Understanding the difference between integration requirements
and payment processing flexibility
NONE of the major UK POS providers force customers to use their card machines to register sales.
"POS providers force you to use their card machines to even register a sale"
"POS providers don't allow integration with third-party card machines, but you can still register sales and process payments separately"
Automatic sync between POS and card machine
✗ Not available with third-party machines
Recording the transaction in POS
✓ Always available with any payment method
UK's Popular POS Provider
Square's card machines don't integrate with third-party EPOS systems and only work with Square POS
Source: Expert Market Review
✓ Cash & Cheque Payments
"You can accept cash, cheques and other tender types, where Square doesn't process any funds and functions only as an organisational tool for recording purposes"
Source: Square Support Centre
✓ Manual Card Entry
"You can manually enter card payments with the Point of Sale app" without a card reader
Source: Square Support Centre
Practical Use: You can use Square POS for inventory, sales tracking, and customer management, but process card payments on any third-party machine by selecting "cash" in Square.
Affordable Card Reader Solution
You cannot link any other brand of card machine to a SumUp account - only SumUp terminals can be linked
Source: Mobile Transaction Review
✓ Cash Payments
"SumUp allows you to accept cash payments so you can track all your sales in one place, even when customers pay with cash"
Source: SumUp Support Centre
✓ Virtual Terminal
Virtual Terminal feature allows accepting card payments by entering card details without a card reader
Source: SumUp Support Centre
✓ Tap to Pay
Accept contactless payments directly on iPhone or Android without additional hardware
Source: SumUp Support Centre
Proprietary Hardware Ecosystem
Proprietary hardware: Equipment is Clover-specific
Source: Mobile Transaction Review
Clover generally requires the use of its payment processing services
Source: The Retail Exec Review
✓ Multiple Payment Options
"From the system you will get the option of accepting payment by cash, card, or check"
Source: CardFellow Review
✓ Manual Card Entry
"If you choose card there will be a link for entering the card manually instead"
Source: CardFellow Review
PayPal's Mobile Payment Solution
"You can only use Zettle Reader with the system"
Source: Mobile Transaction Review
"The PayPal POS system only works with the PayPal payment infrastructure"
Source: Zettle UK Website
✓ Cash Payments
Zettle allows recording of cash transactions within the POS system
✓ Manual Card Entry
Virtual terminal functionality for entering card details without physical reader
Flexible Integration Leader
✓ Third-Party Payment Processors Allowed
"Epos Now offers the option for businesses to use 3rd party payment processors like Worldpay, Paymentsense, Take Payments or RMS"
Source: MerchantSavvy Review
✓ Integrated Payments
"Accept cash, credit card and debit card payments" through the integrated system
Source: MerchantSavvy Review
✓ Third-Party Integration
Can integrate with third-party processors, though "fees vary"
Source: Business.com Review
Unique Position: Epos Now stands out as the most flexible provider, actively supporting third-party payment processor integration.
Unified Platform Push
"Lightspeed Payments does not integrate with any other payment processor"
Source: Lightspeed Support
Merchants using non-Lightspeed Payments will be charged a monthly third-party processing fee
✓ Alternative Payment Methods
Lightspeed allows recording of cash payments and alternative tender types
✓ Third-Party Processors Possible
While they charge a fee, you can technically use third-party payment processors
| Provider | Third-Party Integration | Cash Payments | Manual Entry | Forces Card Machine |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Square | No | ✓ | ✗ | |
| Epos Now | Yes | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
| Lightspeed | Fee | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
100% of providers allow you to register sales without using their card machines. The "Forces Card Machine" column shows all providers marked with ✗, meaning NONE force this requirement.
You want to use Square POS for management features but process payments through a cheaper third-party provider (e.g., Worldpay at 0.3% vs Square at 1.75%)
• Add items to basket
• Calculate total with tax
• Track inventory automatically
• Record customer details
• Click "Payment" in Square
• Select "Cash" (even though customer is paying by card)
• Enter the exact amount
• Complete the sale in Square POS
• Manually enter amount on Worldpay terminal
• Customer inserts/taps card
• Payment processes through Worldpay
• Print receipt from card machine
• Square shows £X in "cash" payments
• Worldpay shows £X in card payments
• Manually verify totals match
• Record both in accounting software
Trade-off: You lose automatic integration and have to manually reconcile, but you gain flexibility to use any payment processor and potentially save on transaction fees.
✓ Good For:
✗ Not Ideal For:
NO UK POS provider forces customers to use their card machines to register sales. All providers allow alternative payment methods to be recorded in the system.
Providers don't allow automated integration with third-party card machines
ALL providers allow you to register sales with any payment method
You can process payments on any third-party card machine
Epos Now is the only provider that actively supports third-party payment processor integration, making it the most flexible option for businesses who want both POS features and payment processor choice.
✓ 100% of UK POS providers allow you to register sales without using their card machines
✓ All providers support cash payments and manual card entry as alternative payment methods
✓ You can always process actual card payments on any third-party machine you choose
✗ What you lose: Automatic integration and data sync between POS and payment processor
⚡ Trade-off: Manual reconciliation vs potential cost savings and flexibility
The misconception that POS providers "force" card machine use
is based on integration limitations, not registration restrictions.