Best Payment Methods for Tradespeople
We ranked these on the fee you actually pay for the way you actually get paid, not the headline percentage. Trades rarely need a fixed terminal.
If you take payment at the door, we put SumUp Air first: £39, 1.69%, nothing monthly. If you invoice after the job, a card link costs you nothing to carry.
The one that surprises people is GoCardless. On a £1,000 invoice its £4 cap saves you over £13 against card. For regular clients, we’d set up a mandate and stop paying a percentage on every job.
Best for On-Site Card Payments: SumUp Air
SumUp Air. A Bluetooth reader that pairs with your phone. At £39 and 1.69% per transaction with no monthly fee or contract, it is the most cost-effective way for a tradesperson to take card payments on-site. Funds settle within 1 to 3 business days.
For a plumber finishing a job and wanting payment at the door, this is the simplest setup. Battery life is good for several days of occasional use, not continuous like a retail counter. Carry a USB-C power bank for long days where you need the reader charged throughout.
Not right if: you mostly invoice after the job. A payment link costs you nothing upfront and needs no hardware to carry.
Visit SumUpBest for Invoicing: Square Invoices
Square Invoices. Send a professional invoice with a built-in card link. The customer opens it and pays by card with no reader present. The fee is 1.75% with no monthly charge, and Square tracks outstanding invoices and sends automatic reminders.
For a follow-up invoice after a job, or a deposit before work starts, this is the cleanest option with no setup cost.
Not right if: your invoices regularly top £380. Above that, GoCardless Direct Debit at a £4 cap costs far less per job.
Visit SquareBest for Recurring or Large Invoices: GoCardless
GoCardless. Direct Debit rather than card. The customer authorises a mandate once; you pull payment each time you invoice. The fee is 1% + 20p, capped at £4, so a £1,000 invoice costs £4 in fees rather than £17.50 on SumUp or £18 on Square.
For a maintenance contract, a regular cleaning round or a recurring gardener, the cap makes GoCardless substantially cheaper on large amounts. It is the most cost-effective option above roughly £380 per invoice.
Not right if: you take one-off jobs from customers who prefer card. GoCardless needs the customer’s bank details and a mandate, which suits established relationships, not walk-ups.
Visit GoCardlessBest for One-Off Remote Payments: Stripe Payment Links
Stripe Payment Links. Shareable URLs that take the customer to a secure checkout. At 1.5% + 25p for UK cards, it is the cheapest card-based remote payment option here, with no hardware required.
Useful for tradespeople who mostly collect by bank transfer but occasionally need to take a card from a customer who prefers it. No contract, no monthly fee.
Not right if: you take card on-site every day. A £39 SumUp Air pays for itself quickly against the fixed 25p on every link.
Visit StripeBest for Instant Access to Funds: myPOS Go 2
myPOS Go 2. A standalone 4G reader that settles funds instantly to a myPOS e-money account. At around £49 hardware and 1.10% + 7p, it is cheaper per transaction than SumUp Air, and instant settlement means the money is available the same day.
Useful when you need cash flow on the day, buying materials from a merchant straight after a job payment clears. Note the £3.99/month fee that applies after the first year.
Not right if: your volume is seasonal or irregular. The monthly fee after year one suits steady traders better than occasional ones.
Visit myPOSPayment Methods for Tradespeople Compared
How to Choose the Best Payment Method for Tradespeople
Match the method to the client type
The right setup follows who you invoice. Regular business clients with their own payment processes suit bank transfer or GoCardless Direct Debit. Residential customers who pay on completion suit a card reader on-site. Customers who pay later suit a Square or Stripe link.
Bank transfer versus card versus Direct Debit
Many tradespeople collect by bank transfer because it carries no transaction fee. The catch is that the customer has to action it themselves, which can take days with larger clients who have approval processes.
Card payments and Direct Debit let you pull the payment instead of chasing it. That improves cash flow and cuts the time you spend following up unpaid invoices. The fee is the price you pay for getting paid on time.
