Quick verdict

Tyl by NatWest is a strong shortlist option for a UK small business that wants a rented terminal, published entry-level pricing and next-business-day settlement. Its current range covers a countertop PAX A80, mobile A50, smart A920 Pro and Tap to Pay on a compatible phone.

For businesses with annual card payment value up to £50,000, Tyl publishes 1.39% + 5p for personal UK and European cards and 1.99% + 5p for all other cards. That is clearer than a headline “from” rate, but the card category and fixed 5p still matter. American Express is quoted by industry, and businesses above £50,000 need a tailored quote.

Tyl card machines come with a 12-month contract. The provider says there is no extra cancellation charge, but a merchant should still confirm notice, remaining obligations and equipment return in the signed terms. This is a more committed route than buying a simple pay-as-you-go reader.

What Tyl offers

Tyl combines card acceptance, terminals, settlement and an online portal. The current device range provides four distinct buying routes:

• PAX A80 countertop terminal for a fixed till.
• PAX A50 slim mobile terminal without a receipt printer.
• PAX A920 Pro mobile smart terminal with a printer.
• Tap to Pay on selected compatible phones without a separate terminal rental.

Tyl says it aims to send a machine within 48 hours after an approved application, provides next-business-day settlement and includes access to the portal at no extra cost. Approval, delivery and activation timing can vary, so do not schedule a launch until the account and terminal are ready.

The official Tyl card-machine page and pricing page were checked on 11 September 2026.

Current terminal prices

Transaction fees apply to all options. Tap to Pay has compatible-device, payment-method and transaction-limit conditions. A zero hardware price does not mean zero payment cost.

The A80 is cheapest when the machine stays at a till. The A50 costs £12 more a year before VAT and gives staff a mobile, printer-free device. The A920 Pro costs £72 more a year than the A80 before VAT and adds a larger mobile smart-terminal format and printer. Pay for those differences only if the workflow uses them.

Published processing fees

For annual card payment value up to £50,000, Tyl currently lists:

Tyl states that the 5p authorisation fee applies to each transaction, including declined authorisations, and charges are collected monthly by direct debit. It lists no minimum monthly service charge and says it does not add a fee for phone payments, cancelling the contract, international-card payments or refunds.

Read that wording carefully. “No extra fee” does not mean a phone payment uses the same risk profile, that a refund returns the original processing fee, or that every contractual obligation disappears on cancellation. Ask Tyl to show exactly how each action appears on the fee schedule and agreement.

Worked cost for a small business

Assume a clinic takes £3,000 a month across 150 successful payments, averaging £20. Personal UK or European cards represent 80% of turnover and transactions, while other cards represent 20%. Exclude American Express, declines and extra services.

• Personal cards: £2,400 × 1.39% = £33.36.
• Personal fixed fees: 120 × 5p = £6.
• Other cards: £600 × 1.99% = £11.94.
• Other fixed fees: 30 × 5p = £1.50.
• Total processing: £52.80.

Add one A80 at £13.99 plus VAT:

• Combined known monthly cost: £66.79 plus VAT on the rental.
• Effective cost before rental VAT: about 2.23% of card sales.

With an A920 Pro, the known total becomes £72.79 plus VAT on rental, or about 2.43% before the rental VAT. The printer and mobile smart-terminal workflow must justify the extra £6 a month.

Worked cost at the top of the published bracket

Assume a business takes £4,000 a month across 160 payments with the same 80/20 mix. That is £48,000 a year if sales are even.

• Personal cards: £3,200 × 1.39% + 128 × 5p = £44.48 + £6.40 = £50.88.
• Other cards: £800 × 1.99% + 32 × 5p = £15.92 + £1.60 = £17.52.
• Processing total: £68.40.
• A920 Pro rental: £19.99 plus VAT.
• Known monthly total: £88.39 plus VAT on rental, about 2.21% before rental VAT.

If annual card sales rise above £50,000, request a new quote rather than assuming these prices continue. Ask whether a review changes only the rate or also the contract.

Basket size and the 5p fee

A fixed fee has a larger effect on low-value sales:

• On a £5 personal-card sale, 1.39% is 6.95p and the 5p adds another 1% of the basket. Total is about 11.95p, or 2.39%.
• On a £20 sale, percentage cost is 27.8p and total is 32.8p, or 1.64%.
• On a £100 sale, percentage cost is £1.39 and total is £1.44, or 1.44%.

A café with £5 baskets should compare the effective rate with a provider charging only a percentage. A clinic with £100 treatments is less affected. Include declined authorisations if the business sees many retries.

