Square and Barclaycard both offer a small range of affordable, flexible card readers, but which brand is better? We compare 2 of the most competitive card machine providers in this guide.
When you’re choosing a card reader, you need one that fits in with the way you and your customers do business. Square is one of the most popular card reader providers, and Barclaycard has been offering card readers for a number of years as part of its support for business customers. So which one is better? We put both brands through their paces.
Square vs Barclaycard: provider overview
Square and Barclaycard are some of the bigger brands dominating card reader market, offering slick and afforable machines to their business customers. In this guide, we are comparing 2 of their most popular machines.
Products
Square Reader, Square Terminal
Payment methods
Contactless, Chip and Pin
Alternative payment methods
Payment link,Over the phone
Apple Pay
Yes
Google Pay
Yes
Connectivity
Bluetooth
Requires connection to a phone or tablet
Yes
Battery life
Designed to last all day
Warranty period
24 months
Products
Flex mobile card reader, Barclaycard Anywhere
Payment methods
Contactless, Chip and Pin, Magnetic swipe
Alternative payment methods
Payment link,Over the phone
Apple Pay
Yes
Google Pay
Yes
Connectivity
SIM card,Bluetooth,WiFi
Requires connection to a phone or tablet
No
Battery life
700 sales
Warranty period
12 months
The Square Reader vs the Barclaycard Flex Mobile: product overview
The Flex Mobile and the Square Reader are the go-to products from each provider: how do they compare?
Square Reader
Barclaycard Flex Mobile
Compare rates and fees
One of the most important things to look at when you’re comparing card readers is the difference in the rates and fees each provider charges: not just the headline cost of each product, but the more ‘hidden’ fees too. For further explanations of the different charges you might come across in your research, use our handy guide.
The Barclaycard Flex Mobile and Square card readers are both at the less pricey end of the market, but the way they charge is quite different.
For example, Barclaycard charges no upfront fee for the Flex Mobile, while the Square Reader is £19. However, the Flex Mobile comes with a £15 monthly fee (plus VAT), whereas the Square Reader charges no monthly fees at all. On the other hand, the Square Reader’s monthly transaction fee is a little higher, at 1.75% compared to the Flex Mobile’s 1.6%.
Product
Product Name
Square Reader
Barclaycard Payments Flex Mobile
Contract
No contract
18 month
Initial cost
£19
£0
Monthly cost
£0
£15
Transaction cost
1.75%
1.6%
Transaction cost (card not present)
2.5%
A fixed 0.25% on all CNP transactions
Settlement
1 working day
1-2 working days
Money-back guarantee
No
Chargeback cost
£0
Compare features
Despite being similar products, there are some subtle differences.
For example, the Square Reader was designed with contactless cards in mind, so customers will have to use a connected device like a smartphone or tablet if they need to enter a PIN. The Flex Mobile has a keypad, so customers can enter their PIN straight into the device.
For a full insight into the different features you should look out for when comparing card readers, you can use our helpful guide.
Product
Product Name
Square Reader
Barclaycard Payments Flex Mobile
Networks
Connectivity
Bluetooth
SIM card, Bluetooth, WiFi
Payment methods
Contactless, Chip and Pin
Contactless, Chip and Pin, Magnetic swipe
Alternative payment methods
Payment link, Over the phone
Payment link, Over the phone
Requires connection to phone or tablet
Battery life
Designed to last all day
700 sales
Printer attached
Add ons
Dock
Phone mount
Compatible with a range of third-party receipt printers and barcode scanners
Bottom line
There’s a lot to like about both providers, but we think that for many businesses Barclaycard is the way to go. This is in part because both Barclaycard’s readers offer a great ease of use for customers who aren’t using contactless, whereas if your customers need to enter a PIN with Square you’ll have to either hand over your connected smartphone if you’re using the Square Reader, or fork out for the much pricier Square Terminal.
On the other hand, if your customers are almost all contactless users, you might prefer to opt for the sleeker design of Square’s card readers. The Square Reader works out cheaper than either of the Barclaycard options if your takings are less than £6660 a month.
In the end, it’s up to you: just make sure you take the time to compare the two providers thoroughly before choosing the one that’s right for your business. Compare both ranges in full below.
Table: sorted by transaction cost, promoted deals first
We show offers we can track - that's not every product on the market...yet. Unless we've said otherwise, products are in no particular order. The terms "best", "top", "cheap" (and variations of these) aren't ratings, though we always explain what's great about a product when we highlight it. This is subject to our terms of use. When you make major financial decisions, consider getting independent financial advice. Always consider your own circumstances when you compare products so you get what's right for you. Most of the data in Finder's comparison tables has the source: Moneyfacts Group PLC. In other cases, Finder has sourced data directly from providers.
Grace was a Finder writer specialising in credit and loans. She's been writing about personal finance for several years and enjoys helping consumers sort the facts from the fluff. See full bio
In this guide, we compare the most popular card reader products from SumUp and Barclaycard.
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