Business guide
3 Card Machines for Hair Stylists in South Africa (2026)
Rent a chair or do house calls? Three card machines that pay into your own account, work wherever you do hair and cost little in a quiet month.
Some links here are referral links, and where a provider gives our readers a better price than its own site, that is the price you get by using one. It costs you nothing extra, and every option here is judged on the same test either way.
When you rent a chair in someone else's salon, or do hair in your clients' homes, you're your own business. But when a client taps their card on the salon's machine, the money goes into the salon owner's account, and you wait for the owner to pay you.
So the card machine you want is one that pays your clients' money, their tips and their deposits into your own account, works wherever you're doing hair, and costs nothing in a quiet month. The fee on each sale matters too, but only after those.
This guide is for chair renters, mobile and home-based hairdressers, braiders and barbers who work for themselves. If you own the salon, or you work there on commission, the salon's machine is the right one, and the salon guide is for you.
I've only included Yoco, iKhokha and WAPPoint, because one person can sign up with each in their own name, they pay into your own bank account, and each machine runs on its own SIM and battery.
Why the salon's card machine isn't yours
On a Yoco machine the owner can give you a staff profile with your own PIN, so your sales and tips are recorded under your name. But the money still goes to the bank account of whoever holds the Yoco account, and Yoco says that must be in their own name. iKhokha asks for the payout account in the business's name too.
So you're paid when the owner pays you, less whatever you agreed. That's fine on commission. When you rent the chair, it means your money sits in someone else's account.
You don't need a registered company or a business account to change that. Sign up as a Sole proprietorA business owned and run by one person in their own name, also called a sole trader. There's no separate company in law: the business and the owner are the same person, so its contracts and bank account are in the owner's name, and it has no CIPC registration number. Card machine companies such as Yoco sign one up with the owner's ID and a personal bank account.When you rent a chairYou sign up with Yoco using your own ID and your personal bank account, with no company registration. Your clients' card payments then go into that account, not the salon's.A business owned and run by one person in their own name, also called a sole trader. There's no CIPC registration and no separate company in law, so the contracts and the bank account are yours. A stylist working for themselves without registering a company is one.See every term in the glossary and Yoco pays a personal account in your name at any South African bank. iKhokha signs up sole traders too, and WAPPoint wants company papers only if you've registered. Our sole-trader guide lists the documents.
What you need from a card machine when you work for yourself
Add working in a chair or lounge that isn't yours, and there are four things to check, most important first.
Pays into your own account
Your clients' card payments, tips and deposits settle into an account in your name, at the bank you already use.
On the salon's machine they land with the owner, and you wait to be paid outWorks wherever you do hair
Its own SIM and battery, so it needs no Wi-Fi password or plug point in a salon or a client's home.
The Wi-Fi in a rented chair or a client's lounge isn't yours to rely onCosts nothing in a quiet month
No rental or monthly fee, or one small enough that a slow month doesn't swallow it.
Your bookings rise and fall, and a fixed charge is due either wayThe money in time for chair rent and stock
Card payments in your bank by the next morning, or sooner, when rent or hair stock is due.
They come out of your own pocketHow the three measure up
All three run on their own SIM and battery. Where they differ is whose name the account's in, what a slow month costs and how soon you're paid.
| Requirement | Yoco Khumo 2, R699 | iKhokha iK Flyer Lite, R699 | WAPPoint SquarePOS RX, R189 a month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pays into your own account | A personal account in your name, any bank | An account in the business's name; GoTyme in yours with the iK Debit Card | Company papers only if registered; any bank, any type of account |
| Works wherever you do hair | Up to 18 hours; SIM data at no extra cost | All-day battery; two SIMs at R75 a month | All-day battery; a Vodacom or MTN SIM in the rental |
| Costs nothing in a quiet month | R0 a month on Yoco's Core plan | R75 for the SIM unless you're on Wi-Fi, R2.50 a payout | R239 a month below R15 000 on card |
| The money in time for chair rent and stock | By 8am next day with Fast Payout, Sundays too | Same day on Nedbank or the iK Debit Card | 1-2 business days, five days a week |
← scroll the table sideways on a narrow screen →
For most stylists the first and third columns decide it, and the Khumo 2 clears both in full. If you're a sole trader who needs the money the same day, iKhokha is the cheaper way to get it. Their own SIM and battery also help all three in a power cut.
Capitec isn't in the table because its card machine pays only into a Capitec account. If you already bank there, it can pay your Capitec personal account, and Capitec vs Yoco compares the two.
