Which Is Better for Micro-Businesses?
The main question is how fast you need your money, and whether Tide is already your bank.
If you bank with Tide, the reader is the tidy choice. Takings, invoices and transfers reconcile in one app, and at 0.79% + 3p the plan rate is low, as long as you take enough to justify the £17.99 a month.
If you need cash the moment a sale clears, or you take Amex, myPOS fits better. It accepts Amex, settles in seconds, and the Go 2 costs a fraction of Tide’s reader upfront.
One caveat before you choose myPOS: budget for the £1.50 you pay every time you move its funds to your own bank.
Tide Card Reader vs myPOS Fees and Charges
Card Transaction Fees
Tide charges 1.39% + 5p on pay-as-you-go, dropping to 0.79% + 3p for debit on its plan.
myPOS charges a flat 1.10% + 7p on UK consumer cards, with Amex included at the same rate.
On the Tide plan your debit rate is the lowest here. But you pay monthly for it, and you lose Amex. Without a Tide account, myPOS is the simpler, more inclusive number.
We took both rates from tide.co and mypos.com/en-gb, not a comparison site.
Monthly, Setup and Contract Costs
Tide’s best rate needs the £17.99 a month plan. The reader is £99 with the plan, or £159 without.
myPOS has no monthly fee. The Go 2 is around £29, with a free 4G SIM built in.
Neither locks you into a contract. But myPOS adds a £15 inactivity fee if you take no payment for ten months, which is worth planning around if you trade seasonally.
Other Fees to Watch
Here is the fee that decides most of this: moving myPOS funds to an outside bank costs £1.50 a time.
Sweep daily, and that is roughly £30 a month, enough to wipe out the rate saving.
Tide’s equivalent catch is the £2.99 a month for next-day settlement. Skip it, and your money waits three working days.
Fee Verdict: Who Costs Less
If you bank with Tide and take mostly debit, Tide’s plan rate is cheapest. Inside its ecosystem, it is the value pick.
Without a Tide account, myPOS usually costs less per sale, but only if you leave funds in the myPOS account or withdraw in batches. We modelled both withdrawal habits before calling it.
Tide Card Reader vs myPOS Payment Methods and Checkout Options
Cards, Wallets and Alternative Payment Methods
On the everyday methods, the two are level: chip and PIN, contactless, Apple Pay, Google Pay.
The difference is American Express. myPOS takes it, within its standard rate. The Tide reader does not take it at all.
That gap can cost you premium-card customers, one sale at a time.
Checkout Experience
Tide offers in-app payment links and invoicing, tied to your banking.
myPOS offers links too, plus a multi-currency account with a UK IBAN and a free Mastercard.
With that card, you can spend takings straight away, without waiting to withdraw.
Methods Verdict
Need Amex, or want to spend takings on the spot, and myPOS wins.
Want your card sales to land in a proper bank account, and Tide wins.
Tide Card Reader vs myPOS Hardware, POS and In-Person Payments
Card Readers and Terminals
The myPOS Go 2 ships with a free lifetime 4G SIM from around £29. It works on a stall or in a van, on its own.
Tide’s reader is a 4-inch touchscreen, £99 with the plan or £159 without. That is a much bigger outlay before you take a penny.
POS Software and Hardware Add-ons
Both keep their software basic.
Tide has no table plans, no kitchen display, no barcode stock control. myPOS is built around taking payments and managing the account, not running a counter.
Neither is a real point of sale. If you need stock control, look at Square or a dedicated EPOS instead.
In-Person Verdict
For a standalone 4G device at the lowest price, the myPOS Go 2 wins.
Tide’s reader only earns its place if the banking integration matters more to you than the hardware bill.
Tide Card Reader vs myPOS Online Payments and Integrations
Hosted Checkout, Payment Links and APIs
Tide gives you in-app payment links and invoicing only.
myPOS offers secure links and tap-to-pay through its Glass app. Neither hands you a full online storefront.
Platform Integrations
Tide syncs cleanly with Xero, QuickBooks and Making Tax Digital through its banking. That is tidy if your books already live there.
myPOS carries fewer software integrations, leaning on its IBAN account and card instead.
Online Verdict
For bookkeeping that reconciles itself, Tide leads. For spending takings the instant they land, myPOS leads.
For a web shop, neither is the answer.
Tide Card Reader vs myPOS Payouts, Contract Terms and Account Risk
Settlement Speed and Payout Schedule
Tide settles in three working days by default, with next-day at £2.99 a month.
myPOS settles in about three seconds, around the clock, into your myPOS account. A free Mastercard lets you spend at once.
Contract Length and Exit Terms
Both run with no long lock-in.
Tide’s catch is dependency: the reader stops the day you leave the Tide account. myPOS’s catch is the £15 inactivity fee after ten dormant months.
