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Tide Card Reader Plus vs Barclaycard Flex: Which Is Better In 2025?


Last Updated: 20 May 2025
Reviewed By: Ian Wright (Managing Director)

Is the Tide Card Reader Plus vs Barclaycard Flex better for your UK small business?

We compare both machines based on real user reviews, prices and what features they each offer.

You can also find our comparison of all the best card machines here.

Tide Card Reader Plus homepageBarclaycard Flex homepage

Tide Card Reader Plus vs Barclaycard Flex: The Basics

Tide Card Reader PlusBarclaycard Flex
Payment Company NameTideBarclaycard
Machine TypeMobile POSCard Machine
Where To Buy It?Click Here To Buy The Tide Card Reader PlusClick Here To Buy The Barclaycard Flex

Tide Card Reader Plus vs Barclaycard Flex: Which Is Cheaper

Below we compare the cost of buying the Tide Card Reader Plus compared to the Barclaycard Flex and how much each charge you to use them.

You can also see if either qualify as one of the 7 Cheapest Card Readers.

Tide Card Reader Plus pricingBarclaycard Flex pricing
Tide Card Reader PlusBarclaycard Flex
Price For The Machine (excluding VAT)£79Monthly Rental Fee
Minimum Monthly FeeNone£15
Standard Debit Card Transaction Fee1.50%1.60%
Standard Credit Card Transaction Fee1.50%1.60%
Amex Card FeeNo1.60%
Standard Card Not Present Fee1.50%1.60%
Contract RequiredNoYes
Minimum Transaction Amount£5No
How Soon Can You Get Your Money1-3 business daysNext Banking Day
Data taken from each company’s website

Tide Card Reader Plus vs Barclaycard Flex Reviews

Does the Tide Card Reader Plus or the Barclaycard Flex have better reviews? We compare Trustpilot, iPhone and Android app reviews below.

Tide Card Reader PlusBarclaycard Flex
Trustpilot Rating4.21.3
Number of Trustpilot Reviews18,0903,158
iPhone App Rating4.8No Rating
Number of iPhone Reviews64,800No Reviews
Android App Rating3.9No Rating
Number of Android Reviews16,200No Reviews

Tide Card Reader Plus vs Barclaycard Flex Accepted Cards

Both the Tide Card Reader Plus and Barclaycard Flex accept standard debit and credit cards issued by Visa and Mastercard. But do they accept other card types? We compare below:

Tide Card Reader PlusBarclaycard Flex
Accept VisaYesYes
Accept MastercardYesYes
Accept AmexNoYes
Accept Apple PayYesYes
Accept Google PayYesYes
Accept Union PayNoYes
Accept JCBNoYes
Accept DiscoverNoYes

Tide Card Reader Plus vs Barclaycard Flex Features


Tide Card Reader Plus
Barclaycard Flex
Mobile Phone RequiredNoNo
Built-In PrinterYesYes
Touch ScreenYesNo
Take Phone PaymentsYesYes
Take Online PaymentsYesYes
Business Bank Account IncludedYesNo

Tide Card Reader Plus Features

Tide Card Reader Plus features

  • Robust and reliable, for taking frequent payments
  • Lifetime FREE 4G conneInitiate payments from the device or the Tide appctivity
  • Paper and email receipts

Barclaycard Flex Features

Barclaycard Flex features

  • Take payments in store or on-the-go using chip and PIN or contactless
  • Virtual payments over the phone and by post
  • Switches between Bluetooth, GPRS, Wi-Fi and mobile data networks
  • Flexible pricing
  • Accept up to 700 sales a day on a full charge
  • Lightweight yet durable 320g

Click Here To Buy The Tide Card Reader PlusClick Here To Buy The Barclaycard Flex

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Tide Card Reader Plus vs PAX A50 Tyl by NatWest

Disclaimer: Businessfinancing.co.uk is a business finance and lending research and information website publisher. We are not a lender, bank, broker and/or other financial institution and as such we are not authorised or regulated by the FCA to offer financial advice. We can't recommend any of the products and/or services featured on the site. Companies are ranked in no particular order and higher ranking does not imply one company is better than another. We work with FCA authorised and regulated firms who may pay us a commission for referring you to them but this has no impact on our content and helps keep this website free to use.



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