Adumo names hair salons among the businesses it serves, but it doesn't say it signs up sole traders, so it suits the salon owner more than the stylist. If you've registered a company, ask Adumo for a quote.
The Yoco Khumo 2, for most stylists
For most stylists who work for themselves, this is the one to get, because it clears all four. The Khumo 2 is R699, and Yoco takes R100 off that if you use the discount link here, and on Yoco CoreYoco's standard plan, and the one almost every small business is on. It costs R0 a month, charges 2.30% excluding VAT per local card sale, and includes unlimited mobile data on the machine's multi-network SIM at no extra cost. Instant Payout costs a flat R17.25 for a payout under R1 000 and 1.5% above that on Core, for up to R10 000, once a day.On a R450 wash, cut and blow-dryCore's fee on a R450 card payment is R10.35 plus VAT. There's no monthly charge on top, so a week with few bookings costs you nothing to keep the machine.Core is Yoco's free plan and the one most small businesses start on. There's no monthly fee, the point-of-sale software is included, and the fee is 2.30% excluding VAT on local cards up to R50 000 a month. Plus (R249 a month) and Pro (R499) lower the fee and add tools.See every term in the glossary there's nothing to pay monthly, just 2.30% Excluding VATThe rate before 15% VAT is added, which is how almost every South African provider quotes. A rate of 2.30% excl. VAT actually bills you 2.645%, so two quotes are only comparable once you know which basis each is on.On a R450 card payment2.30% excluding VAT is R10.35, and with 15% VAT on top Yoco keeps R11.90 of the R450. iKhokha and WAPPoint quote their fees the same way.Card machine fees in South Africa are quoted before VAT, and what actually leaves your sale is the fee plus 15%. If you're VAT-registered you claim that VAT back; if not, add 15% to every fee in this guide.See every term in the glossary a sale.
Switch tipping on in the Yoco app and the Khumo 2 asks each client for a tip, paid out with the sale. Yoco's beauty page says deposits aren't built in, so for a deposit before a long appointment you send a Payment linkA web link you send by WhatsApp, SMS or email. Whoever opens it pays by card on their phone, and the money reaches you the way a card machine payment does. Yoco and iKhokha both include payment links at no monthly cost; you pay a fee on each payment, which can differ from the card machine's (iKhokha's online rate is 2.85% excluding VAT, checked 21 October 2026).A deposit before a long appointmentYou book a client in for box braids on Saturday and send a R200 deposit link by WhatsApp on Wednesday. On Yoco's Core plan that costs R7.90 plus VAT, going by Yoco's help centre, paid into your account within two business days.A web link for a set amount that you send to a client by WhatsApp, SMS or email. They open it and pay by card on their phone, with no card machine needed, and the money is paid out to the account the link belongs to.See every term in the glossary from the Yoco app, and the money arrives within two business days.
Yoco's help centre lists 2.95% plus R2 excluding VAT a link payment on Core, while its online-payments page says 2.55% to 2.95%, so I'd budget on the higher one. The salon guide works out what a deposit saves you.
The appointment diary comes with Yoco PlusYoco's middle plan at R249 a month per location. It is the tier that carries appointment management, a built-in loyalty programme and multi-location management, and it lowers the card rate to 2.10% excluding VAT on local debit up to R50,000 a month. Nothing on Core is taken away to make it; Plus adds. The plan above it is Pro at R499 a month. Yoco's pricing page lists free fast payouts on Pro, while its Instant Payout page charges 1% on Pro. Check with Yoco which applies before you choose Pro for that reason.For a stylist on their ownAt R18 000 a month on card, Plus's lower debit fee saves at most R36 against Core, by our sums. So the diary has to be worth the rest of the R249 to you.Yoco's middle plan at R249 a month per location, with 30 days free. It adds appointment management, a loyalty programme and more than one location, and lowers the fee to 2.10% on local debit cards up to R50 000 a month.See every term in the glossary at R249 a month. Its help centre puts bookings on the Counter or the Yoco POS App rather than the handhelds, though its beauty page says the Counter and the Khumo both run the full point of sale. Either way, buy on Core and decide on the diary later.
