POS & EPOS Systems FAQ

Well, the words “Point of Sale" or another version "Point of Purchase", are commonly referred to as POS for card payments at the till, and that’s what it stands for, your information and thought for the day.

An EPOS system or digital POS is a system that basically runs the shop or supermarket, or any small retail store with smart software. It can tell when items are purchased, when staff change over tills and counts the cash and card transactions. EPOS is a very clever piece of software and it's getting much more sophisticated with AI integration and could one day lower shoplifting to very minimal by changing bar codes from purchased to non-purchased items.

This is a question that comes around every day as people and business owners want to know what the difference from POS and EPOS. Okay, POS is a basic card payment solution combining hardware (a card machine) and software for taking customers' money. An EPOS, or Electronic Point of Sale, is a very handy tool with more analytics and data for when products are purchased in-store and tracking everything that happens at the till.

There’s a big difference. A cash register takes cash primarily, with no electronic way to take card payments. Small shops or cash-only shops prefer a basic cash register. Now EPOS is a whole different ball game with all the bells and whistles with handy till hardware and till software that help business owners keep the business running just nicely.

You need a constant internet connection for any POS or EPOS to work properly, and sometimes a dedicated line, which is costly, but mostly for big supermarket chains. It handles all card transactions from chip and pin, security and fraud prevention and prints out receipts for customers. The systems also handle stock and sales, and know which member of staff is on shift.

There are loads of benefits to using POS/EPOS system for UK businesses. From the business owners stance, he/she can view daily sales figures, and they can check if restocking is going to plan. The systems are great for keeping the numbers right for HMRC (VAT) and keeping a careful eye over staff when mistakes happen.

In 2026 and beyond, every business is going that way as cash only is becoming less and less every year. The suitability ranges for small and large retail businesses and the hospitality industry heavily rely on card processor's – to barber shops, salons and cafes. Other shops such as corner shops / newsagents, butchers, greengrocers, bakeries, fishmongers, off-licences, chemists or pharmacies. And even the local Post Office (counter in a shop), charity shops and the local delicatessen (deli). So every type of business, really, from small startups to multi-site UK chains.

Yes, you name it, every industry you can think of, from the hotel in the city centre to the back street convenience store. Clubs and pubs, local bars and Wetherspoons, so all industries can utilise POS/EPOS systems. EPOS software is bespoke for different industries like table mapping for hospitality or promotions for shops.

Okay, the hardware can be costly from £400 to £500 right up to £4000 including VAT. Then you’ll have a monthly charge for some busy businesses and then ongoing card transaction charges from 0.1%–3.5% and upwards. We can’t give you an accurate pricing on costs because we don’t know what you need yet - get a quote here and find out.

With the financial market fully regulated in the UK, hidden fees usually do not come into play as the terms of service will be spoken to you when you set up your EPOS system. All charges will be explained, fully.

The usual suspects, Mastercard and Visa are the primary cards, then you have other cards like American Express and Amex. Contactless pay through Apple/Google Pay is the preferred way to pay on mobile. Surcharges are banned since 2018.

You have a few from Google Wallet, Apple Wallet pay with chip & pin and contactless transactions up to £100 at any POS till. And QR and online payment links from Paypal and other merchants are also payment methods.

The customer adds items, then displays their card, you open your app and press the checkout tab or if you have a till in store it’s the same - and approved or declined.

An integrated card machine connects directly to your till/POS software, automatically sending the exact sale total to the terminal and recording the payment confirmation back in the till, eliminating double entry and minimising errors.

Second, we have the standalone card machine or the small card machine you can put in your pocket or use for mobile payments. It’s a separate device and you have to input the total amount, say £15.77, manually, then reconciling the payment on your app. This way errors can happen if not careful.

It depends on the way you have same day payments set up like on the SumUp app. You might choose to receive the payments in 1 or 2 days or have it sent to you within a few hours on the SumUp app. There may be weekend delays with other providers.

Not really, because you need an internet connection or mobile data to connect and process your customers' card payments. If you don’t have a signal or want to take the payment later on, you can advise the customer that you will send them a payment link to their phone for payment when you get back to the office or back home.

Refunds are easy and you’ll see it on your app when your account is set up. When you have a payment from a customer, you’ll see Refund This Payment next to the amount. It’s easy, you’ll get the hang of it. Make sure consumer rights policies are met when issuing refunds.

If you have a high-street shop, you’ll probably need a POS till with the card reader at the side for taking payments. If you have a till already you may only need a small £35 card reader. Or set up your iPad, iPhone or Android device for taking card payments.

Full till systems can cost a pretty penny, ranging from £35 to £200 for a card reader. Or you could see prices from £300 up to £3,500 for an EPOS system, and it could cost more depending on your requirements for the business. There may be rental options to get started selling faster if you ask.

If hardware is costly providers like Square and SumUp provide rental options. The only thing about rental options is that you’ll be paying that monthly charge for the lifetime of your business, compared to buying the hardware outright.

Most POS printers work by connecting via Bluetooth to your card reader and other hardware. You can also connect POS scales and POS scanner via Bluetooth/WiFi also. The mobile setups is easy and you’ll be fine getting started.