Reserves, Holds and Account Stability
Both run strict KYC checks that can hold funds during a review.
With Tide, a review of your bank account freezes card takings at the same moment. With myPOS, the funds sit in the e-money account until you move them.
The two also protect your money differently. Tide settles into your Tide account, which ClearBank holds and the FSCS protects up to £120,000. myPOS settles into its own e-money wallet, which is safeguarded in a ring-fenced account but carries no FSCS cover.
If a provider ever failed, we would rather have our takings on the Tide side for that statutory cover, and it is the kind of detail most card-reader comparisons skip.
We would keep a cash buffer with either, because one compliance review can lock your money for days.
Tide Card Reader vs myPOS Customer Reviews and Reputation
Trustpilot and Independent Review Themes
myPOS holds a solid 4.2 out of 5 on Trustpilot, praised for instant settlement and the free account. The complaints land on the bank-transfer and inactivity fees.
We read the recent ones. Tide’s reader rides on its banking-app reputation, which is generally good.
Support Channels and Response Times
Both lean on app and online support, rather than phone lines.
We saw the familiar pattern: quick for setup, slower when a KYC hold needs a human. Do not rely on either for a same-hour rescue of frozen funds.
Reputation Verdict
It is close. myPOS takes a slight edge on its reader-specific score, Tide on banking stability.
The single-account freeze risk stays the thing to weigh with Tide.
Tide Card Reader vs myPOS for Instant Access to Funds
If same-day cash is the thing you cannot run without, myPOS is built for it.
Funds settle in seconds, at any hour. The free Mastercard turns a Saturday night’s takings into Sunday morning’s spending money.
Tide’s three-day default leaves weekend money stuck until midweek, unless you pay £2.99 a month for next-day. Even then it is next day, not instant.
For instant access, myPOS wins without hesitation.
Downsides of Tide Card Reader and myPOS
Downsides of Tide Card Reader
Tide insists on a Tide account, refuses Amex, defaults to a three-day payout, and charges £2.99 a month for next-day. The POS software is basic. The bank dependency is the biggest risk.
Downsides of myPOS
myPOS charges £1.50 to move funds to an outside bank, and £15 after ten dormant months. And it parks your money in a walled-garden e-money account you have to manage, rather than ignore.
Alternatives to Tide Card Reader and myPOS
For a free till app and a cheap owned reader, Square holds up at 1.75%.
For the lowest flat rate with no account to manage, SumUp and Lopay compete hard.
For a busy venue needing EPOS and fast weekend payouts, Dojo is the better acquirer.
Final Verdict: Tide Card Reader or myPOS?
For businesses already banking with Tide that want card sales to reconcile automatically in one app, and can live without Amex, the Tide Card Reader is the pick.
For anyone who needs instant cash and Amex acceptance, and can batch withdrawals to limit the £1.50 transfer fee, myPOS is the call. For most cash-flow-driven micro-traders without a Tide account, it is the more flexible choice.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the Tide Card Reader or myPOS accept American Express?
myPOS accepts American Express, usually within its standard 1.10% + 7p rate. The Tide Card Reader does not accept Amex at all, so choose myPOS if any of your customers pay on Amex.
Why does myPOS charge to move money to my bank?
myPOS settles instantly into its own e-money account rather than your high-street bank, and charges £1.50 per transfer to move funds out. To keep costs down, spend directly from the free myPOS Mastercard or withdraw in batches rather than daily.
Do I need a Tide bank account to use the Tide Card Reader?
Yes. The Tide Card Reader only works with a Tide business account and cannot route funds to another bank. myPOS has no such requirement and provides its own account with a UK IBAN.
Which settles faster?
myPOS, by far. It settles in about three seconds, 24/7, into your myPOS account. The Tide Card Reader settles in three working days by default, or next day if you pay £2.99 a month.
Is there an inactivity fee?
myPOS charges a £15 inactivity fee if your account takes no payments for 10 consecutive months, which can catch out seasonal traders. The Tide Card Reader has no inactivity fee, though you do pay for the Tide plan to get its best rate.
How we compared the Tide Card Reader and myPOS
Ranking criteria. We compared the Tide Card Reader and myPOS on transaction fees, settlement speed, withdrawal and account fees, hardware, payment methods and account risk, weighted by what matters to a UK micro-business.
Data sources. Every figure was checked directly against tide.co and mypos.com/en-gb on 3 June 2026, with the FCA register used to confirm regulatory status. No comparison-site data, no press releases, no affiliate material.
Update cadence. We re-verify this page at least monthly and whenever either provider changes pricing or terms. The verification date reflects the most recent full review. Some links on this page are affiliate links, see our editorial policy.