Best POS for Pubs and Bars in the UK (2026)
A UK pub or bar POS has a unique brief:
- Open tabs — punters stay 3 hours, order in rounds
- Split bills — "I'll get this round, you get the next"
- Speed — Saturday night, 5 deep at the bar
- Tronc tipping — fair, traceable
- Cellar / stock — kegs, bottles, gas
- Age verification — Challenge 25
- VAT — split between food (20%) and drink (20%, exemptions on certain mixers)
What Your Pub POS Must Do
1. Lightning-fast drink entry
Buttons for common pours (pint, half, double). 2 taps to ring up a round.
2. Open tabs
Punter starts a tab; staff add drinks as the night goes on; settle at the end (cash, card, or split).
3. Round splitting
Split bills evenly or by item — without slowing service.
4. Contactless & Apple Pay
80%+ of UK pub payments are contactless. See our UK POS guide.
5. Stock per keg
Every pint sold deducts from the keg. Reorder alerts.
6. Cellar variance
Compare poured vs sold — flag wastage and short-pours.
7. Challenge 25
Age-prompt on alcohol items.
Why Pubs Pick SawaPOS
- No per-swipe POS fee — savings on a £20K/month bar = £4K+/year
- Offline mode — pub Wi-Fi famously flaky
- Multi-bar setup — one back-office for separate downstairs/upstairs tills
- MTD-friendly for VAT returns
FAQ
Can it handle open tabs? Yes — unlimited concurrent tabs.
Stock per keg? Yes — track in pints or millilitres.
Challenge 25 prompt? Yes — alcohol items tagged for ID check.
Last Orders for Bad POS
Get SawaPOS — Pay Once → · Pricing → · UK country page
Also read: UK POS guide (VAT + MTD) · Best London restaurant POS · POS for cafés UK · Restaurant POS with KDS