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Hot Business News Today

10 card payment machines ideal for small business

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By Tim Adler on Small Business UK – Advice and Ideas for UK Small Businesses and SMEs

In an increasingly cashless society, if you don’t have card payment machines, you risk losing out on sales.

The 2025 UK Payment Markets report, found that debit card payments are by far the country’s most popular type, accounting for more than half of all payments (26.1 of 49 billion transactions) made in 2024, while 39% of all payments were made using contactless cards or mobiles. By contrast, less than 10% of all payments were made in cash.

Every one of the card payment machines on this page accepts debit, mobile and card payments. But there are differences in features, fees and upfront costs which will make some more or less suitable for your business than others.

This article will break down the hardware and functionality of the best card payment machines currently on the market to help you choose the one that’s right for you.

Card Payment Machine Reviews
Jump straight to a particular card machine or discover our full ranking of the 10 best card payment machines for small UK businesses in 2025.

Square Reader

Tide Card Reader

TakePayments

SumUp Air

Zettle Reader 2

MyPOS Go

Barclaycard Smartpay Anywhere

Tyl (by Natwest)

Shopify

Worldpay DX800

How much does a

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Microsoft Windows 10 support ends – here’s what you need to do now

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By Anna Jordan on Small Business UK – Advice and Ideas for UK Small Businesses and SMEs

As of October 14, Microsoft is wrapping up its support and it’s crucial that the estimated 46 per cent of people who still use Windows 10 take action.

“The end of Windows 10 support shouldn’t come as a surprise, yet many organisations remain unprepared. Planning gaps, legacy dependencies and budget constraints continue to delay migration, even where devices are technically capable of upgrading. Every day of delay increases risk and makes the transition harder,” said Dave Adamson, solutions director at Creative ITC.

Here’s what you should do now.

What’s changing for Microsoft 10?

There’ll be no new features for Microsoft 10, unless your device is enrolled in Extended Security Updates (ESU).

You’ll be much more vulnerable to attackers who can exploit vulnerabilities, gaining access to your business’ devices and data and infiltrate your machines to carry out more attacks.

However, Microsoft 365 apps will continue to receive security updates until October 2028 and feature updates up until August 2026. Technical support will not be provided.

Security intelligence updates for Microsoft Defender Antivirus will continue on Windows 10 to October 2028.  

What happens if I don’t act?

You’re at greater risk of

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Hot Business News Today

15 EPoS systems for restaurants and cafés

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By Anna Jordan on Small Business UK – Advice and Ideas for UK Small Businesses and SMEs

There have been some exciting developments in EPoS systems designed to optimise the management of hospitality businesses, including many specifically for restaurants of all types – from street food outlets to cafés to formal dining establishments.

A good restaurant EPoS system should help you manage and streamline all aspects of your business, from front of house to back of house. For example, EPoS systems can typically help you with handling reservations, taking and assigning orders, taking customer payments, cashflow, inventory management (stock levels and usage to reduce wastage), staff matters (such as scheduling and tracking labour costs) and kitchen management.

>See also: Opening a restaurant: The key ingredients to start-up success

The other key part of any hospitality PoS solution comes from the data it generates.

All the systems on offer provide business data and analytics, but the best EPoS systems for restaurants present you with reports that are easy to understand, as well as useful overviews of how each part of your business is performing.

Perhaps most important is the data that can help you with customer engagement and marketing. For example, tracking customer order history can help

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What is VoIP phone? Meaning and how it works

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By Henry Williams on Small Business UK – Advice and Ideas for UK Small Businesses and SMEs

They’re more cost-effective, flexible, and scalable, and they’re full of features that can help your business look and sound more professional. 

That aside, by January 2027, you may have no choice but to upgrade to VoIP, as many of the UK’s communications providers are due to complete the transition from analogue phone lines to digital.

In this article, we explain what VoIP is, how it works, the benefits and features, and how to choose the right VoIP provider.

What does VoIP mean?

VoIP is a modern alternative to a traditional landline, allowing you to make phone calls over a broadband internet connection rather than a phone socket. It’s as simple as that, but it opens up a whole world of communications not enabled by analogue systems.

What is VoIP?

Instead of relying on physical wires, VoIP systems convert your voice into digital data and send it over the internet. That data is then reassembled on the other end so the person you’re calling hears your voice, just like a standard phone call, only cheaper.

Many VoIP services also support video calls, text messaging, and team collaboration tools, making them far more

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Hot Business News Today

Cheapest card payment machines

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By Anna Jordan on Small Business UK – Advice and Ideas for UK Small Businesses and SMEs

Small businesses can define the cheapest card payment machines in a few different ways: by card reader price, subscription or monthly fees, and more.

Transaction fees can’t be forgotten here. If you process a high volume of sales, those transaction costs are going to add up. This is especially true for subscription services, digital downloads, online dropshipping and other high-volume businesses.

To help keep your costs down, here are some of the cheapest card readers on the market.

Square

Tide

Revolut

MyPOS

Dojo Go

Tyl by NatWest 

Barclaycard Anywhere

SumUp

Zettle

>See also: How to start a dropshipping business – What is dropshipping, what are the advantages and how do you start a dropshipping business?

