Card Fee Calculator
Work out what card fees cost your market stall. Enter your card takings per day, your card fee rate and how many days a month you trade, and the calculator shows your fees per day, per month and per year, plus what you keep after fees.
How much do card fees cost market traders?
Most card readers used by UK market traders charge around 1.5% to 2.5% of each transaction, with no monthly fee. The most common rate is about 1.75%. On £300 of card takings in a day, that is £5.25 in fees. Over 8 trading days a month, it is £42 a month and just over £500 a year. Small percentages add up fast when you trade every week.
The fee is taken as a share of each sale, so it behaves like a cost per item. That is why our Pricing Calculator and Break-Even Calculator both ask for your card fee: a price that looks profitable before fees can be thin afterwards.
Which card readers do UK market traders use?
The two names you will hear most at UK markets are SumUp and Zettle. Both sell a small reader for roughly £19 to £39 plus VAT, then take about 1.75% of each sale with no monthly fee. Other providers charge less per sale but add a monthly subscription, which only pays off if your takings are high. Compare the total cost on your own takings using the calculator above before you switch.
Do customers still pay cash?
Some do, especially older customers and for small purchases, but card is now the default for most market shoppers. Bring a float of small notes and coins anyway: a card reader with a flat battery or no signal is a lost sale. A few traders also take bank transfer for larger purchases.
How to cut card fees
The honest answer is that you cannot cut the percentage much below about 1.5% without a monthly-fee plan, and that only helps if your takings are high. What you can do is keep the fee inside your pricing: build it into every price, the way the pricing calculator does, so the fee never comes out of your profit. And remember UK rules ban adding a surcharge to most consumer card payments, so you cannot pass the fee on as an extra charge at the till.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a monthly fee for a card reader?
With the pay-as-you-go readers most market traders use, no. You pay for the reader once, then a percentage of each sale. Monthly-fee plans exist but usually suit higher takings.
What about American Express?
Some readers charge a higher rate for American Express, often around 2.5%. Check your provider’s rates: Amex is a small share of most market takings, so it rarely changes the total much.
Should I add a surcharge for card payments?
No. UK rules ban surcharges on most consumer debit and credit card payments. Build the fee into your prices instead.
Do card fees apply to refunds?
Usually the fee on a refunded sale is not returned in full, and some providers charge a small refund fee. Check your provider’s terms.
More free tools: Break-Even Calculator · Pricing Calculator · Startup Cost Calculator · Card Fee Calculator · Food Budget Planner