Card machine for your bar

Fast, reliable card payments that keep pace with a busy bar - across the counter, at tables, or on the terrace.

Common challenges

  • Card machine too slow during peak hours
  • Need portable terminals for outdoor seating
  • Transaction fees eating into margins on lower-value drinks orders
  • Unreliable connectivity causing payment failures at the worst times
  • Want contactless and Apple Pay but current terminal is outdated

Updated:

Recommended solutions

PAX A920

Portable/countertop Android terminal with 4.9-inch touchscreen, built-in Wi-Fi & 4G connectivity, and thermal printing. Its form-factor means it's ideal when payments need to be taken away from the counter. Easily handles over-the-phone payments, and is configurable for full POS integration with many third-party POS systems.

  • 4.9-inch HD touchscreen
  • Built-in printer
  • Wi-Fi and 4G connectivity
  • Contactless, Chip & Pin, over-the-phone
  • Can be integrated with multiple POS systems
  • Android payment-only terminal
Contract
negotiable

PAX A800

Portable/countertop Android terminal with 5.7-inch touchscreen and Payment & POS functionality. Built-in Wi-Fi & 4G connectivity, along with thermal printing. Includes merchant branding on-screen, an intuitive over-the-phone payment flow, on-board POS features, and is configurable for full POS integration.

  • 5.7-inch HD touchscreen
  • Built-in printer
  • Wi-Fi & 4G
  • Contactless, Chip & Pin, over-the-phone
  • Fast contactless transacting
  • Integrates with its provider's own POS only
  • Android POS and payments
Contract
negotiable

Why bars choose uno

Bars demand speed and reliability above all else. When there’s three deep at the counter on a Friday night, a slow or unreliable card machine costs you drinks, patience, and repeat custom.

We work with bars of all types — wine bars, cocktail bars, sports bars, late-night venues - and we know what the payment setup needs to handle.

Behind the bar

A countertop terminal gives you the fastest, most reliable processing for high-volume counter service. Wired Ethernet means no Wi-Fi interference from a full venue, and contactless payments process within 3 seconds.

Table and terrace service

Portable terminals let your staff take payments at the table or on the terrace without sending customers to the bar. On-screen tipping makes it easy for customers to add a tip when paying by card.

Events and functions

Running a private event or function? Extra portable terminals on the same account keep payments flowing without queues.

What you get from uno

  • We make the effort to truly understand the pain-points with how you currently take payments
  • Payment & POS solutions matched to your volume and service style
  • Honest comparison of rates across multiple providers
  • On-site setup and ongoing UK-based support

Common questions from bar owners

Can customers add tips on the card machine in my restaurant?

Yes. The payment terminals we supply support on-screen tipping, so customers can add a tip when they pay by card. This works for both percentage-based and custom tip amounts - handy for restaurants, pubs, cafés, and anywhere tipping is common.

Our pub has very thick walls and poor internal 4G signals. How can I have machines that work indoors and outdoors?

Many pubs and bars we've helped had this intrinsic problem, but it was resolved by careful setup of the right machines - so that they seamlessly switched between indoor WiFi and outdoor Mobile signal - allowing reliable operation wherever they're needed

Is the card machine reliable during a late-night shift?

Yes. The terminals we supply are built for sustained use - they'll process hundreds of transactions through a busy evening and into the early hours without slowing down. Battery-powered portables last a full shift, and countertop models can run continuously from mains power.

How fast are card payments during a busy Friday or Saturday night?

Contactless payments process in a few seconds. On a busy night with four deep at the bar, that speed matters. The terminals we supply are built for sustained high-volume use - they won't slow down or overheat after processing hundreds of transactions in a shift.

General questions about uno
Which card machine is right for my business?

The right card machine depends on how the business trades. A fine-dining restaurant in Covent Garden, a market trader at Glasgow's Barras and a pub beside Cardiff Arms Park take payments in completely different ways, and no single machine suits all three. uno starts by understanding how a business actually operates, and only then recommends - from a range of providers rather than from one.

Do all the card machines uno recommends take contactless?

Yes, every one of them. Apple Pay, Google Pay and contactless cards are accepted as standard on every machine uno recommends; contactless is how most UK customers now pay, and every machine features it as standard.

Will I be able to take 'over-the-phone' payments?

For most merchants, yes - available on-screen along with contactless and Chip & Pin. The small minority of high-risk business-types that are not offered over-the-phone payments by default are the exception - for the vast majority, 'over-the-phone' payments will be offered as standard.

How can we process refunds?

From the card machine, in a few taps. Refund a sale on the same day and it is cancelled outright, with the money never leaving the customer's account; refund it after the provider's daily cut-off and the customer's bank typically takes 3-5 days to return it. Every machine uno recommends handles both, and the difference is only in how quickly the customer sees the money.

Is PCI compliance as much of a chore as it is with my current provider?

With several of the providers uno works with the merchant does nothing at all, because the provider handles PCI on their behalf; with the others it is a few minutes once a year. Nobody uno works with makes it complicated, and uno tells a merchant which they are getting before anything is signed.

How long does it take to get set up?

Most businesses are up and running within a few days. uno handles the installation and configuration, then walks the merchant and their staff through everything.

Ready to choose the right card machine?

We make the effort to understand how you operate, and only then recommend the solution that's right for your business - not the provider's.

Get Started 07395 451520