Card machines for music shops

From a set of strings to a new guitar - reliable card payments at competitive rates for your full range of transaction values.

Common challenges

  • Wide range of transaction values from accessories to instruments
  • Want competitive rates on higher-value instrument sales
  • Current terminal is outdated or unreliable
  • Don't want to be locked into a long contract
  • Customers expect contactless and Apple Pay

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 music shops choose uno

Music shops have an unusual transaction profile - a mix of small accessory sales and high-value instrument purchases. Your card machine needs to handle both, and your rates need to work across the full range.

Counter payments

The PAX A920 handles everything from a £5 set of picks to a £2,000 guitar at the counter. Contactless for quick sales, Chip & Pin for larger purchases.

Rates across the range

On a high-value instrument sale, a lower transaction rate saves real money. We compare providers to find the deal that works across your full mix of transaction values.

What you get from uno

  • A terminal suited to your mix of small and large transactions
  • Rates compared across providers
  • On-site installation and setup
  • UK-based support

Common questions from music owners

Can I take a deposit on a guitar a customer wants to reserve?

Yes. Process whatever deposit amount you agree - £50 to hold a guitar, £200 on a custom order, whatever your policy. When the customer collects or you deliver, process the balance. The terminal handles each as a standard card transaction.

We do instrument repairs and setups - can I take payment when the customer collects?

Yes. Customer drops off a guitar for a setup, you agree the price, they pay by card when they collect. Simple. No invoicing, no chasing. The terminal is right there at the counter.

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