What is a PDQ machine?

A PDQ machine is a card machine. PDQ stands for "Process Data Quickly" and was the name given to the first card terminals introduced in the UK, which read the magnetic stripe on the back of a card. The first PDQ machines date from 1979. Today the same device is usually called a card machine, card terminal or POS terminal, and it reads chip and PIN, contactless and mobile wallets rather than just the stripe.

The abbreviation stuck because it was handy. Many people assume it means "pretty damn quick", and that reading is common enough that it appears in trade explanations of the term. Who first used the phrase is not well documented, so we do not attribute it.

You will still hear "PDQ" from older suppliers, bank staff and business owners who have been trading for a while. If a supplier asks whether you have a PDQ, they mean a physical card machine of any kind.

What a PDQ machine does

The job has not changed since 1979: read the card, send the transaction to the acquirer for authorisation, and print or send a receipt. What has changed is how the card is read and how the machine connects. Early machines dialled out over a phone line. Modern ones use Wi-Fi, Ethernet or a 4G SIM, and the card is tapped far more often than it is inserted.

Three physical formats cover most businesses. A countertop machine sits by the till and stays plugged in. A portable machine roams the premises on Wi-Fi, which is what restaurants and pubs use to take payment at the table. A mobile machine has its own SIM and works anywhere with signal, for deliveries, trades and market stalls.

Under the bonnet, the machine itself is only half of the arrangement. The acquirer (the company that processes the payment and settles the money to your bank) is who your agreement is really with. The card machine glossary defines the acquirer, MID, TID and the other terms that appear on a statement.

Old PDQ formats and their modern equivalents

Hardware prices below are the providers' published figures, checked August 2026. Dojo hardware is priced within your Dojo quote, either bought or rented monthly.

What a PDQ machine costs now

Two pricing models exist. Pay-as-you-go providers sell the hardware outright and charge one flat rate: SumUp 1.69%, Square 1.75% and Zettle 1.75% on in-person UK card payments, with no monthly fee (rates checked August 2026). Contract providers such as Dojo quote each business individually. Above a certain card volume the quoted route usually wins on cost; below it the flat rate does. Your current statement is the way to find out which applies.

The fee comparison page puts the published rates against your own turnover, and how much a card machine costs covers purchase, rental and the extra fees that appear on statements.

When a PDQ machine is not the right choice

A business that takes a handful of card payments a month may not need a dedicated machine at all. Tap to Pay on iPhone or Android turns a phone into the terminal with no hardware to buy, and a payment link sent by text or email covers the rest.

A business that only sells online needs a payment gateway, not a terminal. And a London taxi has its own rules: Transport for London requires a TfL-approved fixed unit in the passenger compartment rather than a handheld machine.

The other case is a short season. Providers such as DNA Payments and Rapyd hire terminals for periods from a few days to a few months, which avoids signing a contract for a pop-up or festival stand. Details are on the contract length page.

Common questions