Best Card Machines for Salons: Fees, Deposits & POS

Best Card Machines for Salons: Get Paid Without Holding Up Your Next Client

Your next client has arrived, the phone is ringing and the person at reception wants to split a payment between a gift voucher and their card. This is where the right salon payment setup earns its keep. A cheap reader is useful, but it cannot fix a booking system that loses track of deposits or a checkout that needs everything entered twice.

For a self-employed hairdresser, a simple reader might be all you need. For a salon with several stylists, retail products and advance bookings, the better choice may be a payment system that works with your diary. Start with how your business runs, then choose the hardware.

This guide explains the options for hair salons, barbers, nail technicians, beauty rooms and mobile therapists. You will find a practical shortlist, cost examples and the questions that help separate a useful upgrade from another monthly subscription.

Our quick recommendation: compare Square if you want bookings and payments together; SumUp if you mainly need straightforward payment collection; PayPal POS, formerly Zettle, if its existing tools suit your business; and takepayments if you want a supplier to discuss a terminal setup with you. These are different buying routes, not a ranking based on hands-on tests.

Some links are affiliate links. We may earn a commission if you use them, at no extra cost to you.

Start with the kind of salon you actually run

Your working day

Sensible starting point

The question that matters most

One person working from a treatment room

A reader and your existing diary

Can I take payment and rebook without juggling several apps?

A walk-in barber shop

A quick checkout with simple service buttons

Can anyone working today use it without my phone?

A salon with employed stylists

Booking software connected to payments

Can I follow a deposit through to the final bill?

Independent chair renters

Clearly separated business accounts and reports

Whose business is receiving each client's money?

Mobile beauty or hair services

A mobile connection and dependable power

Does it work at the client's address?

Treatments plus a growing retail range

Stock and service reporting together

Can I distinguish product sales from treatment income?

A card terminal and a salon management system are different purchases. Some packages combine them, while others connect separate products. If you already like your booking software, ask about its supported payment providers before changing anything. Our card machine buying guide explains the equipment choices; the EPOS guide covers the wider till and software decision.

Four payment providers worth considering

1 Square: a useful starting point for bookings and checkout together

Square deserves a look when your biggest frustration is the gap between the appointment diary and getting paid. Its Appointments plans combine online booking and payment tools. The published UK plans are Free for one location, Plus at £29 per location each month, and Premium at £69. Cancellation-fee controls are listed on the paid plans; resource management is a Premium feature. Check the current plan comparison before budgeting. Square Appointments plans.

The practical buying question is whether the plan solves a problem you face several times a week. A colour specialist may care about processing-time scheduling. A beauty business with shared rooms may care more about avoiding double bookings. A walk-in barber may not need either.

Ask for a demonstration of a client paying a deposit, changing the appointment and buying a product at checkout. If that journey is awkward, a long feature list will not rescue it.

Good fit: owners willing to bring booking and checkout into the same system. Watch for: paid features, per-location charges and the work of moving existing appointments.

Explore Square, or read our Square review before choosing equipment.

2 SumUp: keep it simple when you already have a diary that works

If you are happy with your booking app, you may only need a straightforward way to collect the balance after each appointment. That is the situation in which SumUp is worth comparing. Avoid replacing a working diary just because a card reader supplier also sells software.

SumUp publishes a 1.69% pay-as-you-go rate for in-person cards other than SumUp cards, which are charged at 0%. Its optional Payments Plus plan changes the calculation for regular turnover. SumUp pricing.

For a mobile therapist, the choice between a paired reader and a standalone device is especially relevant. Think about answering client calls, checking directions and taking payment on the same phone. One device doing everything can be convenient until its battery runs down.

Good fit: sole traders who value an uncomplicated payment routine. Watch for: the extra steps needed to match each payment to the appointment in another system.

Read our SumUp card reader review for the equipment and pricing detail.

3 PayPal POS, formerly Zettle: worth keeping in the comparison

Do not overlook Zettle because its branding has changed. PayPal POS remains relevant if you already use its app or prefer the way its sales records work. Its published in-person card rate is 1.75%. PayPal POS pricing.

For a salon, the important distinction is between recording a sale and managing an appointment. A product catalogue and a payment history are helpful, but you still need a way to track deposits, appointment changes and the final amount due. Demonstrate those tasks with your intended booking software.

If you already own compatible equipment, replacing it carries a cost as well as a possible benefit. Compare your existing setup first. Starting again is only worthwhile when the improvement is clear.

Good fit: businesses that already work comfortably with PayPal POS. Watch for: assuming a card reader automatically supplies all the diary features your salon needs.

Our Zettle and PayPal POS review explains the current product family.

4 takepayments: compare a supported terminal setup

If you would rather speak to a supplier than assemble everything yourself, include takepayments in your quote request. Its card-machine offer uses tailored pricing, and its published terms refer to a separate acquiring agreement as well as the terminal arrangement. takepayments product and contract information.

Give the supplier a real description of reception: how many staff use it, whether you take deposits elsewhere, how you handle tips and which booking package you have. Ask them to show the exact connection they are proposing. “Suitable for salons” is not the same as “works with your diary”.

A lower quoted processing rate can be useful at steady turnover. But include equipment, software, minimum charges and the cost of leaving your current service. A small rate improvement may disappear once another fixed bill is added.

Good fit: an established salon that wants help specifying equipment. Watch for: separate contracts and unconfirmed booking-system compatibility.

Explore takepayments, or read our takepayments review.

