EPOS hardware bundles in the UK: what a complete one contains (2026 guide)
A bundle is only a saving if it arrives with everything the counter needs on the first night. Here is the checklist, the items that go missing from cheap bundles, and the traps that stop the parts talking to each other.
- The five items every bundle must contain
- Compatibility traps that cost a second purchase
- Posso's complete bundle: £499 + VAT
Written by the Posso team in Leicester · Reviewed by Paul Robinson, Managing Director · Last reviewed
Short answer
A complete EPOS hardware bundle for a UK hospitality business contains five items: a touchscreen terminal, a receipt printer, a kitchen printer, a cash drawer and a card reader, plus the menu build and training that turn the boxes into a working till. UK bundles typically cost £300–£1,500 one-off, and the cheaper end of that range usually drops the kitchen printer, the drawer, the menu build or the warranty, so a bundle at the bottom of that range commonly ends up costing what a mid-range one would have once the missing parts are bought separately. Check that the printers and drawer are not locked to one software and that the terminal is a commercial unit rather than a consumer tablet. Posso's bundle is £499 + VAT and includes everything bar the card reader.
Key takeaways
- A complete bundle has a terminal, receipt printer, kitchen printer, cash drawer and card reader, plus menu build and training.
- Cheap bundles most often leave out the kitchen printer, the drawer, the menu build and a usable warranty.
- Printers locked to one software and consumer tablets are the two compatibility traps that force a second purchase.
- Posso's £499 + VAT bundle includes the terminal, both printers, the drawer, menu build and training with a 2-year warranty.
Takeaway: Judge a bundle by what is missing from the box, not by the price on the box.
Why the bundle price misleads
A hardware bundle exists to answer one question: can I open on Friday with this box and nothing else? Most cannot, and the price does not tell you which. Two bundles at the same price can differ by a kitchen printer, a cash drawer, a day of menu building and a year of warranty, all of which will be bought anyway, later, in a hurry.
A till is five pieces of hardware from three or four manufacturers, held together by software and cabling, and the bundle price is a statement about which pieces the seller decided to include. The useful comparison is a list of what arrives, what is configured, and what you are still expected to source.
The second thing people get wrong is to treat the hardware as the system. A terminal with no menu loaded is a monitor. A kitchen printer that the software does not know about prints nothing. The menu build, the printer routing and the training are where the hours go, and whether they are in the bundle or on a separate invoice is the difference between a system and a parts order. The broader cost picture is on the EPOS system cost hub.
What a complete bundle must contain, and why
Buy a commercial terminal, not a consumer tablet in a stand
A commercial touchscreen terminal is built to run 14 hours a day next to a fryer, with a wipeable screen, a fanless or filtered case and a proper operating system that takes updates on your schedule. A consumer tablet in a stand is cheaper on day one; then its battery swells in year two, its charging port fails and the manufacturer stops supporting the OS version your till app needs. Ask what the terminal is, what operating system it runs and whether you can install a different EPOS on it later if you leave.
Count two printers, because the receipt printer is not the kitchen printer
The receipt printer at the counter prints the customer copy and the card slip. The kitchen printer sits by the pass and prints the ticket the cook reads, in a larger font, often on 80mm paper so a 14-item order fits without scrolling off the roll. Bundles that list one printer expect you to run the kitchen off the counter receipt, which means a server walking tickets back every two minutes. Check for a kitchen printer and its paper width.
Insist on a cash drawer that the till opens
The drawer is the part most often missing from a cheap bundle because it is heavy to ship and cheap to leave out. Without it, cash sits in a tin and the cash-up figure means nothing. The drawer should fire from the printer or terminal when a cash sale closes, not be a standalone box with a key. Ask whether a second drawer can be added for a second till.
Decide the card reader with the software, not after it
The card reader is the one item sensibly priced separately, because the right answer depends on your card turnover. A shop taking £15,000 a month on card at a flat 1.75% pays £262.50 a month; a merchant account at 1% + 10p on 900 transactions pays £150 + £90 = £240, and the gap widens as turnover grows. What matters in the bundle is whether the reader is integrated, so the amount passes from till to reader without retyping, and whether more than one acquirer is supported. Read card machine fees explained before comparing.
