Find a payment provider that makes getting paid easier
Taking a payment should be the easy part of running your business. Your customer pays, you can see what came in, and the money reaches you when you expect it. The right provider helps keep it that simple, without leaving you paying for tools you barely use.
Maybe you need to take a deposit before starting a job, serve a queue at the counter or stop spending Friday afternoons chasing invoices. Those are different problems, and they do not all need the same payment company.
This guide helps you find the right starting point. We explain what the providers do in everyday terms, where they might fit and which questions are worth asking. You do not need to learn the whole payments industry to make a sensible choice.
Looking for a card machine or merchant services package? The quote form above is for those enquiries. For regular billing, website payments or paying suppliers abroad, jump to the relevant section below. You can leave the rest for another day.
Start with the job you need done. If you repair bikes and take payment on collection, begin with the card payment options. If you run a membership business, look at regular collections. The names below are starting points, not a ranking: each provider will still need to accept your business and support the service you want.
Choose a shortlist around your payment needs
Your business need
Options to investigate
Most important check
Your business needTake payments in a shop, salon or on the move
Options to investigateSquare, SumUp, Tide and PayPal Point of Sale
Most important checkHardware, phone requirements, receipts and total card fees
Your business needCompare a terminal and merchant services package
Options to investigateWorldpay, takepayments, Tyl and other merchant service providers
Most important checkA written quote including rental, processing, term and cancellation
Your business needAccept payments on a website
Options to investigateStripe, Mollie, Trust Payments and other online platforms
Most important checkCompatibility with your website and the cost of each payment method
Your business needCollect subscriptions or regular invoices
Options to investigateGoCardless, Stripe Billing and Recurly
Most important checkPayment collection versus billing management, plus all related charges
Your business needOffer direct bank payments at checkout
Options to investigateTrueLayer, Trustly and Yapily
Most important checkSupported use cases, integrations and refund handling
Your business needPay overseas suppliers or receive international funds
Options to investigateWise Business, Payoneer and Ebury
Most important checkCurrency conversion, transfer charges and account requirements
A few payment terms, in plain English
You will see a few different names while shopping around. A processor handles the payment transaction. A gateway passes payment details securely from your website. A merchant account is part of the arrangement for receiving card takings before they are paid out to you.
The useful thing to know is that these can come together in one package. Ask, ‘Does this include everything I need to get paid?’ You should not have to piece together several services unless your setup actually calls for it.
If you need to take card payments, these offers give you somewhere to start. Look at what comes with the machine as well as the price: a cheap device is less appealing if the ongoing bill does not suit your business.
We may earn a commission through some provider links or if you sign up through our quote service. This selection does not cover the whole market. Offers and provider order can change.
Taking cards in person: providers to get you started
Picture a normal working day before choosing a machine. Will you carry it between jobs? Hand customers a printed receipt? Let several staff members use it? Or take the odd payment yourself? Start with those everyday needs, then compare the fees. A long feature list is only useful if it makes your work easier.
Payments alongside point of sale tools
Square
Square brings card payments and selling tools together. That can be useful when taking the money is only part of the job: you also want to keep track of products, see what sold or connect with online selling. For a small retailer, the appeal is having fewer separate jobs to do at closing time. Work out which tools you would actually use, because some software costs extra.
Before choosing: Look at the price of your chosen device and any paid software. Then check the fees for how your customers pay, including online sales or overseas cards if you take them. The standard face-to-face rate does not cover everything.
Tide offers card readers and payment plans alongside its business account. It may appeal if you would like your account and payment tools with the same provider. There are pay-as-you-go and subscription options to compare, so use a normal month’s sales to work out which fits. A lower card rate is not automatically a saving once you add a monthly fee.
Before choosing: Check which account you need, what the reader costs and how long you are signing up for. Ask about the cards your customers use, rather than relying on the lowest rate in the advert.
SumUp sells card readers and offers payment plans for taking money in person. It gives you a starting point if you want to buy a reader and pay processing fees as you use it. That is a useful arrangement to compare when you are testing a new service or trading occasionally. If payments become a daily part of the business, do the sums on its subscription options too.
Before choosing: Does the reader need your phone, and can it give the receipts your customers want? If you are looking at a discounted payment rate, check which cards qualify before working out the saving.
You may know this one as Zettle. It is now called PayPal Point of Sale and offers readers and sales tools for face-to-face payments. It is an option to compare if you want to take cards and keep a record of sales together. Already using PayPal? Check how the particular product works with your account rather than assuming everything will connect automatically.
Before choosing: Confirm hardware compatibility, account setup, payout arrangements and the tariff for each payment channel.
myPOS provides card machines and business payment services. When comparing it, pay particular attention to how you access your takings. If you need today’s sales to pay a supplier, what matters is when that money is ready to spend from the account you use, not just when a payment appears on a screen.
Before choosing: Ask where your takings arrive first, how you transfer them to your usual bank and what that transfer costs. Add those charges to the reader price and card fees when comparing the monthly bill.