Square

Device cost: £19Transaction fee: 1.75 per cent in-person payment

Features

Accept Apple Pay and Google Pay

Start accepting payments within minutes

Funds settled either next day or instantly for a small fee

Offline mode allows you to take transactions for up to 24 hours without an internet connection

The Square card reader is just £19. The standard transaction fee is 1.75%, though custom rates are available for businesses that take more than £200,000 in card sales. Fraud protection, payment dispute management and data protection is

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Top 5 virtual landline providers for small businesses

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By Anna Jordan on Small Business UK – Advice and Ideas for UK Small Businesses and SMEs

You may already be aware that traditional landlines will be no more from January 31, 2027.

Perhaps you’ve been shopping around for virtual landline providers already and feel overwhelmed by the features on a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) system. This is especially true if you’re a sole trader who doesn’t need excessive embellishments. That’s where a virtual landline could come in handy. This is a pared back system which gives you the basics.

In this article we’ll be looking at five of the UK’s top virtual landline providers and what they offer.

Virtual Landline

bOnline

Vonage

Dialpad

RingCentral

What is the difference between a virtual landline and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP)?

As we’ve touched on, VoIP systems tend to have more features than virtual landlines, such as video calls for unlimited users and meeting transcription.

Virtual landlines, meanwhile, are a type of VOIP that provide businesses with a virtual phone number that can be used to forward calls to any device, including smartphones and laptops. Your phone number is linked to your business account rather than your physical location and, in most cases, you can choose your own virtual number.

Here are five

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Hot Business News Today

7 HR software tools ideal for small business

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By Anna Jordan on Small Business UK – Advice and Ideas for UK Small Businesses and SMEs

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The case for HR software tools has grown as more businesses shift towards a hybrid or remote working model.

Plus, having HR software tools in place can help to increase productivity, provide working insights, more benefits for employees.

An HR tool – also known as HR management tool – can mean a whole platform or it can be one component such as recruitment or absence management software.

Maciek Kubiak, head of people at PhotoAiD, simply uses a recruitment platform. “It is useful for conducting pre-employment tests for potential candidates,” he told Small Business. “It makes the recruitment process quicker and more effective. Plus, it is easy to use and permits to save time and focus on valuable applications, managing talent more efficiently.”

For the purposes of this article, we’ll be looking at platforms which provide multiple HR functions.

In this article we’ll cover:

 

Which software to choose?

Paid-for or free software?

Cloud-based or on-site software?

The top 7 HR software providers for small business

HR software comparison – what features do they offer?

Next steps

>See also: A guide to outsourcing HR

Which HR

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Hot Business News Today

Top 6 CRM software providers for UK small businesses

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By Nick Ismail on Small Business UK – Advice and Ideas for UK Small Businesses and SMEs

Customer relationship management (CRM) tools have become essential for almost all modern businesses in all industries and sectors – and there is now a wide range of vendors to choose from. The key for potential buyers is to find the right match for their company’s needs.

To help you with this significant investment, check out this list of the top 6 CRM software providers for UK small businesses.

Salesforce

Cloud-based and highly scalable

Built-in AI features

30-day free trial

Salesforce is a powerful CRM built for businesses planning to grow. It supports custom dashboards, integrates with tools like Office 365 and Google Apps, and offers advanced features for managing sales and service. While its flexibility and scale are strong points, smaller teams might find it overwhelming and costly.

Pricing (per user/month):

Starter: £20

Pro: £80

30-day free trial

Discover Salesforce

Creatio

Combines sales, marketing, and service tools

No-code customisation

AI-powered insights

Creatio is ideal for fast-growing businesses that want full control over processes. It offers a no-code platform to automate and customise workflows across departments. It’s great for teams looking for unified data, strong analytics, and advanced features—though it can be complex at first.

Pricing (per user/month):

Growth: £20

Enterprise: £45

Unlimited: £70

Discover Creatio

Monday.com

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Hot Business News Today

The 6 best VOIP providers for small businesses

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By Henry Williams on Small Business UK – Advice and Ideas for UK Small Businesses and SMEs

The prevalence of remote working looks set to be the pandemic’s most enduring legacy. And with that comes the need for crystal clear communication between teams and with customers, whether in the office or not.

VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) is the perfect solution for scattered teams. Not only does it allow you to make voice and video calls through your broadband connection, but it also offers a plethora of features that can streamline operations and boost productivity.

What is VoIP?VoIP stands for Voice over Internet Protocol, a technology that allows you to transmit voice and video calls through your internet connection. This means you don’t have to rely on a traditional phone network or physical copper wires, which makes it much more cost-effective to set up and operate than a landline phone. VoIP also has other advantages over landlines, including improved audio quality, advanced features like auto attendant and call recording, and much lower rates on international calls.

But with dozens of providers to choose from, how do you decide which one is best for you? We’ve compared the competition to bring you our pick of the

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Hot Business News Today

How to compare business broadband deals

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By Nathaniel Dalby on Small Business UK – Advice and Ideas for UK Small Businesses and SMEs

The internet is so integrated into your daily business life that it can be easy to take it for granted and just sign up for any old broadband package that gets you online. But with how competitive the UK broadband market is, it’s always worth taking the time to research what’s out there.

In this guide, we’ll take you through everything you need to consider when comparing business broadband.

Think about your broadband priorities

It’s easy sign up to the first broadband deal that meets your requirements, but remember that every business will have specific needs and priorities. For example, think about how the industry you’re in and the nature of your operations influence your online needs. Use this checklist to figure out the type of service you need:

1. How does your business use broadband?

If you’re a sole trader with a website, you won’t need as robust broadband as someone with several employees who all need to access the internet at the same time. For example, browsing the web and sending emails only really requires between 1 and 5 Mbps, whereas streaming 4K video will need

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