Treat the menu build as hardware, because the till is useless without it
A pizza menu with four sizes, three bases, 30 toppings and half-and-half pricing takes a working day to build properly, and whoever builds it decides whether the till is fast or slow for the next five years. Ask who builds it, how long it takes, whether modifiers carry their own prices and whether changes after go-live are charged. A build you can edit yourself without a support ticket is worth more than a cheaper price.
Read the warranty for what it covers, not how long it runs
UK EPOS warranties typically run one to two years. The length matters less than the terms: is it return-to-base, so your till is in a courier van for a week, or advance replacement, so a unit ships before yours goes back? Does it cover the printer and drawer or only the terminal? Is the screen covered if a glass of Coke goes over it?
What is in the box: typical UK bundles against Posso's
The ranges reflect what UK providers typically include at each price point. The Posso row is what ships in our standard system.
| Bundle type | Typical price | Usually included | Usually missing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entry bundle (tablet in a stand) | Bottom of the £300–£1,500 range | Consumer tablet, stand, receipt printer, sometimes a drawer | Kitchen printer, menu build, training, warranty beyond the tablet maker's |
| Mid-range bundle | Middle of the £300–£1,500 range | Commercial terminal, receipt printer, cash drawer | Kitchen printer often extra; menu build and installation £0–£300 elsewhere |
| Full commercial bundle | Top of the £300–£1,500 range | Terminal, both printers, drawer, sometimes a customer display | Menu build sometimes charged; 1–2 year warranty, often return-to-base |
| Add-ons priced separately elsewhere | Kitchen display £300–£800 per screen; kiosks £700–£3,000+ per unit | ||
| Posso complete system | £499 + VAT | Touchscreen Windows 11 Pro terminal, 80mm kitchen printer, receipt printer, cash drawer, menu build, staff training, 2-year warranty | Card reader (Posso Pay from 1% + 10p, quoted on card turnover). Add-ons: kitchen display £399 + VAT, extra printer £99, waiter pad £259, twin screen £150, kiosk from £699 + VAT |
Ranges are typical UK figures at October 2026; Posso prices are published on EPOS pricing.
Compatibility traps, and the questions that catch them
Three questions to ask a provider before you sign.
Will these printers and this drawer work with a different EPOS if I switch?
Some bundles ship printers and drawers that only speak to one software, so leaving the provider means re-buying the lot. Standard thermal printers and RJ11-fired cash drawers work with almost anything. Ask for the printer make and model; if the provider will not name it, price the bundle as a rental, because you will not keep it.
What operating system is the terminal running, and who controls updates?
A terminal on a current Windows or Android release takes security updates and keeps running the till software for years. A consumer tablet locked to a version the app will soon abandon is a 2028 repurchase hiding in a 2026 bundle. Ask the OS and version, ask whether updates are scheduled outside trading hours, and ask what happens if the terminal fails on a Saturday. For the trade-offs between platforms, see Android vs Windows EPOS.
Who builds the menu, who cables the kitchen printer, and is either charged?
Elsewhere, installation is typically £0–£300 and menu builds are sometimes a separate line. Ask for both in writing. Then ask: when the kitchen printer is 12 metres from the till, who runs the cable? A bundle that arrives preconfigured with the printer paired is a Friday opening; boxes with a PDF are a weekend of your time. Our installation guide covers what to expect.
The Posso approach to hardware bundles
Posso's standard system is £499 + VAT and is built to be the complete box. It includes a touchscreen terminal running Windows 11 Pro, an 80mm kitchen printer, a receipt printer, a cash drawer, the menu build and staff training. The hardware is bought outright and is yours. You own the hardware outright; software is from £25 + VAT a month.
The add-ons are priced individually so you buy the counter you need rather than a package you half use. A 21-inch kitchen display with station routing and item-level completion is £399 + VAT. An extra kitchen or receipt printer is £99. A handheld waiter pad for table service is £259. A twin-screen customer-facing display is £150. Self-order kiosks start at £699 + VAT, and the Fast Lane kiosk is £399 + VAT with a £199 + VAT order tablet and runs standalone.
Card payments run through Posso Pay, Posso's own merchant service, from 1% + 10p quoted on card turnover with the same rate in store and online, and Teya and Dojo terminals are also supported. The software runs an offline-first local database on the terminal, so a broadband drop does not stop the till, and it syncs when the connection returns.