If your chair rent's due on a set day, Yoco Fast PayoutYoco's next-morning payout, switched on in the Yoco app. Each day's card sales reach your bank account by 8am the next day, seven days a week, Sundays and public holidays included. It costs 0.75% plus VAT on the Core plan (at least R7.50), 0.50% on Plus, and Yoco says it's free on Pro for now. It's a different product from Instant Payout, which pays within minutes when you ask.On a R400 card day0.75% of R400 is R3, so Yoco charges its R7.50 minimum, by our sums. That's worth it the night before chair rent's due, and less so every day of the week.Yoco's next-morning payout, switched on in the Yoco app. Each day's card sales reach your bank by 8am the next day, seven days a week. It costs 0.75% plus VAT on Core (at least R7.50), 0.50% on Plus, and Yoco says it's free on Pro for now. Instant Payout is a different product, paid within minutes when you ask.See every term in the glossary has the day's card sales in your bank by 8am the next morning, seven days a week, for 0.75% plus VAT on Core. Yoco charges at least R7.50 a payout, though, so on a small day the minimum is what you pay.
Yoco Khumo 2
Pays a personal account in your name, up to 18 hours of battery, data included, tips on the machine. 2.30% a sale and R0 a month on Core.
My quick review of the Khumo 2, for a stylist who works for themselves
For most small businesses this is where I'd start. It's R699 once and nothing monthly on Yoco's free Core plan, with 4G data included, and the fee is 2.30% excluding VAT on a local card sale. Payouts are free in one to two business days, or by 8am the next day with Fast Payout. It doesn't print, so receipts go by SMS or email. The full Khumo 2 review goes through it in detail.
Where it stands out
- Built-in 4G with unlimited data, and Wi-Fi, at no extra cost
- Up to 18 hours on one charge
- Tips, split bills, refunds and staff profiles on the machine
- Delivered free in up to 3 days, or collected from over 300 stores
Buy it if
- You want the lowest cost to own, with nothing to pay monthly
- Receipts by SMS or email suit your customers
Skip it if
- Customers expect a printed slip: the Khumo Print 2 prints
- Customers ask you for airtime or electricity, which iKhokha's machines sell
If you skip it, the best alternative
The same R699, and it sells prepaid, but its fee is 2.75% against Yoco's 2.30%, and data costs R75 a month where Yoco's is included.
Read our full iKhokha reviewThe plans
You pay for the Khumo 2 once: R699 for the machine, or R599 with the R100 off Yoco gives through the discount links on this page. After that, the plan you choose decides two things, what you pay each month and what Yoco takes from each card sale. Most small businesses stay on Core, which costs nothing a month. The paid plans lower the fee a little and add tools, so pick one for the tools rather than the saving.
Core
R0a month
What you get
- 2.30% on local cards, up to R50 000 a month
- 1.35% on local debit cards above R50 000
- Yoco POS, payment links and invoices
- Payouts to any bank, free in 1 to 2 business days
Terms
- International cards 3.20%
- Instant Payout 1.5%, minimum R17.25
- Fast Payout, by 8am the next day, 0.75%, minimum R7.50
The plan to start on, and the one most people stay on.
Plus
R249a month per shop
What you get
- 2.10% on local debit, 2.20% on credit, up to R50 000
- A loyalty programme at checkout
- Appointment bookings
- More than one shop on one account
Terms
- 30 days free
- International cards 3.10%
On fees alone it saves R100 a month at R50 000 in debit sales, so choose it for loyalty or bookings.
Pro
R499a month per shop
What you get
- 1.95% on local debit, 2.15% on credit, up to R50 000
- Fast Payout by 8am, free for now
- Table-side ordering
- Advanced staff permissions and accounting links
Terms
- 30 days free
- International cards 3.05%
Built for restaurants that take orders at the table.
Prices and plans from yoco.com on 21 Oct 2026. Plan fees are per location and exclude VAT; card fees are on local cards up to R50 000 a month.
Buy it if you move between a rented chair and clients' homes, or your card sales change from month to month.
So where does iKhokha fit in?
If you need your money the same day, iKhokha is the cheaper way to get it. Yoco's Instant Payout is same-day too, but it's 1.5% on Core. iKhokha's free iK Debit Card pays into a GoTyme Bank EveryDay accountA free personal transaction account from GoTyme Bank, a South African digital bank. It is not an iKhokha product: you open it yourself in the GoTyme app, then list it on your iKhokha profile as your payout account. It is the only account iKhokha's same-day iK Debit Card pays into. iKhokha also pays Nedbank customers twice a day, the same day, with no GoTyme account involved.When chair rent's due on FridayList it on your iKhokha profile with the iK Debit Card, and Friday morning's card payments can be in it on Friday afternoon, in time to pay the rent.A free personal transaction account from GoTyme Bank, a South African digital bank, opened yourself in the GoTyme app. It isn't an iKhokha product, but it's the account behind iKhokha's iK Debit Card, which only sole traders can get.See every term in the glossary in your name twice a day, for R2.50 a payout, so R5 a day. Only sole traders can get the card. That rules out a registered company, but most stylists working in their own name are sole traders.
