Christmas card payments: a checklist for small businesses
Get your card payments ready for Christmas: what to do if the internet drops, when takings reach your bank over the bank holidays, staff logins and refunds, and checking your fees before your busiest month.
Before the Christmas rush, check four things: that your card machine can keep taking payments if the internet drops, when your takings will reach your bank over the bank holidays, that every member of staff (temporary help included) can use the till properly, and what you pay per transaction before your busiest weeks. An hour on this in early November costs far less than a queue of customers you can't take money from on a Saturday in December.
Photo: Bristol Christmas Market stall - November 2025 by Captain Galaxy, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Cards are now how most of your customers will pay. UK Finance's latest payments report found that debit cards made up 54% of all UK payments in 2025, while cash fell to 8%. Contactless payments, by card and phone, made up 39%. If your card machine stops working on a busy day, most of your takings stop with it.
What this means for your business
The busiest weeks put the most strain on the weakest part of your set-up. For most small businesses that is one of these:
- a single card machine relying on the shop wifi
- a battery that no longer lasts a full trading day
- staff who have never processed a refund or a split bill
- a fee plan chosen years ago, when the business was much smaller
Small Business Saturday falls on 5 December 2026. The bank holidays in England and Wales are Friday 25 December, Monday 28 December (the substitute day for Boxing Day) and Friday 1 January 2027.
How do I keep taking card payments if the internet goes down?
Find out whether your machine has an offline mode. The rules differ by provider and by device.
As an example, Square's UK help centre explains that its offline mode stores payments on the device and uploads them when the connection comes back. On Square Register, Terminal and Handheld, offline payments must be uploaded within 72 hours of the offline session starting. On Square Reader and Stand, you can take offline payments for 24 hours before you need to reconnect. Payments that aren't uploaded in time expire and can't be recovered.
There are conditions to know before you rely on it:
- You carry the risk. Square says the business is responsible for offline payments that are later declined, expire or are disputed, and you won't hear about declines until you reconnect.
- Not every payment works. Square says taps with physical contactless cards won't work offline, although Apple Pay and Google Pay taps can.
- Set a limit. You can set a maximum amount for each offline payment. Keep it close to your normal sale value.
Offline mode is a back-up, not a plan. A second way to connect, such as a machine with its own 4G SIM or a phone hotspot you have already tested, usually matters more.
When will my Christmas takings reach my bank?
Check your provider's payout schedule against the bank holidays. Square, for example, says its standard transfers arrive the next day, with weekend and holiday transfers available where your linked bank account can receive real-time payments. If you pay suppliers or wages around 25 December, 28 December or 1 January, make sure the money will be there in time.
A pre-Christmas checklist for card payments
- Test your connection where you actually take payments, and test the back-up (4G or a hotspot) before you need it.
- Check batteries. If a portable machine won't last a full day, order a replacement or a charging dock now.
- Order paper rolls and spares if your machine prints receipts.
- Set up logins for temporary staff and decide who can process refunds. Limiting refunds to a manager is a simple fraud control.
- Practise the awkward transactions: refunds, split bills, tips, gift vouchers and declined cards.
- Switch on and test offline mode if your device has it, and set a sensible offline limit.
- Check payout dates against your supplier and payroll dates over the bank holidays.
- Read your latest card statement so you know what you pay before your highest-volume month.
How we review a card statement before the busy season
When an owner asks us for a free card fee review, this is what we look at, in this order:
- The charges on each payment, split by card type where the statement shows it, so you can see what debit, credit, business and overseas cards each cost you.
- The fixed monthly charges: terminal rental, any minimum monthly charge, PCI compliance fees and any non-compliance fee.
- The contract: the end date, the notice period and any early exit fee, so you know whether changing now would cost more than it saves.
- The fit: whether the machines and the plan still suit how you trade, for example a counter shop compared with a market stall or an event that needs a mobile machine.
We then tell you plainly whether a change is worth making; sometimes it isn't. Any saving depends on your card mix, your volumes and your current contract, so we never promise one before we have seen your statement.
What if I need stock or cash before the takings come in?
Many owners buy stock in November and get paid in December. If that gap is tight, options include a business loan or revenue-based finance repaid from your card takings. Each has costs and conditions. Revenue-based finance usually costs more than a standard business loan, and any borrowing has to be repaid even if Christmas trading is slower than you hoped. Approval and terms depend on your trading history. Our guide to revenue-based finance explains how it works and when it doesn't suit.
Frequently asked questions
Can I take card payments without the internet?
Some card machines have an offline mode that stores payments and uploads them later. There are time limits, some card types won't work, and you usually carry the risk if a payment is later declined. Check your provider's rules.
Should I get a second card machine for Christmas?
If one machine is your only way to take card payments and you have busy peaks, a second machine or a tested back-up can be worth it. Compare the extra monthly cost with the takings you would lose if your only machine failed on a busy Saturday.
Is now a bad time to change card machine provider?
Switching in mid-December is risky, because staff are busy and there is little time to test. Reviewing your fees now is useful either way: you'll know what you pay, when your contract ends, and whether a switch makes sense in the new year.
Get ready before the rush
Send us your latest card statement and we'll show you what you are paying and whether a change makes sense: book a free card fee review. We can also help with card machines, Square POS setup and business finance.
Call or WhatsApp 07777 175890.
Jos Finserv Ltd (company no. 14560046) is an independent broker. For business finance we are a credit broker, not a lender, and we may receive commission from providers. Approval and terms depend on your trading history. No obligation.
Sources
Want us to look at your own numbers?
Tell us how to reach you and we will come back with what is actually available for a business like yours. We are paid by the provider, not by you, so this costs you nothing either way.
- We read your current statement and explain it in plain terms
- No obligation, and no pressure to move if you are already well placed
- One conversation, not a sequence of calls
Prefer to work it out yourself first? Use the card fee calculator, or check whether finance is worth exploring.
