Business guide
3 Best Card Machines for Taxi Drivers in South Africa (2026)
A taxi needs a card machine with its own data, a battery for the whole shift and money in time for fuel. Which one, and what a month costs.
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.
A card machine in a taxi has no Wi-Fi to lean on and no plug at the counter. It has to run on its own data and its own battery for the whole shift, and take a R25 fare as easily as a R250 trip. Both card machines in this guide do that.
So what tells them apart is when you need the money. If the card fares can wait a day or two in the bank, one company is cheaper. If you need them the same day to fill up, the other one is. I'll show you both, priced on a month.
What a taxi needs from a card machine
A taxi is a shop that moves, which changes what matters. These are the four things a driver should check before buying any card machine.
Its own mobile data
A SIM in the machine, so it connects on the road without your phone's hotspot.
No Wi-Fi in a taxi, and a hotspot drains the phone you navigate withA battery for the whole shift
A machine that lasts from the first trip to the last on one charge.
A flat machine at four o'clock means cash only for the busiest tripsA fee that's only a percentage
No fixed charge on each tap, so a R25 fare costs cents to take.
At 2.30%, a R25 fare costs you 58cMoney in time for fuel
Card fares paid into your account the same day, if that's when you need them.
Cash buys fuel today; card money that lands in two days doesn't1. Yoco Khumo 2: if the money can wait a day or two
The Khumo 2 is built for this. Its SIM finds whichever network is working where you are, the data is included at no extra cost, and Yoco says the battery lasts up to 18 hours. It takes tap, chip and swipe, Apple Pay and Google Pay, and SASSA and Amex cards, and it's splashproof and dustproof.
It's R699 once, with nothing to pay monthly and 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 R250 trip2.30% excluding VAT is R5.75, and with 15% VAT on top Yoco keeps R6.61 of the R250. iKhokha quotes its fees the same way.Card machine fees in South Africa are quoted before VAT, and the amount that actually leaves your fare is the fee plus 15%. Because every provider quotes this way, comparing their fees side by side is fair as it stands.See every term in the glossary on each local card fare. Payouts to your own bank are free and arrive in one to two working days. If you need the money sooner, Yoco's Instant Payout costs 1.5% with a minimum of R17.25 a payout.
1If the money can wait
Yoco Khumo 2
Accepts
- Tap, chip & swipe
- Visa
- Mastercard
- Amex
- SASSA
- Apple Pay
- Google Pay
- Samsung Pay
Who it's for
Its own data at no extra cost, a battery for the whole shift, and the lowest fee here, with nothing to pay monthly.
- MonthlyR0 on Core, data included
- Fee per fare2.30% excl. VAT
- Getting paidFree in 1-2 working days; same day from R17.25
What you get with the extra Yoco discount
- R100 off your card machine, which Yoco takes off when you sign up through our link
And everything Yoco gives everyone
- Sign up in 5 minutes, and it works with the bank account you already have
- Paid out in 1 to 2 business days into that same account
- A 1-year warranty and a 30-day money-back guarantee
Last checked on 24 September 2026
you'll go to www.yoco.com's sign-up page with your extra R100 discount applied
What the Yoco Khumo 2 works withPOS software and accounting
What Yoco works withRead 7 Oct 2026
-
POS software
On any Yoco plan
- LightspeedConnected
- LoyverseConnected
- TallOrderConnected
- SalonBridgeComing soon
-
Accounting
Needs the Plus plan, R249 a month
- XeroConnected
- SageConnected
- QuickBooksConnected
- StubConnected
Buy it if your card fares can sit in the bank for a day or two, which is most drivers who still take a fair amount in cash for fuel.
2. iKhokha iK Flyer Lite: if you need the money today
iKhokha costs more per fare, at 2.75% excluding VAT, and a taxi needs its two SIMs at R75 a month. But it pays you the same day, twice a day, for R2.50 a day instead of a percentage. That's the deal that matters if you fill up with the morning's card fares.
There's a condition. The same-day money goes to Nedbank customers, or to the free iK Debit Card, which 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.For a taxi driverYou open it in the GoTyme app with your ID number, list it on your iKhokha profile, and the morning's card fares can be in it the same day to pay for fuel.A free personal transaction account from GoTyme Bank, a South African digital bank. It isn't an iKhokha product: you open it yourself in the GoTyme app, then list it on your iKhokha profile as your payout account. It's the account behind iKhokha's iK Debit Card, which is for sole traders only.See every term in the glossary you open yourself. The iK Debit Card is only for sole traders, which most owner-drivers are, and you need just your ID number and your phone to open it.
2If you need the money today
iKhokha iK Flyer Lite
Accepts
- Tap & chip
- Visa
- Mastercard
- Amex
- Apple Pay
- Google Pay
Who it's for
Card fares paid the same day, twice a day, for a flat R2.50 rather than a percentage, on Nedbank or the free iK Debit Card.
- MonthlyR75 for the two SIMs
- Fee per fare2.75% excl. VAT
- Getting paidSame day on Nedbank or the iK Debit Card, R2.50
What iKhokha gives everyone
- Unlimited digital invoices, free, from the iK Invoice tool
- Same-day payouts, twice a day, on Nedbank or the iK Debit Card for sole traders, at R2.50 each
Last checked on 24 September 2026
you'll go to www.ikhokha.com's sign-up page with your extra 10% discount applied
Buy it if you fill up with the morning's card fares and you're a sole trader or bank with Nedbank. If the money can wait a day or two, the Khumo 2 costs less.