Both, depending on what you go for. Cloud POS or cloud EPOS systems are generally more expensive but more reliable for the big players out there. Cloud EPOS comes with remote access, auto-updates and reliable backups. Local (on-premise) needs no internet connection but less flexible. Cloud dominates modern UK systems.

The whole purpose of POS and EPOS systems are to manage inventory and stock level so reordering is easy. Choose from real-time stock tracking and low-stock alerts, to supplier orders and for bigger businesses - multi-location support.

You definitely need reporting and analytics with any card processing software as standard measures. With analytics, you can see sales reports and sales peak times for best sellers, sold for discounting etc. Control staff performance, and it gives you VAT-ready exports for HMRC.

When it comes to customer data a EPOS system or a basic POS system will track customers spending habits (points, discounts) and can offer you ways to sell (CRM integration) them more - so yes. And it can offer GDPR compliance for UK data handling.

If you are an early bird and you get the ball rolling in the morning, your software and account can be set up within a few hours. Your account information and app download details will be sent to you by email and to start taking payments - just use your iPad or iPhone to get started. Big jobs for supermarkets and so forth can take weeks to set up. And then you have training time.

At UKLI Compare you can get a quote from this page and get the ball rolling. Once you outline and sign-up and pick a POS hardware choice, that’s it. Once you get everything through the post (usually the next working day) working the card reader and training yourself to do a card payment is very easy.

You will see that POS and EPOS providers do have real guides for you to follow and so do we at UKLI. Most providers have options: phone/email, 24/7 and on-site UK-based support.

The most common and best accounting software integrations are Xero and QuickBooks and then Sage for auto-sync sales and HMRC VAT numbers. So yes you can.

If you have a Stripe account, Stripe make it easy to going with selling online by sync with Shopify. Other merchants like WooCommerce and SumUp offer free e-commerce websites and make taking payments online available too. So, yes you have loads of options.

A business with multiple stores can have the same company provide them with a good POS/EPOS system on the same account for more than one location. So, yes you can.

Security is at the heart of card processors procedure. Customers come first that way, and security is very tight. You’ll have no major concerns about security because you’ll be keeping an eye on transactions as they come in on fraud alert anyway. All reputable UK POS/EPOS providers must meet this standard.

Compliance is something the merchant (provider) takes care of. When it comes to card data security and fines for non-compliance, most providers handle it for you.

If they open an account for you and you receive the card by post and you're given an account number and sort code - they are GDPR compliant. Providers handle customer data and consent for loyalty and secure storage if needed.

In the real world the answer to that is no. Card transactions usually need some sort of internet connection for functionality in cloud systems, some do cache transactions.

Keep a backup internet option with two networks, like O2 and Vodafone, whichever network gives you the better signal where you work. Planning ahead is the key, and if you have no network available whatsoever, tell the customer you’ll send them a payment link later on.

Most providers offer very good warranties, and to be honest, POS and EPOS till hardware is generally well-made and one of the only pieces of tech that is made to last compared to consumer hardware. There are rugged hardware options for hospitality.

When you buy the hardware, you have a 30-day return policy on all hardware purchases and a good 1-year warranty. You may be offered extended warranties on certain hardware.

Most providers don’t charge per staff member login and offer unlimited staff logins. But some do for larger companies that need advanced permissions for certain managers to process refunds and other general processes.

Sure, they can, and they should, for different levels of trust within your business. You can override role-based permissions for a cashier vs a senior manager's refunds.

Once you get the hang of it, you’ll be off and running, making changes and customisation like your mobile phone or iPad. Don’t stress, it really is simple, and when you get stuck, you’ll have support to help you via online chat or email.

You should be looking for things like how easy the system and software are to use, so your 13-year-old could work around it. Also, make sure that you understand your card fees percentages. And get a rundown of hardware integrations like printer, scanner and tills and make sure that a good support team is on hand. Most providers handle scalability as you grow, adding extra tills, or other hardware or set up a new location.

This is a good question because this is the best way to get going as soon as your account number and sort code is generated. Look for your welcome email, download the app, and you're away, taking card payments like a pro.

Most of them integrate with most hardware setups in the UK. Companies like Worldpay and Opayo are options for you. Also, Paymentsense and Takepayments are an option or in-app like Square. So, don’t worry about that!

Yes, of course you can, nothing is forced on you, POS and EPOS are highly regulated, and you can play about with it and see if it’s for you. If it’s not, you can close your account down safely. Most UK providers offer free demos/virtual trials.

Oh, chargebacks are something you don’t want to see and should be handled right away. Get it and ask why the chargeback was even submitted. You can sort it out with the customer before the chargeback even gets disputed. Keep all data and communication for your customer and the card processor, because you probably will need it.

Security and fraud protection are handled in a very strict way according to the Financial Ombudsman Service. When a fraud complaint is raised against you, stop and sort it out, or it could mean the end of your business and account closure. You do have built-in tools and a system of in-app alerts with EMV chip compliance, reducing liability.

This feature has been pushed hard by the banks over the last few years. You probably have seen an ad on TV about splitting the bill when you're out for dinner or lunch. It’s a highlight in EPOS hospitality and features table splitting and service charge addition.

If you want to earn more, and make sure you grab every customer that walks through your doors - absolutely. Most providers offer a free business account, like SumUp or Mettle. Even solopreneurs benefit from mobile options.