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Switching
How to switch card machine provider without losing money
A cheaper rate isn't a saving if it costs you an exit fee, a contract buyout and a month of admin to get there. Here's how to check before you switch.
6 min readSwitching
Switching provider is usually worth it once your volume, business model or needs have changed enough that your current deal no longer fits — but the saving needs to be checked against the real cost of leaving, not just the new headline rate.
Before you look at a new provider, check your current one
- Minimum term remaining — most contract-based providers run 12–18 months; leaving early usually triggers an early termination charge.
- Notice period — some contracts auto-renew unless you cancel within a specific window before the term ends, so check the date, not just the term length.
- Hardware ownership — rented terminals usually need to be returned; owned hardware is yours to keep or sell on.
- What you actually pay today — pull three months of statements and work out your true blended rate (total fees ÷ total card turnover), not just the rate on your contract.
Some providers — Dojo has publicly offered this in the past — will cover a portion of your exit fees to win your business. It's always worth asking a new provider directly whether they'll contribute.
What a genuine saving needs to clear
Add up the one-off cost of leaving (early termination fee + any hardware buyout) and compare it against the monthly saving the new provider offers. The switch pays for itself once:
months to break even = (exit fee + new hardware cost) ÷ monthly saving
If that's longer than the new contract's own minimum term, the switch is arguably not worth it — you'd be locking into another long contract before the first saving has even paid for itself.
Questions worth asking any new provider directly
- Is the quoted rate fixed, or does it rise after an introductory period?
- What's the rate on Amex, international cards, and refunds — not just standard UK debit?
- What happens to the hardware, and the remaining balance, if I need to cancel early?
- How fast is settlement, including weekends and bank holidays?
- Is there a PCI compliance fee, a minimum monthly charge, or an authorisation fee on top of the headline rate?
Practical steps once you've decided to switch
- Get the new provider's terms in writing, including all fees — not just the transaction rate — before giving notice to your current one.
- Check your notice period and give it in writing, keeping a copy.
- Arrange an overlap window if possible, so you're not without a working terminal mid-switch.
- Update any recurring billing or subscription integrations pointed at your old gateway before it's switched off.
- Confirm final settlement from the old provider has cleared before closing that account entirely.
Don't cancel your current provider until the new one is live and tested — a gap with no working payment method is far more expensive than a month of running two accounts in parallel.
Model the saving before you switchCompare your current rate against every major UK provider at your real volume.
Open the compare tool