A Nedbank account gets the same twice-a-day payout without the card, and FNB or Absa accounts are paid the next business day.
The iK Flyer Lite is also R699, and iKhokha gives you 10% off with any discount link in this guide. It accepts tips and runs all day on two SIMs, and for deposits iKhokha's iK Pay Link charges 2.85% excluding VAT, paid out in 24 to 48 hours.
It costs more to run than the Khumo 2. The fee is 2.75% a sale up to R40 000 a month, the SIM data is R75 a month unless you work on Wi-Fi, and every payout is R2.50. iKhokha also says the Lite can't do refunds yet.
iKhokha iK Flyer Lite
Twice-a-day payouts with the iK Debit Card or a Nedbank account, tips on the machine, two SIMs. 2.75% a sale.
My quick review of the iK Flyer Lite, for a stylist who needs the money the same day
If customers often ask you for airtime or electricity, this is the machine that turns those requests into extra sales. It costs the same R699 as the Khumo 2 and sells prepaid airtime, electricity and gaming vouchers on the spot. The catch is the running cost: 2.75% excluding VAT a sale, and R75 a month for its SIMs unless you work on Wi-Fi. It's small and lasts all day, so it suits market stalls, food trucks and deliveries. The iKhokha review covers it in full.
Where it stands out
- Sells prepaid airtime, electricity and gaming vouchers
- Two SIM cards, and Wi-Fi
- An all-day battery
- A 30-day money-back guarantee
Buy it if
- Customers ask you for airtime or electricity
- You sell at markets, from a food truck or on deliveries
Skip it if
- You need printed receipts: the iK Flyer prints
- Some customers still pay by the card's stripe: it takes tap and chip only
If you skip it, the best alternative
The same R699, with a lower fee per sale (2.30% against 2.75%) and data included. The iK Flyer Lite sells prepaid airtime and electricity, and its SIMs cost R75 a month.
Read our full Khumo 2 reviewPrices from ikhokha.com on 21 Oct 2026; the struck price is iKhokha's own.
Buy it if you're a sole trader whose rent or stock can't wait until tomorrow, or if you do hair from home and people nearby ask you for airtime and data, which it sells for a commission. If that isn't you, the Khumo 2 costs less every month, and the iKhokha review covers the rest.
WAPPoint, if you'd rather not pay for a machine today
WAPPoint rents its SquarePOS RX for R189 a month plus R50 insurance, after R200 to set up, all excluding VAT. In any month you take more than R15 000 on card the R189 falls away, so a busy month costs you the R50. A Vodacom or MTN SIM comes with the rental.
Below R15 000 you pay R239 every month, the quiet-month cost you're trying to avoid. WAPPoint pays in one to two business days, five days a week, and doesn't mention a tip prompt on the SquarePOS RX, or deposits on its R49-a-month payment page.
Its pricing page says R189 a month, while its product page shows the first month free, so check the price on your order before you pay. You can also buy the machine for R3 199 excluding VAT, and our WAPPoint review weighs renting against owning.
WAPPoint SquarePOS RX
Its own SIM in the rental, any bank, and no rental in any month above R15 000 on card. 2.75% a sale.
My quick review of the SquarePOS RX, for a stylist just starting out
If R699 upfront is out of reach right now, this is the cheapest way to start taking cards. WAPPoint rents it for R189 a month plus R50 insurance, after R200 to set up, and the R189 falls away in any month you take more than R15 000 on card. So a busy month costs you R50 and a quiet one R239. You can also buy it for R3 199 excluding VAT. The WAPPoint review explains the threshold in full.
Where it stands out
- No rental in any month above R15 000
- R200 to start
- Vodacom or MTN 4G, and Wi-Fi
- An all-day battery
Buy it if
- You can't put R699 down today
- You take more than R15 000 a month on card most months
Skip it if
- Your card sales are small: below R15 000 you pay R239 a month
- You'd rather own the machine from day one for less
If you skip it, the best alternative
R499 less to start (R200 against R699), but below R15 000 a month it costs R239 every month, where the Khumo 2 costs nothing monthly.
Read our full Khumo 2 reviewThe packages
- RentR200 setup, R50 a month insuranceR189 a monthNo rental in any month above R15 000
- Buyexcluding VATR3 199
Prices from wappoint.co.za on 21 Oct 2026; machine prices exclude VAT.
