Square card machine review 2026

Square is a pay-as-you-go card payment provider: 1.75% on each in-person payment with a UK card, no monthly fee on its Free plan, no contract, and hardware from £19 plus VAT. It suits businesses with low or irregular card takings, anyone who wants till software and card acceptance from one account, and shops with reliable Wi-Fi. It is a poorer fit for mobile traders who want a standalone terminal, because the Square Terminal has no 4G, and for steady, higher card turnover, where a quoted contract rate is often lower than a flat 1.75%.

CapExpand is an authorised Dojo partner and Dojo pays us when a business signs up through us, so read this as a partner's review of a competitor. Every figure below is taken from Square's own UK pricing and hardware pages, and there is a section on where Square is the right answer rather than Dojo. Figures last verified August 2026.

Square at a glance

What Square charges

The processing fee is the same whichever Square hardware you use: 1.75% on UK cards in person. Non-UK cards carry an extra 1.5%, so an overseas card costs 3.25%. On the Free plan there are no setup or monthly fees; you pay when you take a payment.

Rates from squareup.com/gb/en/pricing, checked August 2026. Plus is a software subscription, not a lower card rate: 1.75% applies on both plans.

What 1.75% looks like in pounds

At £500 a month on cards, Square costs £8.75. At £2,000 it is £35; at £10,000 it is £175; at £20,000 it is £350. Nothing to pay in a quiet month, and a bill that tracks turnover exactly, which is also why the case for Square weakens as volume grows.

At the higher end the comparison is no longer against another reader. Dojo, for example, quotes each business individually; for higher card volumes a quote is often the lower option, and the only way to know is to compare the quote against your current statement. Our fee comparison calculator puts the published flat rates against your own turnover, and the no monthly fee page sets out the break-even maths for pay-as-you-go against a contract. For the head-to-head, see Dojo vs Square.

Hardware

Square sells three devices in the UK plus Tap to Pay on iPhone. Prices are from squareup.com/gb/en/pricing and the Terminal product page, all plus VAT, checked August 2026.

The detail that catches people out is the Terminal's connectivity. Square's product page lists Wi-Fi or Ethernet and nothing else. With no SIM, a Terminal at a market or on a delivery round is relying on offline mode, supported for up to 24 hours, with the usual risk that a card declines when it syncs. Square does not sell a standalone device with its own mobile data; the Reader on a phone is its mobile answer. In its favour, the Terminal is a one-off purchase with a printer built in.

Settlement

Standard transfers are free and take one to two working days, so Friday and Saturday takings arrive the following week. An instant transfer costs 1.5% of the amount and Square says it is generally in your bank account within 20 minutes. Used daily, that 1.5% nearly doubles your processing cost, so treat it as a tool for the occasional tight week.

For comparison, SumUp advertises payouts into its own SumUp Business Account by 7am the next day including weekends, and Dojo's terms commit to funds by the end of the business day after the transaction. Square's free schedule is the slowest of the three on paper.

Who Square suits

• Low or irregular card takings. Nothing fixed, and £19 plus VAT for a Reader is a small way in.
• A shop or cafe with good Wi-Fi that wants till and cards on one account. The Free plan covers point-of-sale software and card acceptance from the same login.
• Mobile trading on a phone. The Reader, or Tap to Pay on an iPhone XS or above, uses the phone's data and goes anywhere.
• Anyone who will not sign a contract. Nothing to give notice on.

When Square is not the right choice

• You want a standalone terminal with 4G. The Square Terminal is Wi-Fi or Ethernet only. For a van, a stall or a festival pitch, that is a real limit.
• Steady card turnover in the thousands. At £10,000 a month the flat 1.75% is £175 every month, the level at which a quoted contract rate is usually worth comparing line by line against your statement.
• A lot of overseas cards. The extra 1.5% takes a non-UK card to 3.25%, which adds up on a tourist trail.
• Weekend takings needed by Monday morning. Standard transfers take one to two working days; instant costs 1.5%.

Other pay-as-you-go readers at similar prices: Square vs SumUp, Zettle vs Square, Square alternatives.

Leaving Square

With no contract on the Free plan, leaving means moving your takings to the new provider, letting the last transfer clear, and closing the account. The hardware is yours, though it only works with Square. On the Plus plan or the Terminal instalment option, check what is still owed first. Step by step: how to cancel Square. If volume has grown, the switching from Square guide covers what to line up so there is no gap in taking cards.

Verdict

Square is a sound pay-as-you-go choice for a business with modest or unpredictable card takings, and a tidy one for a shop that wants till software and card acceptance under one roof. Go in with open eyes on the Terminal's lack of 4G, the one to two working day transfer time, and the 3.25% on overseas cards. Once card turnover is steady and in the thousands, the honest comparison is Square against a quoted contract, and that needs your statement and a quote side by side.

Common questions