Do you still need a card machine? Card readers and Tap to Pay compared

Most customers expect to pay by card now, and plenty don't carry cash at all. But a barber, a nail tech or a mobile groomer doesn't necessarily need a card machine on a contract any more. Here are the three ways to take a card in person, and what each one really costs.

The three ways

• A card machine on a contract. The traditional terminal from a bank or a payment company: a monthly rental, a fee on every payment, often a contract term, and sometimes extra charges for things like security compliance. It suits busy shops with a till that want one machine that does everything, including chip and PIN on any card.
• A pay-as-you-go reader. A small reader you buy outright, connected to an app on your phone. No monthly fee and no contract, just a fee on each payment. It suits most small shops and anyone who works on the move.
• Tap to Pay on your phone. No hardware at all: the customer taps a contactless card, phone or watch on the back of your phone. There's nothing to buy, carry or charge, and the fee is per payment.

What they cost

Every option charges a fee on each payment, usually a percentage plus a few pence. On top of that:

• Contract terminals add a monthly rental, and some add a monthly minimum or compliance fee.
• Pay-as-you-go readers add the one-off price of the reader.
• Tap to Pay adds nothing for hardware, though some providers add a small charge to each Tap to Pay payment.

As an example, Stripe's UK pricing (October 2026) is 1.4% + 10p for an in-person card payment, 2.9% + 10p for cards from outside the European Economic Area, and 10p more for each Tap to Pay payment, with no monthly fee. On a 30 GBP haircut that's 52p, or 62p by Tap to Pay. Compare any quote you get on the same basis: the total you'd pay in a normal month, fees and rental together.

Contracts to watch for

Card machine contracts used to run for years, with cancellation fees that made leaving expensive. The Payment Systems Regulator stepped in: since 6 January 2023, the main card payment providers can't make the first term of a card machine rental or lease longer than 18 months for a business taking up to 10 million GBP a year by card, and after that it must roll on terms of no more than 31 days. Before you sign:

• Ask how long the first term is, and what it costs to leave early.
• Ask for every monthly charge, not just the rental.
• Check whether the fee is the same for every card, or higher for business and overseas cards.
• Ask when the money reaches your bank account.

Tap to Pay on your phone

Tap to Pay needs a phone with NFC (most recent Android phones and iPhones have it) and an app that supports it. The customer holds their card or phone against the back of yours, and it's done. It's the cheapest way to start taking cards, and it's ideal for anyone who works at clients' homes.

The limits to know: contactless limits apply, so a card that wants its PIN for a bigger payment may need another way to pay, such as a payment link. And you need your phone charged and with you, which for most people is already true.

Take the deposit online, take less at the till

The less you have to take on the day, the less the card machine matters. Taking a deposit, or the full price, when people book online means the money is in before they sit down, and it cuts no-shows too.

Salon cancellation policy: what you can keep from a deposit

Which one fits?

• Just starting, or mobile: Tap to Pay on your phone. Nothing to buy, nothing to carry.
• A small shop with a steady flow: a pay-as-you-go reader, or Tap to Pay if your phone sits by the chair.
• A busy shop with a till: a terminal might be worth it, but get a quote with every charge in it and keep the first term short.

Tap to Pay with FullDiary

• In the FullDiary app on Android, on an NFC phone running Android 13 or newer. It isn't available on iPhone yet.
• Open the booking, take payment, Tap to Pay: the customer taps their contactless card or phone, and the booking is marked paid by card.
• A receipt by email goes to the customer, and if a card won't tap, the app offers a payment link they can open from a QR code.
• Through your own Stripe account, the same one your deposits use. Stripe's fees apply; FullDiary takes nothing.
• On every plan, free included. You need Stripe connected and verified, and your shop's address.

Deposits and payment in full when customers book online are on every plan too.

Help: the FullDiary app

Sources

Stripe's UK prices for in-person payments and Tap to Pay, read in October 2026.

Stripe: UK pricing

The 18 month limit on card machine rental and lease contracts, from the Payment Systems Regulator's final decision.

PSR: card-acquiring market remedies, final decision (PS22/2)

This guide is general information, not financial advice. Prices change, so check each provider's own page.

Written by

Matt Suckling

Director, FullDiary

Matt runs Cynical Software Ltd, the Perthshire company that makes FullDiary, and builds it.

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