Card machine for your pub

From the bar to the beer garden - we find the card machine that handles the pace of a busy pub without slowing your staff down.

Common challenges

  • Card machine can't keep up during busy periods
  • No portable option for the beer garden or events
  • Hidden fees eating into already tight margins
  • Stuck on old equipment that drops connection at the worst times
  • Need multiple terminals but don't want multiple contracts

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 pubs choose uno

Pubs have unique payment demands. Friday and Saturday nights mean fast, high-volume transactions at the bar. Beer gardens and event spaces mean your staff need to take payments away from the till. And margins are tight, so every penny on transaction fees matters.

We work with pubs of all sizes - from village pubs throughout Somerset to high-street bars in the bigger towns - and we’ve seen what works and what doesn’t.

Behind the bar

A countertop terminal at the bar gives you fast, wired processing for high-volume periods. The PAX A800 handles contactless payments in a few seconds - no fumbling, no delays.

Beer garden and events

Portable terminals like the PAX A920 connect over Wi-Fi or 4G, so your staff can take payments anywhere on the premises. Running a quiz night, live music, or a pop-up event? Extra terminals, same account.

Multiple terminals

Most pubs need more than one card machine. We set up as many as you need - all on the same account, with clear billing and no duplication of contracts. That holds whether it’s a town-centre venue with three bars or one of our Mid Wales pub customers running a separate terminal between snug, lounge and beer garden.

What you get from uno

  • An assessment of how your pub operates and where you take payments
  • Honest comparison of providers to find the best rates for your volume
  • Multiple terminals set up and configured on-site
  • UK-based support that understands the pub trade

Common questions from pub 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

Will a card machine work in the beer garden?

Yes. Portable terminals with 4G connectivity work anywhere on your premises - beer garden, patio, function room, or car park. You don't need to rely on your pub's Wi-Fi reaching the garden. We've set up plenty of pubs where the garden does more trade than the bar on a sunny weekend.

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