Collecting deposits
Taking a deposit before work starts is standard on larger jobs. A payment link (Square or Stripe) is the easiest way to collect one remotely: the customer pays by card and funds settle in 1 to 2 days. State your cancellation policy clearly before you take it.
Use a captured charge with a clear refund policy rather than a pre-authorisation hold. Pre-auth is designed for temporary holds, not deposits, and can expire before the job begins.
Watch the GoCardless break-even
GoCardless caps its fee at £4. On any invoice above £380 it beats SumUp (1.69%) and Square (1.75%). For a trader regularly invoicing £500 to £5,000 jobs, the cap makes Direct Debit meaningfully cheaper, but only for customers willing to set up a mandate.
Fees and Costs to Watch
Transaction Fees Compared
Published rates: myPOS Go 2 1.10% + 7p, GoCardless 1% + 20p (capped at £4), Stripe links 1.5% + 25p, SumUp Air 1.69%, Square Invoices 1.75%. The cheapest option depends entirely on your invoice size and whether the customer will use Direct Debit.
On a £1,000 invoice, GoCardless costs £4, SumUp costs £16.90 and Square costs £17.50. On a £60 doorstep job, the flat percentage readers win because the fixed pence on Stripe and GoCardless weighs more on small amounts.
Monthly Fees and Contracts
SumUp Air, Square Invoices, Stripe links and the GoCardless Starter tier all carry no monthly fee. myPOS charges £3.99/month after the first year. If your payment volume is irregular or seasonal, avoid any provider with a standing monthly charge.
None of these five locks you into a contract. That matters for a trade business where workload rises and falls with the season: you are not paying for a terminal through a quiet winter.
Card Surcharges and the Law
You cannot add a surcharge for consumer card payments. It is illegal under the UK Payment Services Regulations 2017. Price your quotes to cover processing costs, which is a standard business expense, but never add a separate card fee at the point of payment.
Business-to-business transactions follow slightly different rules. If you invoice other businesses and want to recover card costs, take advice before adding anything to the bill.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cheapest way for a tradesperson to take payment?
It depends on the job size. For on-site payments, SumUp Air at 1.69% with £39 upfront is the cheapest no-contract reader. For invoices above £380, GoCardless Direct Debit at 1% + 20p (capped at £4) is cheaper than any card option. For one-off remote payments, Stripe links at 1.5% + 25p are competitive. Combine GoCardless for regular clients and SumUp Air for on-site, and you cover most tradesperson scenarios at minimal cost.
Do tradespeople actually need a card reader?
Not necessarily. Many jobs are paid by bank transfer or payment link without a physical reader. But customers increasingly expect card as an option, particularly for residential work. A SumUp Air at £39 is a low-cost way to offer card on-site without committing to a monthly contract or an expensive terminal. If you mostly invoice, a Square or Stripe link may be all you need.
Can I take a deposit before starting a job?
Yes. Send a payment link (Square Invoices or Stripe) for the deposit amount. The customer pays by card online and funds settle in 1 to 2 days. State your cancellation policy clearly before taking the deposit, and refund via the same platform if the job is cancelled within your policy window. Keep records of the payment and the terms in case of a dispute.
Can I add a card surcharge to cover my fees?
No. Adding a surcharge for consumer card payments is illegal under the UK Payment Services Regulations 2017. You can price your quotes to cover your processing costs, which is a standard business expense, but you cannot add a separate card fee at the point of payment. Business-to-business transactions follow slightly different rules, so take advice if you invoice other businesses and want to recover card costs.
How we reviewed tradesperson payment methods
Ranking criteria. We ranked methods on cost per job, setup and hardware cost, settlement speed and fit for how trades actually get paid: on-site, by invoice, or on a recurring mandate. Cost per job carries the most weight.
Data sources. Every fee, settlement timing and cap was checked directly against provider pricing pages (sumup.co.uk, squareup.com/gb, gocardless.com, stripe.com/gb, mypos.com) and the FCA Financial Services Register, in May 2026.
Update cadence. We re-verify when a provider changes its published rate, cap or settlement terms. Some links on this page are affiliate links (SumUp, Square, GoCardless, myPOS); this doesn’t affect our assessments. See our editorial policy.