SumUp vs Shift4 Solo: UK Card Machine Costs Compared

On card fees alone, Shift4 Solo's 1.25% is lower than SumUp's 1.69% pay-as-you-go rate on every sale. SumUp's £19-a-month Payments Plus plan charges 0.99% on personal UK cards, which can work out cheaper for businesses taking a lot each month mostly on personal cards ^[1][2]. Shift4 Solo, which TrustPOS supplies, charges 1.25% per payment with no authorisation fee and no monthly machine cost.

This guide is written by TrustPOS, so we've kept to published prices, dated every competitor figure and shown where SumUp comes out ahead. The goal is that you can run the sums on your own numbers.

The two side by side

At the time of writing (November 2026):

Where SumUp comes out ahead

• High takings on personal cards, with Payments Plus. Before the monthly fee, 0.99% is lower than 1.25% on every personal-card payment ^[2]. Once the £19 fee is counted, Payments Plus costs less than Solo when a business takes more than about £7,300 a month on card and every payment is on a personal UK card ^[2]. With 20% of takings on Amex, premium, corporate or international cards, that point moves to about £15,800 a month ^[2].
• No agreement at all. SumUp's pay-as-you-go readers come with no contract ^[5]. Shift4 Solo has an 18-month agreement with free cancellation at any time; we confirm the notice and machine-return steps before you apply.
• Fast payouts to its own account. SumUp pays into its Business Account by 7am the next day, even at weekends ^[1].
• Phone-based options. If you only take the odd payment, SumUp's Tap to Pay on your phone costs nothing up front ^[3].

Where Shift4 Solo comes out ahead

• A lower rate than pay-as-you-go on every sale. 1.25% is lower than 1.69% whatever the sale size, and there's no pence-per-payment charge, so small bills don't cost more ^[1].
• No monthly fee for the lower rate. SumUp's 0.99% rate needs the £19-a-month plan ^[2]. Solo's rate has no monthly machine cost.
• The same rate on more cards. On Payments Plus, Amex, premium, corporate (business) and international cards stay at 1.69% ^[2]. Solo charges 1.25% per transaction.
• No reader to buy. The Solo machine is free; SumUp's standalone Solo reader is £79 plus VAT, or £49 plus VAT on offer ^[3]. Delivery and setup are free too.

Worked examples

Example: a hair salon takes £5,000 a month on card across 200 payments, an average of £25. We assume 80% of takings come from personal UK cards and 20% from Amex, premium, corporate or international cards (your mix will differ).

Example: a coffee cart takes £3,000 a month across 1,000 payments, an average of £3, with the same 80/20 card mix.

Example: a busy café takes £20,000 a month, all on personal UK cards.

Example: the café shows where Payments Plus wins: high takings, all on personal cards. The salon and coffee cart show the more common small-business picture.

The Payments Plus rows use the £19 monthly price ^[2]. On the £189 yearly plan the fee works out at £15.75 a month, so those rows would be £3.25 lower ^[2]. These examples cover card fees only. They leave out the reader price, any SumUp Business Account features you might value, and anything else in your setup.

How to compare on your own numbers

1. Find your monthly card takings and number of card payments on your SumUp dashboard or statement.
2. Estimate your card mix. If a lot of your customers pay with Amex, corporate or international cards, Payments Plus saves less, because those stay at 1.69% ^[2].
3. Price each option: 1.69% of takings, or £19 plus the split rates ^[1][2]; then 1.25% of takings for Solo.
4. Check the terms that matter to you: payout timing, agreement length and what happens if you leave.

Our guide to reading your card machine statement shows where to find these figures. If you decide to move, how to switch card machine provider walks through it.

Quick answers

Is Shift4 Solo cheaper than SumUp?

On card fees, Shift4 Solo's 1.25% is lower than SumUp's 1.69% pay-as-you-go rate on every sale ^[1]. SumUp Payments Plus (£19 a month, 0.99% on personal UK cards) can cost less for businesses taking more than about £7,300 a month on personal cards ^[2].

Does Shift4 Solo charge a fee per transaction?

Through TrustPOS, Shift4 Solo charges 1.25% per transaction with no authorisation fee, so there is no pence-per-payment charge.

Do I have to buy the Shift4 Solo machine?

No. The Solo machine is free with no monthly machine cost, and delivery and setup are free.

Where TrustPOS fits

TrustPOS supplies the Shift4 Solo: a free card machine with no monthly machine cost, at 1.25% per transaction with no authorisation fee. It has a built-in 4G SIM, so you don't need Wi-Fi (subject to coverage), and its software takes up to a 50-item menu, manual payments and payment links. Delivery and setup are free, there's no PCI charge, and the 18-month agreement has free cancellation at any time (we confirm the notice and machine-return steps before you apply). It suits new, seasonal and mobile businesses.

Whether it saves you money depends on your takings, your card mix and how many payments you take. That's why we'd rather compare your real numbers than promise a figure.