV and PDF exports are available from the dashboard. That covers most small businesses passing data to a bookkeeper at month end.
We’d recommend exporting a test CSV in your first week to confirm your bookkeeper can import it cleanly.
Integrations. Direct Xero or QuickBooks integrations for the Go 2 account specifically are not confirmed on the primary UK product pages.
Because the myPOS account is e-money rather than a traditional bank, it may not appear as a conventional bank feed in accounting software even where integrations exist for the Ultra device.
CSV export at month end stays reliable for accountants who prefer that workflow. We’d verify live integration availability directly with myPOS before committing.
Security, Compliance and Chargebacks
Payment security and PCI compliance. The compliance burden sits with myPOS, not you: PCI DSS is handled on their platform, which is one less thing to run than a self-hosted payment page.
Transactions run through myPOS Payments Ltd, an FCA-authorised Electronic Money Institution (ref 900826).
All card transactions are encrypted at the point of entry on your Go 2 device. The reader handles PIN entry locally, which keeps sensitive data off your phone.
Fraud checks and account holds. If you process a high-value first transaction or spike in volume, that can trigger a review hold on your account. Risk-management holds are standard across UK acquirers, not specific to myPOS.
We’d suggest keeping support contact details to hand in your first month. That way, if your account is held, you can resolve it quickly without missing a trading day.
Funds held in your myPOS account are safeguarded under FCA e-money rules, which require the institution to hold your money separately from company money.
That is not the same as FSCS deposit protection, which covers your deposits up to £120,000 if a UK bank fails. We’d not treat the myPOS balance as a long-term savings vehicle.
Look past the rate. It is the chargeback fee that stings.
Chargeback handling. If a customer disputes a payment, your chargeback fee is £15 per case, handled through the myPOS dashboard with evidence upload.
The £15 fee applies regardless of whether the dispute is resolved in your favour. If you operate in a high-dispute environment, that stacks quickly.
We’d recommend reviewing your expected chargeback exposure before committing, especially if you work in hospitality or retail with high-value single transactions.
Who the myPOS Card Reader Is Best For
Best business types. Mobile tradespeople fit myPOS well, thanks to the standalone 4G SIM that works without a paired phone:
- Plumbers and electricians
- Gardeners and mobile mechanics
- Locksmiths
- Dog walkers and mobile groomers
The reader works on its own, anywhere with a signal, without depending on a customer’s WiFi or a paired phone with battery.
Hospitality and retail venues with Amex-carrying customers fit too: hotels, restaurants, boutique retailers in tourist areas, and venues serving corporate clientele.
Your in-person Amex rate matches the Visa and Mastercard rate. That is a real cost saving most UK rivals do not match.
Best sales environments. Market traders, street food operators, and event stall holders benefit most. The Go 2 works where WiFi is unreliable, runs for a full trading day, and settles takings instantly.
At £1,000/month in card payments, you pay around £11 in card fees with no monthly overhead. At £5,000/month, the cost is roughly £55.
Against Square, myPOS wins on rate at every turnover level: 1.10% + 7p versus 1.75% flat.
Against Tide and Revolut Readers, your comparison is less about rate and more about where funds land. myPOS uses its own e-money account; Tide and Revolut use the business accounts you already run.
When to consider alternatives. Weaker fits: seasonal traders who park the reader for more than 10 months run into the £15 inactivity fee.
Businesses that insist on printed receipts on the cheapest hardware are pushed to the £169 Go Combo.
Finance-team-heavy businesses that want takings dropping straight into an FSCS-protected bank account overnight should factor in the £1.50 transfer fee on every sweep.
If you run ecommerce-first, your online rates are less competitive than the in-person headline suggests. We’d model the channel mix before committing.
Customer Support and Reviews
Support channels. You contact support by email and through the myPOS app. Live chat and phone support availability were not confirmed on the public site for all account tiers.
We’d suggest testing support response times during your first week rather than waiting for a live chargeback to discover the lag.
What reviewers praise. Positive review patterns highlight the speed of settlement, the reliability of the standalone 4G connection, and the Amex rate parity.
The £29 hardware price and the lack of monthly fees also draw favourable mentions. These align with the product’s core strengths.
Recurring complaints. Public myPOS reviews cluster around two themes: onboarding verification friction and support response times during peak periods.
Neither is unusual in the UK card acceptance market, but both directly affect your first few weeks of using the reader.
Account verification is the variable. Straightforward applications clear inside a day; complex structures can extend the timeline significantly.
If you need the reader for a specific trading date, we’d build in a week of slack rather than assuming same-day go-live.
myPOS Card Reader Alternatives
myPOS is not the best fit in every buying situation. Four alternatives each solve a specific myPOS trade-off.
If the £1.50 transfer fee or the e-money account structure is a deal-breaker, we’d suggest Square: closest like-for-like on hardware simplicity, with next-day settlement straight to your normal bank.
If you already bank with Revolut or Tide, their own readers remove the account-opening step and keep your card takings flowing to where your invoices already land.
myPOS vs SumUp
SumUp is the closest direct rival on positioning: a low-cost standalone reader with no monthly fee and no contract, around £25, on a flat 1.69% for every card type.
myPOS undercuts that headline rate at 1.10% + 7p on UK consumer cards, and matches it on Amex, where SumUp still charges its flat 1.69%. The more you turn over, the wider that gap runs.
