The Handpoint HiLite card machine is a portable card reader that pairs with your phone, tablet or laptop and takes contactless, Chip and PIN and swiped payments anywhere you trade. At eCom Pay you buy it outright with £0 minimum monthly billing, on rates agreed against your turnover and settled the next working day.
24 hrs
approval, once documents are in
150+
currencies processed
4.4
Trustpilot rating
2010
processing payments since
On this page Choosing well · The ownership model · Who it fits · The reader · Getting started · FAQs
The reader itself is only half the story. The offer behind it decides what you actually pay to take card payments, so here are the three lines we would check in any quote, and our answer to each.
Check your approval oddsOwnership decides what a terminal costs over its life, so it is the first thing to check in any quote. The HiLite answer is simple. You buy it once, outright, and it is yours from day one.
A minimum monthly billing charge sets an amount of transaction fees you must generate, or you pay the difference. It is the easiest line in any quote to miss. The HiLite comes with £0 minimum billing, whatever your month looks like.
How a rate is set matters as much as the number. Your rates with us are agreed against your actual turnover, then reviewed as your business grows, so your pricing always fits the business you actually are.
One line worth reading twice in any quote is the minimum monthly billing charge. It looks small, and it is worth understanding. A £15 monthly minimum means you need to generate £15 of transaction fees each month before the charge stops applying, and on an illustrative rate of 0.5% that is £3,000 of card sales, every single month, just to break even on it.
The HiLite comes with £0 minimum billing and one transparent monthly software fee covering your security and compliance, with nothing else sitting underneath. Whoever you are comparing, the question that cuts through every quote is the one we are happy to answer first. What do I pay in a quiet month?
The HiLite earns its keep fastest for businesses taking around £2,500 a month or more on card. At that level, rates sized to your real turnover and a fixed software fee work harder for you than a flat percentage on every sale, and the terminal you bought once keeps paying you back every month you trade.
Trading below that right now? We would still love to have you, and we will start you on whichever route fits best today. SoftPOS turns an NFC enabled Android phone into a card machine with nothing extra to buy, the Lightweight Virtual Terminal takes card and Pay by Link payments from any web browser, and the PAX A80 puts a countertop terminal with a built in receipt printer behind your counter. Your specialist talks it through with you, and the HiLite is ready the moment your volume is. Need the full Android touchscreen experience instead? See the PAX A920 Pro card machine.
The HiLite goes where you go. It lives in an apron pocket, a van dashboard or a market stall cash box, and it takes payment the moment a customer is ready, without dragging them back to a counter.
The HiLite connects over Bluetooth to your phone, tablet or laptop through the Handpoint app on Google Play and the App Store. It uses your device connection, so it works wherever you have signal or WiFi.
Contactless, Chip and PIN and swiped cards are all covered, along with Apple Pay and Google Pay from a tap. Whatever your customer pulls out of their pocket, the HiLite takes it.
Tipping options run on the reader itself, which makes the HiLite a natural fit for salons, taxis, hospitality and anywhere else a customer wants to add a little extra at the point of payment.
Refunds and reversals are handled through the same Handpoint app you take payments with, so putting something right for a customer takes moments rather than a support ticket.
Receipts go to the customer by email or text straight from the app. No paper roll to run out mid service, and a clean digital record on both sides of the counter.
Every payment is encrypted with its own unique key on PCI P2PE certified terminal software, so card data never sits on your phone or your laptop. Security is built into the hardware, not bolted on.
Fair. So here is what UK merchants say after switching to eCom Pay, in their own words.
It was such a pleasure working with eCom Pay for my company, very straightforward to set up and the team were so helpful. No hidden fees, cost efficient, and from using other platforms before I can say this has been the best so far.
Verified merchantvia Trustpilot
We found eCom Pay to be a simple, efficient payment system to integrate, with a lot of support behind it. Would recommend them over competitors who charge far too much.
Verified merchantvia Trustpilot
Great customer service from eCom Pay. Needed a card reader for my business, they had me set up fast and gave me better rates than the last company. Highly recommend.
Verified merchantvia Trustpilot
Super impressed with eCom Pay. The transaction fees are competitive, and I love that my customers have multiple payment options, which has noticeably improved my sales.
Verified merchantvia Trustpilot
Good service from eCom Pay. The card machines are reliable and easy to use. I like that there are no hidden fees and everything is explained upfront.
Verified merchantvia Trustpilot
Would highly recommend. Easy, simple, and always answers when I need help. The best payment gateway I have come across, with a wide variety of packages available.
Verified merchantvia Trustpilot
Four lines, stated up front, and nothing else. This is the whole commercial shape of owning a HiLite with eCom Pay.
Pay once and the HiLite is yours. No rental contract sitting behind the hardware, and no monthly line quietly recreating the cost of one.
There is no minimum billing or minimum service charge on the account. A quiet month costs you a quiet month, nothing more.
A single monthly software fee covers the security, compliance and updates that keep your reader certified and safe to trade on. It is set out in plain terms before you sign, never buried in the schedule.
Experienced underwriters handle your account personally, size your transaction rates to your real turnover rather than a category average, then review them as you grow.
Yes. At eCom Pay you buy the Handpoint HiLite outright, so the terminal is yours from day one. You pay one transparent monthly software fee covering security and compliance, and there is £0 minimum monthly billing on the account.
No. The HiLite comes with £0 minimum billing. A minimum billing charge means a set amount of transaction fees must be generated each month or the difference is paid. It is a line worth understanding in any card machine quote, and ours is the easiest answer there is. Zero.
It covers the security, compliance and software updates that keep your reader certified and safe to take payments on. It is one fixed line, set out in plain terms before you sign, and it is the only monthly charge attached to owning the terminal.
Over Bluetooth, to a phone, tablet or laptop running the Handpoint app from Google Play or the App Store. The transaction travels over your device connection, so the HiLite works anywhere you have mobile signal or WiFi, from a market stall to a customer doorstep.
Contactless, Chip and PIN and swiped cards, plus Apple Pay and Google Pay. Tipping runs on the reader, refunds are handled through the app, and receipts go to the customer digitally by email or text within seconds of the payment.
Your account is approved in 24 hours once your documents are in, because experienced underwriters handle it directly rather than leaving it in a queue. Your specialist confirms hardware delivery timing when you order, so you know exactly when you can start taking payments.
Settlement is paid into a UK bank account held in your business or trading name, with funds arriving the next working day. Our team will confirm exactly what underwriters need to see for your setup, whether you trade as a limited company, a partnership or a sole trader.
You are still in the right place. The HiLite works hardest for businesses taking around £2,500 a month or more on card. Below that, your specialist will usually start you on SoftPOS, the Lightweight Virtual Terminal or the PAX A80 instead, with the HiLite ready the moment your volume grows.
Yes. Every transaction is encrypted with its own unique key on PCI P2PE certified terminal software, which means card data is protected from the moment a card is tapped, inserted or swiped and never sits on your phone, tablet or laptop.
Written by the eCom Pay team. Reviewed August 2026. Last updated August 2026.
Experienced underwriters handle your application and guide you step by step, with approval in 24 hours once your documents are in. Then the HiLite is yours, with £0 minimum billing behind it.
Comparing your options? See all face to face card payments or the PAX A920 Pro.