Investing in card readers has become increasingly important for businesses as more and more consumers switch to using card payments instead of cash. When looking for a card reader, you need to think about the features it offers as well as how portable it is, particularly if your business is mobile. And of course, you need to factor in the fees.
Business financial platform Tide has two types of card reader – the simply named Tide Card Reader and the Tide Card Reader Plus. This review looks at both of them in detail. We have a separate guide on Tide’s business account.
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More about Tide card readers
Below are the key features of each of the Tide card readers:
Tide Card Reader
Upfront cost of £59 plus VAT
1.5% transaction fee
Requires the Tide app to take payments
Lifetime free 4G connectivity and also connects via WiFi
Email transaction proofs only
Touch display
Battery life of 1 day
Takes contactless, chip and PIN and digital wallet payments
Payments clear in your Tide account within 1-3 working days
Easily portable
4-month device warranty
Tide Card Reader Plus
Upfront cost of £79 plus VAT
1.5% transaction fee
Ability to take payments directly from the device
Lifetime free 4G connectivity and also connects via WiFi
Paper and email transaction proofs
Touch display
Battery life of 1 day
Printer available
Takes contactless, chip and PIN and digital wallet payments
Payments clear in your Tide account within 1-3 working days
4-month device warranty
Types of payments Tide accepts
Both Tide card readers accept Visa, Mastercard, ApplePay and GooglePay payments. American Express (Amex) payments are not currently accepted. The Tide Card Reader Plus can take payments directly via the device, while the Tide Card Reader requires the free Tide app to take payments.
How to order a Tide card machine
To order a Tide card machine you’ll need to first download the Tide app and open a Tide business bank account. You can open a business account whether you’re a sole trader or limited company and there are 4 different pricing plans to choose from, including a free option. After your first 90 days of holding an account, you’ll be able to order your card reader within the app and it should arrive within 5 working days.
Note that there is currently a restriction on one Tide card reader per company registered by Tide.
Pros and cons of Tide card readers
Pros
Accepts contactless, chip and PIN and digital wallet payments
No contracts or monthly fees
12-month device warranty
Ability to print receipts with Tide Card Reader Plus
Works in conjunction with free Tide app
Cons
Restriction on 1 Tide Card Reader per company registered
Transaction fees apply
Can take up to 3 days for payments to clear
Tide Card Reader only offers email receipts
Neither device accepts Amex payments
You’ll need a Tide business account
Our verdict
If you’re happy to open a Tide business account, the two card readers available from Tide are pretty competitive. Transaction fees are some of the lowest on the market and you won’t have the hassle of being tied into a contract. The Tide Card Reader is a smaller device, making it more practical for businesses on the go, while the Tide Card Reader Plus is slightly larger and includes a printer.
On the downside, payments can take up to 3 days to clear in your account, plus both card readers currently only accept Visa and Mastercard cards. And, unless you can get by with 1 machine for your business, there is currently a restriction on 1 Tide Card Reader per company registered by Tide.
To help you make the right choice for your business, it’s worth looking at our handy guide to compare a range of card machines and see what else is available.
Tide customer reviews
We haven’t found any specific customer reviews for Tide card readers. However, Tide as a whole scores highly on Trustpilot, with a score of 4.3 out of 5 from more than 18,300 reviews (updated January 2024). This is considered an “excellent” rating.
Many of the positive comments focus on the excellent customer service, with reviewers stating it’s fast and efficient. Other reviewers say the Tide app is easy to use and helps support small businesses with bookkeeping and accounts. On the other hand, some of the negative comments cite difficulty opening a business account.
On Google Play, Tide has a rating of 3.5 out of 5 from more than 16,100 reviews (updated January 2024) and on the Apple App Store, it has a score of 4.7 out of 5 from more than 64,800 reviews (updated January 2024).
Table: sorted by transaction cost, promoted deals first
Frequently asked questions
To use your Tide machine, you’ll need to enter the price on the device and your customer can then tap or insert their card in the card reader and the transaction will be confirmed on the screen. If you have the Tide Card Reader Plus you can print a receipt.
Once you’ve received your Tide card reader, you can get it up and running by following the steps below:
Hold down the power button to power up the card reader. This button is located on the right of the device.
Connect the device to a power supply and let the battery charge for at least 4 hours while continuing with the next steps.
Select your chosen language on the Welcome screen.
Your device will automatically connect to the 4G network, but you can choose to connect to your WiFi network instead.
On the confirm store screen, assign the device to your store by selecting the check mark button. If the store you see is not your store, use the edit button to change it.
You can now start taking payments on your machine.
No, Tide card readers currently only accept Visa and Mastercard payments, although it says it is looking to change this.
Tide doesn’t have a specific support number but you can request a call back through the app or email hello@tide.co. Be sure to include your contact number and a few details about what the call request is regarding and someone will call you back.
We show offers we can track - that's not every product on the market...yet. Unless we've said otherwise, products are in no particular order. The terms "best", "top", "cheap" (and variations of these) aren't ratings, though we always explain what's great about a product when we highlight it. This is subject to our terms of use. When you make major financial decisions, consider getting independent financial advice. Always consider your own circumstances when you compare products so you get what's right for you. Most of the data in Finder's comparison tables has the source: Moneyfacts Group PLC. In other cases, Finder has sourced data directly from providers.
Rachel Wait is a freelance journalist and has been writing about personal finance for more than a decade, covering everything from insurance to mortgages. She has written for a range of personal finance websites and national newspapers, including The Observer, The Mail on Sunday, The Sun and the Evening Standard. Rachel is a keen baker in her spare time. See full bio
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