Compare options for your reception desk

If you need a new payment provider, the comparison below is a starting point. Tell the supplier which booking system you use and whether you need a printer, mobile connection or more than one device. Confirm salon-specific integrations directly before signing.

What will the fees cost your salon?

Start with card takings, rather than total salon turnover. Cash payments, vouchers sold earlier and deposits already processed should not accidentally be counted as new card transactions.

Here is an illustrative comparison between two fictional quotes. It is not a price offer from any named provider. Both use the same eligible card mix; hardware, tax and other charges are excluded.

Monthly card takings

1.75%, no monthly charge

1.2% plus £20 a month

Lower cost in this example

£2,000

£35

£44

Percentage-only quote by £9

£5,000

£87.50

£80

Monthly quote by £7.50

£10,000

£175

£140

Monthly quote by £35

The break-even point is about £3,636 in monthly card takings: £20 divided by the 0.55 percentage-point rate difference. That is only a starting point. Different card categories, an extra transaction charge or equipment rental will move it.

A £7.50 monthly saving is unlikely to justify hours of extra administration. A £35 saving may deserve attention, particularly if the new setup also works better. Use our card machine fees guide to build the complete comparison.

Average treatment price makes a difference too

A fixed transaction charge lands differently on a £15 trim and a £150 colour appointment. An extra 5p on 800 transactions costs £40, regardless of the total value collected. Tell quote providers both your monthly volume and approximate number of payments.

Include remote deposits separately. Paying through a link or booking page can use a different tariff from tapping a card at reception. If 200 clients each pay a deposit and a balance, you may have 400 chargeable payment events, not 200.

Check the costs against your own takings

Use the cost checker to explore your in-person card volume. Add booking software and remote-deposit fees separately when comparing the full salon bill.

Card payment cost & fit finder Explore payment costs and compare options for your business. No email needed. Open calculator Hide calculator

The calculator requires JavaScript. If it does not load, compare card payment quotes.

Deposits: protect your diary without creating arguments

A long appointment cancelled at the last minute can leave an expensive gap. Deposits can help manage that risk, but the payment software is only part of the answer. Clients need to understand what they are paying, when it will be credited and what happens if plans change.

For example, on a £120 appointment with a £30 deposit, reception should see £90 left to collect. That sounds obvious, yet it becomes easy to miss when deposits sit in an email inbox and the card machine has no connection to the diary.

Write a short routine for rescheduling, cancellations, refunds and deposits moved to another date. Make sure a colleague covering reception can follow it without phoning the owner.

A “non-refundable” label does not make every charge fair. The CMA explains that cancellation terms must be reasonable and generally reflect actual losses, with reasonable steps taken to reduce them. Have your policy reviewed where necessary rather than copying another salon's wording. CMA guidance on deposits and cancellation charges.

Chair renters: settle the money question first

If several independent businesses share the premises, decide whose sale each appointment is before choosing a shared device. One reception desk does not automatically mean one payment account is appropriate.

Ask the payment provider how it supports your particular arrangement. Do not assume that giving each stylist a staff login means their takings settle into a separate business account. Staff reporting and separate merchant accounts solve different problems.

Agree who handles a refund, a disputed payment and a client who pays for treatments from two businesses at once. Your accountant can help you structure the records around the commercial arrangement. Getting this right avoids a weekly spreadsheet becoming the unofficial banking system for the whole salon.

Tips, products and gift vouchers need their own records

A checkout that mixes treatment income, retail sales, tips and voucher redemptions into one total makes it harder to understand your business. Ask to see a report that separates them.

Use a simple demonstration: a £45 haircut, a £12 product, a £5 tip and a £20 voucher redeemed against the purchase. Can reception explain the remaining amount, and can you follow the result in the report? Check that voucher redemption is not recorded as another new card payment.

For employee tips, the machine's tipping screen is only a collection tool. Distribution and record keeping need their own process. Our UK card tips guide explains the issues to consider.

Test the checkout before you move your bookings

Run a trial with the people who will actually use the system. Include a busy receptionist, a stylist who only occasionally takes payments and whoever completes the accounts.

Test a normal payment, a declined card, a deposit, a partial refund and an email receipt. If you need printed receipts, price the printer and consumables. If you work upstairs, in a treatment room or at customers' homes, test the connection there too.

Plan the changeover for a quieter period. Keep existing booking details, customer balances and voucher records available while checking the new setup. Ask how historical sales and later refunds remain accessible after the old account is closed.

Questions salon owners ask

Do I need a full POS system for a one-person salon?

Not necessarily. If a reader, diary and simple bookkeeping routine meet your needs, there may be little to gain from adding a larger system. Upgrade when you can name the task it will improve, such as deposit tracking or product stock.

Can a mobile therapist use the same machine at every client's house?

That depends on the connection, provider terms and equipment. A standalone mobile terminal can reduce dependence on a personal phone, but coverage still matters. Keep a charging routine and an agreed alternative payment process.

Should I switch just to get a lower card rate?

Calculate the annual difference after all fees, then include the cost and disruption of switching. Check your existing booking integration before making a decision. A small saving can be poor value if checkout becomes more complicated.

What should I do next?

Write down three things your current setup makes difficult. Request a demonstration that solves those three problems and a quote based on your actual card statement. If the proposal cannot show a clear improvement, keep comparing through our small-business reader guide.

Published product information checked on 11 September 2026. Provider prices and plan features can change. Cost scenarios are illustrative, not reports of customer results.