Rent it if you can't put R699 down this month and you expect more than R15 000 a month on card soon. Below that line, a year of renting comes to R3 068 by our sums, against R699 once for a Khumo 2.
What a month costs at R8 000 and R18 000 on card
You pay for the machine once, but the charges and fees come every month, so I've added up a month at R8 000 and at R18 000 on card, either side of WAPPoint's R15 000 line. Read the one nearer your month.
Everything you pay, row by row, with the two monthly totals at the bottom:
A month at R8 000 and R18 000 on card
| Khumo 2 | iK Flyer Lite, on its SIM | SquarePOS RX, rented | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Machine, once | R699 | R699 | R200 setup |
| Monthly charges | R0 | R75 for the SIM |
|
| Fee per sale | 2.30% | 2.75% | 2.75% |
| Payout charges | R0 | R55, 22 payouts | R0 |
| A month at R8 000 | R184 | R350 | R459 |
| A month at R18 000 | R414 | R625 | R545 |
By our sums, over a five-day working week (22 payouts), on local cards and excluding VAT. iKhokha doesn't say whether its R75 includes VAT. Yoco's payout here is the free one, and the iK Flyer Lite's R75 falls away on Wi-Fi. Machine prices are before Yoco's and iKhokha's discounts from the links in this guide.← scroll sideways on a narrow screen →
The Khumo 2 costs R166 a month less than the iK Flyer Lite at R8 000, and R211 less at R18 000.
Above R15 000 the SquarePOS RX rental stops, so at R18 000 it costs R80 less than the Lite, but still R131 more than the Khumo 2.
Faster money doesn't change the order. Fast Payout every day costs R165 a month at both turnovers, because each payout hits Yoco's R7.50 minimum, and twice-a-day payouts on the Lite cost R110. By our sums that's R349 against R405 at R8 000, or R330 for the Lite on Wi-Fi. What iKhokha gives you is the money that afternoon rather than the next morning.
If your work doesn't look like that
Stylists work in more ways than one rented chair, so pick the line closest to how you work.
Pick by how you work
So which card machine should a hair stylist get?
The Yoco Khumo 2, for most stylists who work for themselves. It pays your clients' card money, tips and deposits into a personal account in your name, works in any chair or lounge on its own data, and there's no monthly charge to find in a slow month. And that's R100 back in your pocket with the Yoco discount link here.
Get the iKhokha iK Flyer Lite instead if you're a sole trader who needs the money the same afternoon, through the iK Debit Card or a Nedbank account, with iKhokha's 10% off from the links in this guide. Rent WAPPoint's SquarePOS RX only if R699 is out of reach this month and you're about to pass R15 000 on card.
Chair renters, mobile hairdressers, braiders and barbers who work for themselves and want card payments in their own account.
Yoco Khumo 2
R699once-off
R699 once-off, R0 a month on Yoco's free Core plan, data included, 2.30% excl. VAT per local card sale
Get R100 off the Khumo 2 Price checked 14 Oct 2026Questions stylists ask about card machines
The salon's machine
Can I use the salon's card machine if I rent a chair?
You can, but your clients' payments, tips and deposits settle into the salon owner's bank account, and the owner pays you afterwards.A staff profile only records which sales were yours. To be paid directly you need a machine of your own, and you don't need a registered company to get one.
Signing up
Do I need a business bank account to get a card machine as a stylist?
Not with Yoco, which pays a sole proprietor's personal account at any South African bank.iKhokha signs up sole traders and asks for the account in the business's name, or pays a GoTyme account in yours through its iK Debit Card. WAPPoint asks for company papers only if you've registered.
Deposits
Can I take a deposit before an appointment?
Yes, with a payment link you send by WhatsApp, SMS or email.On Yoco's Core plan its help centre lists 2.95% plus R2 excluding VAT a payment, paid within two business days. iKhokha's iK Pay Link costs 2.85% excluding VAT and settles in 24 to 48 hours. Checked 16 October 2026.
Working away
Which card machine works at a client's house?
All three run on their own SIM, so they don't need the client's Wi-Fi.Yoco rates the Khumo 2 at up to 18 hours with data at no extra cost, iKhokha gives the iK Flyer Lite an all-day battery with SIM data at R75 a month, and WAPPoint includes a Vodacom or MTN SIM in the SquarePOS RX rental.
Tips
Can clients tip me on a card machine?
On the Yoco Khumo 2 and the iKhokha iK Flyer Lite, yes, once you switch tipping on in the app.The client adds the tip while paying and it's paid out with the sale, so on your own machine it reaches your account. WAPPoint describes no tip prompt for its SquarePOS RX.
