How much does an EPOS system cost for a UK takeaway? (2026 guide)

"How much is an EPOS system?" is one of the first questions every takeaway owner asks, and one of the hardest to get a straight answer to. Suppliers quote a low monthly fee and leave the card fees, contract and add-ons for later.

This guide breaks the cost of an EPOS system for a UK takeaway or restaurant into its four parts: hardware, software, card payments and the extras. The hardware prices come from the EPOS kit in our own shop as of October 2026, so they're real prices you can buy at, not estimates.

The short answer

For a typical UK takeaway with one till, a receipt printer, a kitchen printer and a cash drawer, expect:

• Hardware: roughly £300 to £1,000 plus VAT, once.
• Software: from £0 to £75+ a month per till, depending on the supplier and features.
• Card payments: usually 1% to 2% of your card takings, which is often the biggest cost of all.

The rest of this guide explains where those numbers come from and how to keep them down.

1. EPOS hardware costs

Hardware is the one cost you can see clearly. Here are the price ranges for EPOS kit in the Gofood shop. All prices are ex VAT.

What a takeaway actually needs

Most takeaways don't need everything on that list. A sensible starting set is:

1. One till (a touchscreen terminal or a tablet on a stand).
2. A receipt printer at the counter.
3. A kitchen printer, or a kitchen display screen if your kitchen is busy enough to need one.
4. A cash drawer, if you still take cash.

Buying these as an EPOS bundle is usually cheaper than buying each piece on its own, and you know they work together.

Buy or rent?

Many EPOS companies rent hardware for a monthly fee instead. Renting spreads the cost, but over a two or three year contract you often pay more than the kit is worth, and you don't own it at the end. If you can afford to buy, buying is usually cheaper over the life of the till. If you rent, check what happens to the hardware when the contract ends.

2. EPOS software costs

The software is what turns a screen into a till: your menu, orders, reports and staff logins. UK suppliers charge anything from nothing to £75 or more a month per till, and the price often climbs as you add features.

Things that are sometimes extra:

• Online ordering linked to the till.
• Caller ID for phone orders.
• Delivery driver tools.
• Kitchen display screens.
• Extra tills or extra sites.
• Reports beyond the basics.

When you compare prices, write down the monthly cost of the setup you actually need, with every add-on, not the starting price on the website.

3. Card payment fees: the biggest cost

For most takeaways, card fees cost more over a year than the hardware and software put together. There are two common ways to pay for them.

Flat rate. Providers such as Square, SumUp and Zettle charge a single rate for every card, around 1.69% to 1.75% for in-person payments, with no monthly fee. It's simple and good for smaller takings.

Interchange plus. Traditional merchant accounts pass on the actual cost of each card plus their own margin, often with a monthly fee. In the UK, interchange on consumer cards is capped at 0.2% for debit and 0.3% for credit, so if most of your customers pay by debit card, the all-in rate can come in well under 1.5%.

A worked example

Say your takeaway takes £8,000 a month on card.

• At 1.75%, you pay £140 a month, or £1,680 a year.
• At 1.2%, you pay £96 a month, or £1,152 a year.

That's over £500 a year saved, every year, from one number on a contract. Ask every provider for the full, all-in rate per card payment, including any monthly fee, terminal rental and minimum charge.

Card fees are under review

The Payment Systems Regulator found in 2025 that the market for card scheme and processing fees isn't working well for businesses, and in 2026 it confirmed new rules to make these fees clearer. It's worth checking your statement once a year: prices change, and switching provider is easier when your EPOS doesn't lock you into one.

4. The costs people forget

• Contract length and exit fees. A cheap monthly price on a 36-month contract can be expensive to leave.
• Card terminal leases. Some terminals come on a separate lease that lasts longer than the payment contract.
• Setup and menu entry. Adding a big menu with options and extras takes time. Ask whether it's done for you.
• Installation and training.
• Support hours. Check you can get help on a Friday night, and in your language.
• VAT. Hardware prices are often shown without VAT. Add 20%.

How to keep your EPOS costs down

1. Buy the hardware you need now, and add to it later.
2. Choose an EPOS that lets you keep your own card machine provider, so you can switch to a better rate without changing your till.
3. Use one system for the till and online orders, so you don't pay twice and don't retype your menu twice.
4. Avoid long contracts unless the saving is worth it.
5. Check your card rate every year.

Where GofoodPOS fits

GofoodPOS EPOS runs on Android tablets and Windows and shares one menu with your online ordering, so a change to a price shows on the till and your website at the same time. It handles counter, phone, collection, delivery and eat-in orders, with PIN logins, cash counts at the end of each shift, kitchen display screens, receipt printers and cash drawers.

Card payments at the till are recorded from your own card machine, so you choose your card provider and keep the rate you negotiate. Online orders have £0 commission and are paid into your own Stripe account. See our pricing for plans.

In short

An EPOS for a UK takeaway usually costs a few hundred pounds of hardware once, a monthly software fee, and a percentage of every card payment. The card rate matters most, so compare the all-in rate, avoid long contracts, and pick a system that lets you choose your own card provider.

If you'd like a quote for a till, printers and setup, talk to us in English or Chinese.