RMS at a glance

Start with the machine you will actually use

Imagine a florist on a busy Saturday. One customer is collecting a bouquet, another wants to pay for a delivery, and someone is waiting outside with a pram. A machine that can move away from the counter may be useful. A fixed unit could still be fine if everybody normally pays in the same place.

Describe that situation when you ask RMS for an offer. Ask which model it proposes and how it connects. A portable machine using the shop's Wi-Fi is different from one that can use mobile data away from the premises. Neither label tells you how well it will work in your back room or at an outdoor collection point.

Receipts deserve a moment too. If your customers regularly ask for paper receipts, ask whether the proposed device prints them itself or needs another accessory. For a mobile service, carrying and charging two devices can become irritating surprisingly quickly.

Our card-machine guide explains the main equipment choices. Use it to work out what you need before discussing a particular supplier's range.

Will it make the checkout easier?

A card machine's basic job is to collect money. Connecting it to your till can potentially remove another small job: typing the total into a second screen. Whether that is available depends on the particular till, payment service and setup you are offered.

If this matters to you, give RMS the exact name of your till software. Ask it to show a sale and a refund using that system. It is much easier to understand the benefit when you see the £18.50 total appear correctly than when somebody talks about an integrated solution.

For a café, watch how the machine moves between staff. Can a new starter find the right payment? Is the refund button easy to understand? Where does the device sit when charging? Those are ordinary questions, but they affect every shift.

Do not pay for a full till system simply because it comes with an impressive touchscreen. If you only enter an amount and take a tap, a simpler reader may do the job. If stock, orders or bookings are the real headache, compare small-business EPOS systems as well.

Taking money when the customer is elsewhere

A florist accepting a delivery order or a salon collecting a booking deposit needs a different payment arrangement from a customer tapping at the counter. Tell RMS whether those payments are part of your business and ask what is available with the proposed account.

If a payment-link service is included, have the supplier show the customer's experience. You want the customer to understand who they are paying, how much and what happens next. You also need a straightforward way to see whether the payment arrived before preparing the order.

Ask how refunds work and whether these payments have different fees. A price for someone standing in front of you should not be assumed to cover online orders or telephone payments. Our guide to accepting payments online can help you decide which route is worth asking about.

How much would RMS cost you?

Get the answer in pounds for a typical month, with the assumptions beside it. Give the supplier your approximate monthly card sales and number of payments. Mention business or overseas cards if they make up a meaningful part of your trade.

Your total may involve more than the percentage deducted from each sale. Ask about the machine, account charges, any minimum monthly bill and occasional charges such as refunds or leaving early. These are questions to settle in your offer, not a claim that every RMS account has every fee.

Here is a hypothetical comparison to show why this matters. These figures are examples, not RMS prices. Imagine a shop taking £8,000 a month through 400 card payments:

The saving is £3 a month under these assumptions. That is not enough to ignore a machine you dislike or support that does not cover your opening hours.

Now imagine a quiet month with £2,000 taken through 100 payments. Offer A costs £50 and Offer B costs £32. The fixed charge changes the result. Hardware purchase, tax and other fees are excluded from both examples, so add those before making a real decision.

Use the card-machine fees guide if you want help turning your own quote into a monthly figure.

When will your takings reach the bank?

Ask for an answer that names the destination and the day. Money showing in a payment account is not necessarily money available in the bank account you use for rent and stock.

For a café ordering fresh ingredients on Monday, the useful question is: “If customers pay on Saturday, when can I use those takings?” Ask about weekends, bank holidays and any cut-off time. Have the answer confirmed for the account you are actually being offered.

It is also worth asking someone to explain a sample daily report. You should be able to see the sales, refunds and fees, then match them to the money received. You do not need to become an accountant to understand where your own takings have gone.

Support matters most when you are busy

A helpful sales call is a good start, but ask who handles an actual fault. If the machine stops working at 6pm, is someone available? If it needs replacing, how is that arranged? If the problem is the connection to your till, who takes responsibility for sorting it out?

Put the support number somewhere staff can find it. Keep the model name and account details with it. This avoids the owner becoming the only person able to get help while they are out collecting supplies.

Before changing provider, find out when your existing agreement ends. You do not want to discover that you are paying for two machines for the next year. Ask both suppliers about dates, notice and returning equipment, then arrange the change for a quieter trading period.

Alternatives worth comparing

Compare a wider shortlist

Use the comparison below for other card-payment options. These offers are alternatives to investigate, not an RMS price quote.