SumUp’s advantage is the one Square shares: takings settle next day to your normal bank, with no e-money wallet in between and no £1.50 transfer step.
For low volumes and a simpler money trail, SumUp is lighter; for rate and Amex parity, myPOS wins. See our full SumUp vs myPOS comparison for the detail.
myPOS vs Square Reader
Square Reader is £19 + VAT with a flat 1.75% on every card. Settlement goes next day to your normal bank account.
myPOS wins on rate (1.10% + 7p versus 1.75%) and on standalone connectivity. Square wins on settlement simplicity: no intermediary wallet, no £1.50 transfer fee.
For businesses with monthly Amex volume, myPOS is the clear choice. For sole traders wanting the simplest possible setup, Square removes more friction.
myPOS vs Revolut Reader
Revolut Reader requires an existing Revolut Business account. Takings land in the Revolut balance instantly, inside the same app you already use for FX and expenses.
If you already bank with Revolut Business, we’d consider the Reader seriously: it keeps card takings, FX, and expense control in one place.
Against myPOS: Revolut wins on account breadth; myPOS wins on Amex parity and on working without any business account prerequisite.
myPOS vs Tide Card Reader
Tide Card Reader requires a Tide business account. Takings land where the invoices do, which removes the transfer step myPOS introduces.
For non-Tide businesses, myPOS is less committing: you do not need to open a full business account first.
We’d recommend matching the reader to your existing bank account before chasing headline rate.
Full comparison: our Tide Card Reader vs myPOS guide.
For a full comparison across all options, see our best card machines for small businesses roundup.
Final Verdict: Is the myPOS Card Reader Worth It?
Worth it for mobile and Amex-facing businesses; the catch is the transfer fee.
At £29 plus VAT, 1.10% + 7p in person, and Amex at that same rate, the myPOS Go 2 is the strongest value standalone 4G reader in the UK market right now.
The case for it is clear: mobile businesses, Amex-carrying venues, and anyone who needs a reader that works without a phone. Standalone 4G connectivity is genuinely rare at this price.
The case against is equally clear: funds land in an e-money account, not a bank. Every transfer out to Barclays, HSBC, or Starling costs £1.50. Seasonal traders risk the £15 inactivity fee.
We’d recommend it without hesitation for market traders, mobile tradespeople, and hospitality venues with regular Amex business.
We’d steer you toward Square if direct bank settlement matters more than rate, or toward Tide/Revolut if you already hold a business account with either provider.
The free myPOS Mastercard is the under-discussed piece of the product. The version of the Go 2 we’d recommend is the one paired with it, used as a dual settlement and spending account for day-to-day business costs.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the myPOS Go 2 transaction fee?
The in-person transaction fee is 1.10% + 7p per transaction on UK consumer cards, including Visa, Mastercard, Maestro, and American Express. Custom pricing is available above £10,000/month in card turnover.
Is myPOS Go 2 a standalone reader?
Yes. The Go 2 includes a free 4G SIM and also supports 2.4GHz WiFi. You do not need a paired phone or tablet to take a payment.
How fast does myPOS settle payments?
Settlement to the myPOS e-money account takes about three seconds. Transferring funds from the myPOS account to an external UK bank costs £1.50 per transfer. No premium instant-transfer option exists for external bank payouts.
Is the myPOS account a bank account?
No. myPOS Payments Ltd is an FCA-authorised Electronic Money Institution (ref 900826), not a bank. The account is an e-money account with a UK IBAN. It is not covered by FSCS deposit protection.
Does myPOS accept American Express?
Yes. Amex is accepted at the same 1.10% + 7p in-person rate as Visa and Mastercard. No surcharge applies. This is rare among UK card reader providers.
What happens if I don’t use my myPOS account?
An inactivity fee of £15 is charged after 10 consecutive months with no transactions. Seasonal traders should either run a token transaction each quarter or close the account cleanly at the end of the trading season.
Which myPOS card reader should I choose?
For most mobile businesses the Go 2 at £29 is the right pick: standalone 4G, digital receipts, no printer. Choose the Go Combo (£169) if you need printed receipts, or the Ultra (£119) for an Android touchscreen with app installs on a counter-top. Tap to Pay (£0) suits occasional acceptance on a compatible phone with no hardware to buy.
Is myPOS or SumUp cheaper?
In person, myPOS is cheaper at 1.10% + 7p against SumUp’s flat 1.69%, and myPOS does not surcharge Amex. SumUp is simpler on settlement: it pays out next day to your normal bank, while myPOS settles to an e-money wallet you then pay £1.50 to move out. Our SumUp vs myPOS comparison has the full breakdown.
How we reviewed myPOS
What we assessed. We evaluated myPOS on pricing, contract terms, features, and eligibility. These are the factors that matter most to UK small businesses considering this provider.
Data sources. myPOS’s pricing page, terms, and product docs were checked directly in April 2026. No comparison sites, no press releases, no affiliate material. FCA register cross-checked for regulatory status.
Update cadence. We re-verify this page at least monthly, and whenever a provider changes pricing, eligibility, or terms. The verification date on the page reflects the most recent full review. Some links on this page are affiliate links, see our editorial policy.