Switching card machine
How to check your card machine contract, and leave it
Find your merchant agreement and any terminal hire agreement, note the start date, first term, notice period and exit fee, then give notice in writing. With the largest providers the first term can be no longer than 18 months for businesses with up to £10 million in card takings, after which it rolls monthly with one month's notice (Payment Systems Regulator). Install the new machine before the old one goes.
Get a free Flatpay quoteCheck your contract in eight steps
- Find both agreements. Many businesses have two: the merchant (card processing) agreement and a separate terminal hire or rental agreement. Each can have its own term and its own notice.
- Find the start date and the first term. The first term is the minimum you agreed to. With the larger providers it can be no longer than 18 months for businesses with up to £10 million in card takings (Payment Systems Regulator).
- Check what happens after the first term. With those providers it must then roll month to month with one month's notice. Look for any automatic renewal wording and the date you must act by.
- Read the exit fee clause. Note how any early exit fee is worked out. The regulator requires it to be cost-based and explained before you sign.
- Check the terminal. Is it hired, rented or yours? A hired terminal goes back; ask how, and get a receipt.
- Look at your statement. Your statement shows the rate you actually pay on each card type and any monthly, minimum or PCI charges. The larger providers must also give you a summary box of your fees.
- Overlap the change. Get the new machine installed and working before the old one goes, so you never have a day without card payments.
- Put notice in writing. Email or letter, with a copy and the date. Keep it until the final statement arrives and shows nothing owed.
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Get my free quoteWhat the regulator says
- For businesses with up to £10 million a year in card takings, a card machine contract with a minimum term from one of the directed providers can run for no more than 18 months at first.
- After that first term, the contract must become a rolling one-month contract with one month's notice on your side.
- Any exit or termination fee must be based on cost, be transparent and be explained to you before you sign.
- Since July 2023 the largest providers must send you a reminder as your contract term ends, telling you that you could get a better deal by shopping around.
The providers bound by these rules include Barclays (Barclaycard), Lloyds Bank (Cardnet), Worldpay, Elavon, Global Payments, First Data (Clover), Square, SumUp, Stripe and PayPal (Zettle).
Leaving a provider
- WorldpayHow to Cancel a Worldpay Card Machine Contract
- BarclaycardHow to Cancel a Barclaycard Card Machine Contract
- Lloyds CardnetHow to Cancel a Lloyds Cardnet Card Machine Contract
- DojoHow to Cancel a Dojo Card Machine Contract
- TeyaHow to Cancel a Teya Card Machine Contract
- Tyl by NatWestHow to Cancel a Tyl by NatWest Card Machine Contract
- SumUpHow to Leave SumUp and Switch Card Machine
- SquareHow to Leave Square and Switch Card Machine
- Zettle by PayPalHow to Leave Zettle by PayPal and Switch Card Machine
- Stripe TerminalHow to Leave Stripe Terminal and Switch Card Machine
Questions
How long can a card machine contract last?
With the providers bound by the Payment Systems Regulator's rules, the first term can be no longer than 18 months for businesses with up to £10 million a year in card takings. After that it must roll monthly with one month's notice.
Can I be charged for leaving early?
Often, yes, if you are inside the first term. The regulator requires any exit fee to be cost-based, transparent and explained before you sign. Some providers publish how theirs works: Teya, for example, charges the remaining terminal rent plus a one-off fee set in your agreement.
Will my provider remind me when my contract ends?
The largest providers must send a reminder at the end of your contract term, telling you that you could get a better deal by shopping around. That requirement has applied since July 2023.
Do pay-as-you-go card readers have a contract?
SumUp, Square, Zettle and Stripe publish no fixed term: you buy the reader and pay per transaction. Leaving is a matter of cancelling any monthly add-on and closing the account.
More card machine guides
Sources, last checked 21 October 2026
Facts about Flatpay come from Flatpay's own website; to get a quote, use the form on this page.
psr.org.uk (sd16 limiting the length of initial term), psr.org.uk (psr finalises plans to help businesses s)
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Get my free quoteGetBrent is an independent UK directory. We work with Flatpay and may receive a fee if you sign up through this page; that does not change the facts shown, which come from each provider's own website or the regulator, checked 21 October 2026. Terms change, so check your own agreement.