Best card machine for plumbers
Most plumbers need a portable card reader with no monthly contract, fast payouts and simple receipts. For lower monthly card volumes, a pay-as-you-go provider may be cheaper. For higher turnover, a negotiated transaction rate may save money.
Best choice: Lopay
Lopay's 0.79-0.99% rate is the cheapest of the mainstream no-contract readers, and its Xero integration (0.29% + 10p per invoice) suits plumbers who bill for parts after a job rather than taking payment on the spot every time.
Best alternative: SumUp
If you'd rather have the most widely-recognised, simplest setup — and don't mind a slightly higher rate — SumUp is the safer default, with an £8/month Invoices Plus add-on covering the same "bill after the job" need.
What a plumber's card takings usually look like
Regular multi-job-per-week tradespeople commonly invoice £300+ per job once parts and labour are combined — larger jobs like boiler repairs or installations can run considerably higher. Industry sources also note that tradespeople who don't take card payment on the spot report losing an estimated £8,400/year on average to delayed payment and bad debt, a useful reminder that being able to take payment immediately has a real cash-flow benefit beyond the transaction fee itself.
| Provider | Best for | Card fee | Contract |
|---|---|---|---|
LoLopay | Lowest fees, Xero invoicing | 0.79-0.99% | None |
SuSumUp | Simplest, most established | 1.69% | None |
mymyPOS | Higher-value jobs, no phone pairing needed | 1.10% + 7p | None |
Beyond the headline rate
Invoicing for parts
You often don't know the exact parts bill until you're on-site. Lopay (Xero, 0.29%+10p/invoice) and SumUp (Invoices Plus, £8/mo) both let you send an invoice after the visit rather than only taking payment on the spot.
Working without signal
myPOS's built-in 3G/4G can be more dependable than a phone-paired Bluetooth reader in basements or new-build sites with patchy signal — relevant if you often work in exactly these conditions.
Fast payout
SumUp pays by 7am the next day, including weekends — useful if you need to buy parts for the next job before your official invoice payment terms would normally allow.
Emergency/out-of-hours callouts
None of these providers charge extra for out-of-hours transactions, but check your own emergency callout pricing structure reflects the same card fee percentage as standard jobs.
A plumber taking £4,500/month in card payments
At an average job value of £120 (38 jobs/month):
| Lopay Standard (0.99%) | £44.55/month |
| myPOS (1.10% + 7p × 38) | £52.16/month |
| SumUp (1.69%) | £76.05/month |
Frequently asked questions
What's the best card machine for a plumber?
Lopay for the lowest rate and Xero invoicing; SumUp as the simplest, most established alternative.
Can I invoice for parts after the job?
Yes — SumUp's Invoices Plus (£8/month) and Lopay's Xero integration (0.29%+10p/invoice) both support billing after the visit.
See the full tradespeople breakdown
More detail on on-site reliability and invoicing tools.
Methodology: Pricing pulled directly from lopay.com, sumup.com and mypos.com official UK pricing pages on 30 July 2026. Tradesperson invoice value and payment-delay figures are industry/vendor-sourced estimates, not an independent survey — treated as directional. See our Editorial Policy.