Card machine for your model shop

Reliable card payments for your model shop - competitive rates for specialist hobby retail, simple and straightforward.

Common challenges

  • Mix of small purchases (paints, tools) and larger kits
  • Loyal customers expect modern payment options
  • Independent shop margins need protecting
  • Don't want overcomplicated technology
  • Need reliability — small team can't afford downtime

Published:

Recommended solutions

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 model shops choose uno

Model shops serve dedicated hobbyists who value expertise and personal service. Your card machine should match that - reliable, professional, and never getting in the way of the customer experience.

Handles every transaction size

From a £3 pot of paint to a £200 radio-controlled kit, one terminal handles it all with competitive rates across the range.

Simple for small teams

Most model shops have a small team. The terminal needs to be straightforward - no training manuals, no IT support needed.

Reliable and low-maintenance

You’re a specialist retailer, not a tech company. We supply terminals that work every day without fuss.

What you get from uno

  • A terminal suited to specialist hobby retail
  • Competitive rates compared across providers
  • On-site setup and walkthrough
  • Ongoing support from people who answer the phone

Common questions from model shop owners

My customers are hobbyists who buy regularly - does a card machine change anything?

It makes every visit smoother. Regular hobbyists popping in for a pot of paint or a new kit don't always carry the right cash. Card payment removes that friction. And when a regular customer sees a £60 kit they weren't planning to buy, card makes that impulse purchase more likely.

I do special orders for customers - can I take a deposit by card?

Yes. Process any deposit amount through the terminal. When the customer collects their special order, process the balance. Over-the-phone deposits work too for orders placed by phone or email.

Customers sometimes order books by phone - can I take payment over the phone?

Yes. The terminals we supply support over-the-phone (MOTO) payments. Customer calls, orders a book, pays by card over the phone. You post or they collect. No invoicing, no chasing.

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