Card machine for your optician

Professional card payments for your optician practice - reliable terminals with competitive rates for higher-value sales.

Common challenges

  • Higher-value transactions (frames, lenses) mean fees add up
  • Need a professional payment experience matching the practice
  • Want reliability — can't tell a customer the machine is down
  • Mix of NHS and private payments at different values
  • Current provider's rates have crept up over time

Published:

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 opticians choose uno

Optician practices process a wide range of transaction values - from a £20 contact lens order to a £500 pair of designer frames. Competitive rates on those larger transactions make a real difference to your margins.

Rates for higher-value sales

When average transactions run into the hundreds, the difference between providers’ rates is significant. We compare across the market to find the best deal for your transaction profile.

Professional experience

Your practice projects quality and professionalism. The payment experience should match - modern terminals with contactless, Apple Pay, and Google Pay.

Reliable service

Customers can’t come back later because the card machine was down. We supply proven terminals and provide responsive support if anything goes wrong.

What you get from uno

  • A terminal matched to your practice’s transaction profile
  • Competitive rates especially on higher-value sales
  • Professional, modern payment experience
  • On-site setup and reliable support

Common questions from optician owners

We sell frames from £50 to £500 - does the card machine handle that range?

There's no upper or lower limit on transaction values. Whether a customer is buying a £50 pair of reading glasses or a £500 designer frame with premium lenses, the same terminal processes both. On higher-value sales, the transaction rate directly affects your margin - which is where comparing providers matters.

Can I take a deposit when a customer orders frames?

Yes. Process whatever deposit amount you set - 50%, a fixed amount, whatever your policy is. When the customer collects their completed glasses, process the balance as a separate transaction. Over-the-phone deposits are also available for orders placed by phone.

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