Free Card Machine for Off-Licences
An off-licence trades late, sells a lot of low-value items and occasionally a very expensive bottle, and deals with age verification at the same moment as payment. Evening and weekend peaks are short and sharp, and a slow terminal means a queue in a small shop floor space.
Why it works for off-licences
- ✓ Quick taps for high-volume evening trade
- ✓ No rental across long, quiet daytime hours
- ✓ Next-day settlement including Saturdays
Short, sharp peaks
Most of an off-licence's day is quiet, then Friday evening arrives and the shop is full. Contactless keeps that queue moving in a space where there is nowhere for a queue to go, and the terminal's separate PIN pad experience means a customer can pay while you finish bagging. Where age checks are needed, payment is the fast part of the transaction rather than another delay.
Cost that follows trade, not the clock
Paying a fixed rental for the hours when nobody is in makes no sense in a shop with this trading pattern. At 0.85% blended with £0 rental, a £14 basket costs about 12p and an empty Tuesday afternoon costs nothing. A shop taking £9,000 a month on card pays roughly £77 in processing, with no PCI fee, setup fee or annual charge on top.
Higher-value bottles and safety
Fine wine and premium spirits push individual transactions well above the average, and the same blended rate applies with no surcharge on Amex. Taking a larger share of trade on card also means less cash in the till late at night in a shop that is often single-staffed, and card takings settle the next working day, weekends included.
Off-Licences card machine FAQs
How it works
From form to first payment in 48 hours
Apply in 2 minutes
One short form. No paperwork. No credit checks to enquire.
Machine ships free
Arrives within 2 working days, fully set up and ready to trade.
Start taking payments
Next-day payouts from day one — including weekends.
Compare all UK providers
| Provider | Monthly cost | vs Shift4 |
|---|---|---|
| Shift4 | £43 | — |
| Worldpay | £70 | +£28/mo |
| Barclaycard | £77 | +£35/mo |
| Takepayments | £82 | +£40/mo |
| Dojo | £83 | +£40/mo |
| SumUp | £84 | +£42/mo |
| Square | £88 | +£45/mo |
| Zettle | £88 | +£45/mo |
| Paymentsense | £91 | +£49/mo |
Want your exact saving?Send Jamie your merchant statement — same day analysis, no obligation.
Email my statementBased on published UK rates. 60/40 debit/credit split assumed. Shift4 rate of 0.85% blended — confirmed on application.
How we compare
Based on £5,000 card turnover / month
- Shift4 Card Machine£43/moNo monthly rentalNo contract
- Worldpay£55/mo£17.5/mo rental18–24 months contract
- Dojo£65/mo£20/mo rental18 months contract
- Barclaycard£65/mo£20/mo rental18 months contract
- Takepayments£72/mo£22/mo rental18 months contract
- SumUp£84/moNo monthly rentalNo contract
- Paymentsense£85/mo£25/mo rental18 months contract
- Square£88/moNo monthly rentalNo contract
- Zettle£88/moNo monthly rentalNo contract
Indicative. Based on published UK rates. Your actual cost depends on card mix.
Talk to us about your off-licences business
15 minutes, no pressure.