SumUp vs Square UK (2026): Fees on £3,000 a Month Compared

Quick answer

At the time of writing, October 2026, SumUp charges 1.69% per in-person card payment with no monthly fee, or 0.99% plus £19 a month on Payments Plus. Square charges 1.75% in person and 1.4% plus 25p online, with a free plan. On £3,000 a month in person, that is about £51, £49 or £53.

Both are good, simple card readers for UK small businesses, and the difference in fees is small at low volumes. This guide compares the published prices side by side, works through three monthly takings levels, and sets out which suits which kind of business. Prices change, so check both pricing pages before you buy.

The fees side by side

All figures below were read on SumUp’s UK pricing page, SumUp’s card readers page and Square’s UK pricing page in October 2026.

Where a cell says “check the page”, the rate was not shown clearly in the version of SumUp’s pricing page we read, so we have not guessed it.

A worked example: four monthly takings levels

Here is what in-person card fees come to each month on the published rates, for a business taking all its card payments face to face.

The arithmetic shows three things. At low takings, SumUp’s pay-as-you-go and Square’s free plan are within pennies of each other. SumUp’s Payments Plus only pays for itself above roughly £2,700 a month in card takings, which matches SumUp’s own description of it as a way to cut fees if you take £3,000 or more a month. And at higher volumes, both companies offer custom pricing worth asking about.

Small payments, big cards and overseas visitors

Both providers charge a percentage on in-person payments, with no fixed fee per transaction shown for that rate on the pages we read. That keeps small payments cheap: on a £3 coffee, 1.69% and 1.75% both come to about 5p. It is online payments where a fixed element appears, such as Square’s 25p per online payment, which matters more on small orders than large ones.

Card type matters too. SumUp’s pricing page says its 1.69% pay-as-you-go rate applies to cards including American Express and premium cards. Square’s page lists 1.75% for UK cards and an extra 1.5% for non-UK cards, so a business in a tourist area that takes many foreign cards should factor that in. Check how SumUp treats non-UK cards on its current page if that applies to you.

Contracts and commitment

Neither standard plan ties you in. Square describes its free plan as having no setup fees or monthly fees, and SumUp’s pay-as-you-go plan has no monthly charge. SumUp’s Payments Plus subscription is listed as free for seven days and cancellable at any time, with an annual option at £189 that works out cheaper than twelve monthly payments of £19. Square’s Plus plan is listed from £29 a month plus processing fees, so check what it adds for your type of business. Read the current terms before subscribing to either.

Fees are not the whole story

A difference of a few pounds a month rarely decides which reader suits a business. These usually matter more:

• Payout speed. SumUp says funds reach its free Business Account by 7am the next day, including weekends and public holidays. Square’s free transfers take one to two working days, with instant transfers available for a fee. If cash flow is tight, that matters.
• Online selling. Square publishes a clear online rate of 1.4% plus 25p for UK cards and offers online checkout tools. If you plan to sell online as well as in person, compare the whole setup, not just the reader.
• Point of sale. Cafés, shops and salons that need stock, staff logins, tables or appointments should look at each company’s point-of-sale software in detail, not just the reader.
• Hardware. Square’s entry reader is cheaper; SumUp’s terminal is cheaper than Square’s. Both list prices before VAT.

Which suits your business, by situation

• Market stall, mobile trade or occasional card payments: either free plan. Pick on hardware price and how quickly you want payouts.
• Taking more than about £3,000 a month in person: SumUp Payments Plus is worth pricing, as it becomes cheaper than both pay-as-you-go options above that level.
• Selling online and in person: Square’s published online rate and tools make it straightforward to compare; also consider whether your website’s own checkout is the better route for online sales.
• Café, bar or busy shop: compare the point-of-sale software side by side, including any monthly software fees, before the card rates.
• Trades taking payment on completion: either works; many trades send invoices or payment links instead, so check those rates specifically.

Online payments: when a card reader is not the answer

A card reader handles the customer in front of you. For customers ordering online, the checkout on your website does the job, and the payment provider behind it matters as much as the reader on the counter. Our guide to Shopify vs WooCommerce compares the two main platforms for small UK shops, and our guide to e-commerce website costs covers the build. To budget a new shop before you speak to anyone, try our website cost calculator. If you already have a shop that gets visitors but no orders, see our guide to an online store with no sales before changing payment providers.

Switching later

Neither free plan has a monthly fee, so moving from one to the other mostly costs you a new reader and some setup time. The awkward parts are elsewhere: any saved customer cards, recurring payments, gift cards and reports live inside each provider’s system. If you think you may switch, keep your own records of sales and customers outside the payment app, and check how to export data before you build habits around one system.

Do not forget the hidden admin

Card fees are visible; the time spent reconciling payments is not. Whichever provider you choose, connect it to your bookkeeping from day one if it supports that, so card takings flow into your accounts without retyping. Keep receipts and refund records in one place, and decide who on your team can issue refunds. A reader that saves 6p a transaction but costs an hour of manual reconciliation every week is not the cheaper option. Ask each provider which accounting software it works with before you buy, and test the export on your first week’s sales.

Five questions before you order a reader

1. How much do I take by card each month, in person and online?
2. How quickly do I need the money in my bank account?
3. Do I need point-of-sale features such as stock, staff or tables?
4. Will I send invoices or payment links, and what do those cost?
5. What does the reader cost including VAT, and do I need a backup?

Answer these, then check both pricing pages on the day you buy. Rates and offers change, and the figures in this guide were correct only as read in October 2026.

Taking payments on your own website

When you are ready to sell online properly, our e-commerce website is £499 for up to 20 products, built on WooCommerce or Shopify with Stripe and PayPal, and includes custom design, a mobile-first build, an SEO foundation, Google Analytics, a written CMS walkthrough and 30 days of support. A secure, well-maintained site also matters for checkout trust; our website management and hosting is £20 a month with UK hosting, SSL, daily backups and security monitoring. Every fixed price is on our pricing page.