# Weighing Up The Right Card Reader for Your Business? Check This Guide > Explore budget-friendly contactless card reader options for your small business and choose between renting and buying with this list of great deals. **Author:** Alex Denne **Category:** Guides **Published:** 2023-09-11 **Reading time:** 3 min One question that often boggles the minds of small business owners is whether to rent or buy a card reader. It’s a valid concern when cost-cutting becomes imperative. While free card readers for small businesses are non-existent, certain affordable options do exist. ## Renting vs Buying Card Readers **Renting a Card Reader** For business bodies with transient operations like pop-up or seasonal businesses, rental card readers become more viable. _Benefits_ - Cater to high demand during peak times like Christmas - Quick response time to requirements - Resilient design to withstand frequent user exchange _Drawbacks_ - Potential hidden set-up charges - Regular maintenance is required **Buying a Card Reader** If you plan a long-term use of the terminal, buying is the more cost-effective approach. _Benefits_ - Ready availability during unexpected busy periods - No extraneous fees beyond transaction charges - Ease of switching merchant service providers _Drawbacks_ - Obsolescence risk over time, necessitating a new purchase - The cost of purchase and repairs falls on your shoulders ## The Top Cash Conscious Contactless Card Reader Deals 1. **Rental Options** 2. [**Tyl by Natwest Clover Flex package**](https://www.tylbynatwest.com/card-machines/clover-flex-card-machines): Pay £14.99 + VAT per month for Wi-Fi only or £16.99 + VAT for 4G+Wi-Fi. No hire fees for the initial three months for newcomers. Features include a five-inch glass touchscreen, eight-hour battery life on one charge, and fingerprint recognition. 3. [**Barclaycard Flex**](https://www.barclaycard.co.uk/business/accepting-payments/card-readers/mobile): Pay £15 a month + VAT on an 18-month contract. Suitable for small businesses and startups. The reader connects via Bluetooth, facilitating up to 700 sales on a full battery charge. 4. [**Dojo Go**](https://dojo.tech/products/dojo-go/): Pay a monthly reader price of £20. If your turnover is below £150,000, maintain a transaction fee of 1.4 per cent +5p. Features include next-day receipt of earnings and instant fraud detection. 5. **Purchase Options** 6. [**SumUp Air**](https://www.sumup.com/en-gb/air-contactless-card-reader/): Reader available for £39 with no monthly fees. Features include smartphone connectivity and free bank transfers on incoming and outgoing statements. 7. [**Zettle by PayPal**](https://www.zettle.com/gb): Pay £29 + VAT for the reader with no monthly charges. Notable features include integrations with Vend and Lightspeed. 8. [**Square**](https://squareup.com/gb/en/point-of-sale): Reader cost is £19 + VAT. Features include a two-year warranty and Bluetooth connectivity to Apple or Android devices. 9. [**Lopay**](https://lopay.com/): Provides a free reader if you transact £2,500 in the first six months. Otherwise, return the card reader or pay £59. ## Before Purchasing a Payment Card Reader Before you purchase a card reader, take into account factors beyond the price. Think about your particular needs such as tableside payments (if you run a restaurant) or increased Amex payment fees if a large portion of your transactions come from American Express users. (Taking a moment to respect the branding of Amex - they simultaneously charge the highest payment fees for retailers, while convincing Amex users that they support small businesses - how does that add up!?) ## Legal considerations with payments Be aware of the potential legal risks associated with card transactions and take necessary precautions to safeguard your business [signup to GenieAI](https://app.genieai.co/signup) for drafting, reviewing, negotiating, and signing legal agreements using our AI Legal Assistant. We can also assist with various e-commerce docs like privacy policies, cookie policies, GDPR notices, as well as in-store notices such as those around sunday trading hours. ## Overall There’s no one-size-fits-all when it comes to choosing a card reader for your small businesses. You’ll have to make a bit of a leap of faith and you can always migrate to a more suitable provider if the first one you choose doesn’t work out. That being said, your choice should ultimately align with the nature, immediate requirements, and long-term vision for your business. ‍ --- This is the Markdown representation of [https://www.genieai.co/blog/weighing-up-the-right-card-reader-for-your-business-check-this-guide](https://www.genieai.co/blog/weighing-up-the-right-card-reader-for-your-business-check-this-guide), provided for AI agents and crawlers. The HTML page is canonical. See [/llms.txt](https://www.genieai.co/llms.txt) for the full content map.