What a month costs, both ways
Here's a month at R20 000 in card fares over 26 working days, priced twice: once where the money can wait, and once where you take it the same day, every day.
One month at R20 000 in local card fares, 26 working days, machines already bought:
A month at R20 000 in card fares
| Yoco Khumo 2 | iKhokha iK Flyer Lite | |
|---|---|---|
| Fees on fares | R460 at 2.30% | R550 at 2.75% |
| Mobile data | Included | R75 |
| Money in 1-2 days | R460, payouts free | R690, with R65 in payouts |
| Money the same day | R850, with R390 in Instant Payouts | R690, the same as above |
mashjoy.com calculation from each company's own prices. Yoco's Instant Payout is 1.5% excluding VAT with a minimum of R17.25 including VAT (R15 before VAT); about R770 a day pays the minimum. iKhokha charges R2.50 a day whether you take the money the same day or not, and the same-day route needs Nedbank or the iK Debit Card. All figures exclude VAT.
If the money can wait, Yoco costs about R230 a month less. If you take it the same day, every day, iKhokha costs about R160 a month less.
Pulling forward only your fuel money keeps Yoco cheaper: R1 000 twice a week costs about R130 a month in Instant Payouts, R590 in all.
3. Yoco Khumo Print 2: if passengers need a slip
Shuttle and airport transfer drivers often carry passengers who need a slip to claim the trip back from work. The Khumo Print 2 is the Khumo 2 with a printer built in, at R1 399, with the same data, the same 2.30% and the same free payouts.
3If passengers need a slip
Yoco Khumo Print 2
Accepts
- Tap, chip & swipe
- Visa
- Mastercard
- Amex
- SASSA
- Apple Pay
- Google Pay
- Samsung Pay
Who it's for
The Khumo 2 with a built-in printer, for shuttle and transfer passengers who claim the trip back.
- MonthlyR0 on Core, data included
- Fee per fare2.30% excl. VAT
- ReceiptPrinted, or by SMS and email
What you get with the extra Yoco discount
- R100 off your card machine, which Yoco takes off when you sign up through our link
And everything Yoco gives everyone
- Sign up in 5 minutes, and it works with the bank account you already have
- Paid out in 1 to 2 business days into that same account
- A 1-year warranty and a 30-day money-back guarantee
Last checked on 24 September 2026
you'll go to www.yoco.com's sign-up page with your extra R100 discount applied
If nobody asks you for a slip, the Khumo 2 sends the receipt by SMS or email and keeps R700 in your pocket.
Starting with your phone instead
You can take card fares on your phone before you buy anything. Tap to Pay on iPhone comes free with 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.For a driver taking R20 000 a month on cardCore is why the Khumo 2 and Tap to Pay on iPhone cost nothing monthly. At R20 000 a month in card fares you pay about R460 a month in fees on it, and payouts are free if they can wait a day or two.Core is Yoco's free plan and the one almost every small business is on. There's no monthly fee, Tap to Pay on iPhone is included, and the fee is 2.30% excluding VAT on local cards up to R50 000 a month.See every term in the glossary, and iKhokha's iK Tap on Phone is a free app for Android phones. The passenger taps their card or phone against yours.
It's a good way to see whether passengers use cards on your route. For a full shift it's less practical, because the phone you navigate with is then also the phone that takes every fare.
Which one should a driver get?
If your card money can wait a day or two, the Yoco Khumo 2. Its data is included, the battery lasts the shift, and it's the cheapest to run when payouts are free.
If you fill up with today's card fares, the iKhokha iK Flyer Lite, paid into the free iK Debit Card if you're a sole trader. And if your passengers need a slip, the Yoco Khumo Print 2.
Taxi and shuttle drivers whose card fares can wait a day or two in the bank.
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 fare (checked 8 October 2026)
Get the Khumo 2 Price checked 8 Oct 2026Questions drivers ask about card machines
Choosing
What is the best card machine for a taxi driver in South Africa?
The Yoco Khumo 2 at R699 if your card money can wait a day or two: its data is included, Yoco says the battery lasts up to 18 hours, and it's 2.30% excluding VAT with nothing monthly.If you need the money the same day, the iKhokha iK Flyer Lite on the iK Debit Card costs less a month. Checked 8 October 2026.
Getting paid
Can a taxi driver get card money the same day?
Yes. iKhokha pays twice a day, the same day, to Nedbank accounts and to its free iK Debit Card for sole traders, for R2.50 a day.Yoco's Instant Payout pays within minutes for 1.5% excluding VAT, with a minimum fee of R17.25.
On the road
Does a card machine work in a taxi without Wi-Fi?
Yes, if it has its own SIM.Yoco's Khumo 2 includes unlimited data on a multi-network SIM at no extra cost. iKhokha's machines have two SIMs at R75 a month.
Costs
Is it worth taking cards on small fares?
The fee is a percentage, so it scales with the fare.At 2.30% excluding VAT, a R25 fare costs 58c to take on Yoco, and there's no fixed charge per tap.
Getting started
Can I take card payments on my phone in a taxi?
Yes. Yoco's Tap to Pay on iPhone is free on its Core plan, and iKhokha's iK Tap on Phone is a free Android app.It works well to test demand, but the phone you navigate with then takes every fare too.