Tyl versus a flat pay-as-you-go rate

Compare a personal UK or European card at Tyl’s 1.39% + 5p with a simple 1.69% rate and no fixed fee.

Set the costs equal:

• 1.39% × basket + 5p = 1.69% × basket.
• The 0.30 percentage-point difference covers 5p at a basket of about £16.67.

Above £16.67, Tyl’s personal-card transaction price is lower under these assumptions. Below it, 1.69% without a fixed fee is lower. Terminal rent then shifts the total break-even upwards.

For “all other cards”, Tyl’s 1.99% + 5p is higher than 1.69% at every positive basket. The business’s card mix therefore matters as much as average transaction size.

Settlement and the NatWest name

Tyl advertises next-business-day settlement. Confirm the cut-off time, bank-holiday treatment, first-payout timing and nominated destination account during onboarding. An account review, reserve or verification issue can affect access even when the standard schedule is fast.

Do not assume the Tyl account must settle into a NatWest business current account or that having a NatWest account guarantees approval. Ask which bank accounts are eligible and what changes if you move banks.

A business depending on weekend takings should run through actual dates. Ask when Friday, Saturday and Sunday sales reach the usable account around a Monday bank holiday. Keep enough working capital for refunds and chargebacks.

PAX A80 for a fixed till

The A80 is a countertop machine with Wi-Fi and Ethernet. It includes a printer and supports features Tyl lists across the machine range, including preauthorisation, phone payments, tips and cashback where configured.

Choose it when customers pay at one counter and a wired connection is practical. Ethernet can be easier to stabilise than a mobile workflow. Ask whether Wi-Fi provides backup and how a payment is completed during an outage.

PAX A50 for mobile staff

The A50 connects using Wi-Fi, 4G and Bluetooth and does not include a receipt printer. That can suit a therapist, tradesperson or shop-floor colleague who wants a slimmer terminal and can issue digital receipts.

Confirm battery expectations, mobile-data inclusion and how customers receive proof if they do not want to provide an email address or phone number. Test signal at regular trading locations.

PAX A920 Pro for hospitality and smart use

The A920 Pro has 4G and Wi-Fi, a touchscreen and a printer. Tyl lists preauthorisation, phone payments, tips, cashback and printed or emailed receipts. It is the most expensive rented device in Tyl’s published range, so ask for a demonstration of every feature that motivates the upgrade.

PAX makes the hardware; Tyl controls the payment application and service. Our detailed PAX A920 Pro guide explains why another provider’s version may not have the same apps, fees or support.

Tap to Pay

Tap to Pay turns a compatible phone into a contactless acceptance device. It can remove separate terminal rent and act as a backup or extra checkout. It does not accept an inserted chip card, and device, payment-method and transaction conditions apply.

Decide whether staff use company phones. A personal phone creates questions about battery, updates, access, privacy and what happens when the employee is absent. Use role controls and a clear refund process.

For a market stall with low turnover, £0 hardware rent can be compelling. A fixed retailer may still prefer a dedicated terminal with a printer and a known place at the till.

Portal, reporting and reconciliation

Tyl says portal access is included. Ask to see a sample report before committing. It should let the bookkeeper connect sales, refunds, fees, chargebacks and settlement deposits.

Run an end-to-end test after activation:

1. Make two sales on different card categories.
2. Refund part of one sale.
3. Record any tip or cashback correctly.
4. Export the report.
5. Match the next payout and direct-debit fees to the accounting entry.

Processing fees collected by direct debit can appear separately from net or gross settlement. Understand the flow so a payout is not mistaken for revenue.

Support and replacement

Tyl currently lists support hours of Monday to Saturday, 8am to midnight, and Sunday, 9am to 5pm. Those hours are broad for many small businesses, but a late Sunday venue should note the gap.

Ask what support can do during each period, the replacement target for a failed machine and whether a spare can be activated. An advertised support window is useful only if the team can restore the service you depend on.

Keep the merchant number, terminal serial number and support contact somewhere accessible during an outage. Staff should never write down customer card details as a workaround.

Contract and cancellation

Tyl says its card-machine contracts last 12 months and lists no extra charge for cancelling. Request the exact clause before relying on that summary. Confirm:

• Whether remaining rental or other contractual payments become due.
• The notice required and when service ends.
• Whether the terminal must be returned and by what date.
• Loss, damage and non-return charges.
• What happens after the first 12 months.
• Whether moving premises, selling the business or changing legal entity requires a new agreement.

Keep proof of return and photograph the terminal serial number. Merchant-processing and equipment obligations can be described in different documents.

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