Teya Card Machines: What UK Businesses Actually Pay

Teya is a UK-based payment technology company founded in 2019 that provides card machines, payment processing, and a suite of business management tools aimed at small UK businesses. Transaction fees start at 1.49% per transaction for UK consumer debit cards and rise to approximately 2.99% for premium and commercial cards, with no fixed monthly fee on the entry-level plan. Teya Solutions Ltd holds an FCA e-money institution licence (FRN: 978181) and trades under the Teya brand following its 2023 rebrand from SaltPay. The company is growing quickly among independent hospitality and retail merchants who want a modern terminal without a lengthy contract.

Key Facts: Teya UK

Who Is This Page For?

This page is for small UK business owners considering Teya as their card payment provider. It covers Teya's fees and transaction costs in detail, the hardware, contract terms, and an honest comparison with alternatives such as SumUp, Square, and Zettle. It is also useful if you already use Teya and want to check whether you are still on a competitive rate.

Who Is Teya For?

Teya is designed for small, independent businesses that want a straightforward card machine without committing to a 12 or 24-month contract. That makes it particularly popular among sole traders, market stall owners, independent cafés, hair salons, and small retailers who process a modest volume of card payments each month.

The built-in business management tools, including basic reporting, tipping functionality, and a digital receipt system, mean Teya appeals to hospitality operators who want more than a bare card terminal. A small restaurant turning over £15,000 a month in card payments would pay roughly £224 in transaction fees at 1.49%, which is competitive against many high-street bank-linked processors.

Teya is less well suited to high-volume merchants processing hundreds of thousands of pounds monthly, businesses that need a dedicated payment gateway for complex ecommerce, or companies in sectors that payment processors typically classify as elevated risk. If you fall into those categories, comparing quotes from larger acquirers will likely produce better rates.

Teya Features

• Teya card machine (A920 Pro terminal): An Android-based touchscreen terminal that accepts chip and PIN, contactless cards, and mobile wallets including Apple Pay and Google Pay. The device runs on Wi-Fi or 4G SIM.
• No monthly fee option: Teya's base pricing carries no compulsory monthly subscription. You pay per transaction rather than a standing monthly charge, which suits lower-volume businesses.
• Next-day settlement: Card takings typically reach your bank account by the morning of the following business day. That can ease cash flow for businesses that trade daily.
• Tipping functionality: The terminal supports tip prompts, which is a practical feature for restaurants, bars, and salons without needing extra hardware or software.
• Digital receipts: Customers can receive receipts by SMS or email rather than paper printout, reducing consumable costs and supporting a paperless setup.
• Business dashboard: An online portal and mobile app give you a live view of transactions, refunds, and daily totals. Reporting is basic rather than advanced, but sufficient for most small businesses.
• Pay by link: Teya supports payment links you can send via email or messaging apps, allowing you to take card payments remotely without a physical terminal present. See our guide to pay-by-link services in the UK for more context on how this compares to other options.
• Multiple terminals: Businesses with more than one till point can run several Teya devices under the same account, with all transaction data consolidated in a single dashboard.

Teya Fees and Transaction Costs Explained

Teya uses blended pricing rather than interchange-plus. That means one flat-rate percentage applies per card type rather than the underlying interchange cost plus a margin. It simplifies your monthly statement but can make it harder to verify whether you are paying a fair rate as your volumes grow. Our guide to interchange-plus vs blended pricing explains the difference in full.

At £20,000 monthly card turnover and a 1.49% blended rate, your monthly processing cost works out at £298. If a larger proportion of your customers pay by premium or commercial cards, the effective rate rises, sometimes noticeably. Ask Teya to show you a breakdown by card type before signing up if you are unsure of your customer mix.

Teya does not publish a separate authorisation fee or a minimum monthly service charge on its standard plan. That is a genuine positive for businesses with seasonal peaks and quiet months. Always read the contract carefully to confirm no minimum usage clauses apply to your specific agreement. For a broader explanation of what all these charges mean, our merchant account fees explained guide is a useful reference.

What are Teya's transaction fees compared to rivals?

Teya charges from 1.49% per transaction for UK consumer debit cards, which is lower than SumUp's 1.69% and Square's 1.75% flat rate. For UK consumer credit cards, Teya starts at 1.99%. Premium and commercial cards attract up to approximately 2.99% per transaction. There is no compulsory monthly fee on the standard plan.

Teya's lower debit rate is a real advantage if most of your customers pay by personal debit card. At £10,000 monthly debit card volume, Teya at 1.49% costs £149 versus SumUp at 1.69% costing £169. That is a saving of £20 per month, or £240 a year, from the fee rate alone.

Pros and Cons

Pros

• No fixed-term contract means you can switch without an early termination penalty.
• Competitive entry-level rate of 1.49% per transaction for UK consumer debit cards, with no monthly fee on the base plan.
• Next-day settlement helps with day-to-day cash flow.
• The Android terminal is modern, accepts all major card types, and handles tipping natively.
• Pay-by-link capability lets you take payments outside the physical premises without additional software.

Cons

• Blended pricing makes it difficult to audit your costs at scale. Merchants processing above £50,000 a month may find interchange-plus pricing from a larger acquirer saves real money.
• Teya is a relatively young company. It lacks the long track record of established processors like Worldpay or Barclaycard, and some users report that telephone support response times can be slower than expected during busy periods.
• The reporting dashboard is basic. If you need detailed sales analytics, staff performance reporting, or integrations with accounting software beyond simple exports, you may outgrow the platform quickly.
• Hardware must typically be purchased outright. Providers that include a terminal rental within a monthly fee may suit businesses that prefer predictable fixed costs.

Is Teya Right for Your Business?

Teya is a strong option for small UK businesses that want a modern card machine, no long-term contract, and a clean fee structure without a monthly standing charge. Independent cafés, market traders, mobile tradespeople, and small retailers processing up to around £30,000 a month are likely to find the pricing fair and the setup straightforward.

If your monthly card turnover is higher, or if a significant share of your customers pay by corporate or premium cards, it is worth getting competing quotes before committing. The blended rate at higher volumes can work out more expensive than interchange-plus pricing from an established acquirer, sometimes by a meaningful margin. The same applies if you need advanced ecommerce integration, detailed multi-location reporting, or sector-specific features not covered by Teya's current product set.

Compare Card Fees is a free, independent advisory service that has helped UK businesses find better card payment deals since 2012. If you are weighing Teya against other providers, the team can run a side-by-side comparison based on your actual card mix and monthly volume, so you can see the real annual cost difference before you decide. Compare merchant services quotes now to see whether Teya is genuinely the most cost-effective option for your business.

Updated August 2026