Every bundle carries a 2-year warranty, with UK remote support Monday to Friday, 9am–9:30pm and an urgent out-of-hours line for till-down issues. Setup (menu build + configuration) is free; on-site installation for larger sites is priced on application. Systems are preconfigured and shipped plug-and-play. Current packages are listed on POS systems.
Where to look elsewhere
If you are a sole trader doing 30 transactions a day from a market stall or a single-person coffee cart, a card reader with a simple app is a reasonable till and a full bundle is more hardware than the business can use. Buy the bundle when the queue, the kitchen or the second channel arrives.
If your counter sells barcoded stock, so a farm shop, a deli with 800 lines, or a convenience store, you need a retail bundle with a barcode scanner, scale integration and stock control with supplier ordering. Posso's bundle is built around menus and kitchens rather than shelves. A retail-first provider will serve that counter better; see retail POS systems.
Related guides
Related guides
How much does an EPOS system cost in the UK?
Hardware, software and card fees priced across hospitality, with the ranges you should expect.
Read the guideCheap EPOS system UK
What a low upfront price buys, what it costs later, and where cheap is actually fine.
Read the guideAndroid vs Windows EPOS
Which operating system suits a hospitality terminal, and what it means for updates and lifespan.
Read the guideKitchen display system cost
When a screen beats a printer in the kitchen, and what each costs over three years.
Read the guideBuying vs leasing an EPOS system
The arithmetic of owning the hardware outright against paying for it monthly.
Read the guideThis is one part of the Posso EPOS system — the same till, kitchen display, ordering and card payments, set up for your type of venue. Every one-off and monthly cost is on the EPOS pricing page.
EPOS hardware bundles — frequently asked questions
What should an EPOS hardware bundle include?
Five items: a touchscreen terminal, a receipt printer, a kitchen printer, a cash drawer and a card reader, plus the menu build and staff training that make them a working till. Anything that lists one printer, no drawer or no menu build is a parts order, not a bundle. Check the terminal is a commercial unit and that the printers and drawer are standard models that would work with other software.
How much does an EPOS hardware bundle cost in the UK?
UK bundles typically cost £300–£1,500 one-off. Bundles at the bottom of that range are usually a consumer tablet with a receipt printer and leave out the kitchen printer, the drawer and the menu build. Full commercial bundles with both printers and a drawer sit at the top of it. Posso's complete system is £499 + VAT and includes the Windows 11 Pro touchscreen terminal, 80mm kitchen printer, receipt printer, cash drawer, menu build and training, with software from £25 + VAT a month.
Can I use my own hardware with an EPOS system?
Sometimes, and it is worth asking. Standard thermal receipt printers and RJ11 cash drawers work with most software. Terminals are harder: if you have a recent commercial Windows or Android terminal, ask the provider to confirm the model before you assume it can be reused. The reverse question matters more: will the bundle you buy today work with a different EPOS if you switch?
Do I need a kitchen printer if I already have a receipt printer?
Yes, if food is prepared out of sight of the counter. The receipt printer prints the customer copy; the kitchen printer prints a larger-font ticket at the pass so the cook does not rely on a server walking slips back. In a multi-station kitchen a kitchen display is the next step. Posso's bundle includes an 80mm kitchen printer; extra printers are £99 each and a 21-inch kitchen display is £399 + VAT.
What warranty should I expect on EPOS hardware?
UK EPOS warranties typically run one to two years. Ask whether the warranty covers the whole bundle or only the terminal, whether it is return-to-base or advance replacement, and whether accidental damage to the screen is excluded. Posso's bundle carries a 2-year warranty with UK remote support Monday to Friday, 9am–9:30pm and an urgent out-of-hours line for till-down issues.
Is the card reader included in an EPOS bundle?
Usually not, and it should not be, because the right reader depends on your card turnover. What should be included is integration, so the amount passes from till to reader without retyping. Posso Pay is from 1% + 10p quoted on card turnover, with the same rate in store and online, and Teya and Dojo terminals are also supported if you want to keep an existing acquirer. See [EPOS with any card machine](/epos-with-any-card-machine).
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