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    Card terminals — every answer in one place

    The card terminal is where most retail and hospitality businesses leak the most hidden capital — typically 1-3% of revenue disappears into transaction fees, subscriptions and PCI compliance. Here are direct answers on price, choice, industry fit, and how to negotiate better terms.

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    How we analyse the market

    Businesses with >EUR 20,000/month in card revenue can typically negotiate transaction fees down 25-40% by collecting competing quotes. Most are still on a 2018-2022 standard agreement and overpaying 0.4-0.6 percentage points per transaction (Approly data, n=620 renegotiated agreements, 2025).

    SumUp and Zettle continue to win share with mobile businesses (hairdressers, tradespeople, market stalls) primarily because they have zero monthly fees. But if you process more than EUR 5,000/month, you typically overpay EUR 150-320/year vs Nets or Worldline due to the higher percentage rate.

    PCI-DSS compliance is often hidden. Many providers add a separate EUR 5-13/month PCI fee — not illegal, but it must appear in the proposal. Always evaluate total annual TCO, not just the headline monthly fee.

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