Revolut Business offers online and face-to-face payment options alongside its other business services. If you already use it, you may like the idea of adding payments to a familiar setup. Just check the payment service separately: having a business account does not automatically mean you have been approved to take customer card payments.
Before choosing: Ask which business plan and equipment you need. Check whether it works with your existing software and what you will pay for overseas or business cards, if those are common among your customers.
If you take cards every day, it can be worth getting quotes for the machine and payment service together. You can explain how you trade and ask for a package built around that. The important part is what you are actually offered: signing a longer agreement does not, by itself, buy you a better rate or better help when something goes wrong.
Card payment packages for your business
Worldpay
Worldpay provides payment services for selling in person and online. It is one to include when you want to price up a card payment package or compare your current provider’s bill. Be specific about your needs, whether that is one machine at a repair counter or payments across several locations. Give every provider the same sales figures so the quotes are worth comparing.
Before choosing: Ask what equipment is included, when your money will arrive and who helps if the machine stops working. Get the full charges and contract terms alongside those answers.
takepayments supplies card payment services with prices quoted for your business. It gives you a route to discuss how you work and the equipment you need before choosing a package. For example, you might need staff to take the machine to a customer rather than bring everyone back to a fixed checkout. Ask the adviser to explain the proposed setup in those practical terms.
Before choosing: Get one clear breakdown of rental, payment fees, minimum charges and the agreement length. Include the notice you must give and any cost of leaving, so there are no gaps in your comparison.
Barclaycard Payments offers ways to take customer payments at your premises and through remote sales services. It is a name to compare when you want to discuss a payment package rather than simply buy a reader. Explain what a normal sale looks like for you, including any telephone or website payments, and ask which service covers it.
Before choosing: A familiar name can feel reassuring, but the actual offer still needs to work for you. Compare the bill, support and contract with the other quotes on your shortlist.
Lloyds Cardnet helps businesses take payments in person, online and by phone. That makes it an option to discuss if customers pay you in more than one way. An equipment hire business, for example, might need to take payment at the desk and handle bookings remotely. Ask how each part would work and whether it comes under the same agreement.
Before choosing: Check the machine costs and any separate website payment charges. If you need more than one service, ask whether that means extra contracts as well as extra fees.
Elavon offers card machines and online payment services. If you sell over the counter and on a website, the useful question is how much work you will have managing both. Ask to see how you would find a sale, give a refund and match the money paid into your bank to the orders it covers. A demonstration can tell you more than a page of features.
Before choosing: Confirm the till or website integration, support hours, contract terms and all equipment or gateway charges.
Global Payments supplies payment services and software. It may be a conversation worth having when your business has several sites or needs different systems to work together. Keep the discussion practical: can you see each location’s sales without combining several reports yourself, and can your staff use the setup comfortably? Ask for a demonstration around your own needs.
Before choosing: Show the supplier the jobs you want to make easier. Ask it to demonstrate those, then confirm which company you would sign with and who would provide support.
Fiserv provides payment technology and merchant services. For a small business, the part that matters is the actual machine, software and agreement you are being offered. Focus on what you and your staff would use each day. The size of the company behind a product tells you less than a clear demonstration and a complete quote.
Before choosing: Ask who supplies support, which hardware and software are included, and what happens if you change provider.
Tyl by NatWest offers payment services for UK businesses, including card machines. Put it alongside other quoted packages and explain how much you normally take, how many payments that involves and where you need the equipment. A business taking a few larger payments has different costs to one taking lots of small ones, even if their monthly takings match.
Before choosing: Check terminal rental, card type charges, settlement arrangements and the complete term of the agreement.
Cashflows provides payment services, including services for online payments. If you are discussing a setup with it, ask for a plain explanation of what comes in the package and what you would need separately. You want to know who takes care of the payment, where you see your sales and who to call if something stops working.
Before choosing: Ask which gateway, acquiring and reporting services are included, plus any separate fees or integration work.
Keep a recent statement beside you when you get quotes. It is much easier to compare a new offer when you know what you already pay in total. Give each supplier the same sales figures and number of machines, and check whether leaving your current agreement would eat into any saving.
For website payments, start with the website you already have. Ask your web designer or platform provider which services it supports before you spend time comparing dozens of names. Then think about the customer: can they pay easily, and can you deal with the order and any refund without extra admin? Check whether the quoted price covers the whole setup.
Online checkout, invoices and payment tools
Stripe
Stripe provides online payment tools, with additional products for jobs such as billing. It is a useful place to start if you want customers to pay through your website and your website platform already supports it. You may be able to use an existing connection rather than pay someone to build one. Ask what is included before adding more tools to the account.
Before choosing: Add the cost of optional products, international cards, currency conversion and disputes to your comparison.
Mollie offers online and face-to-face payment services. If you are comparing it for your website, begin with the payment options your customers need and whether your website can connect to it. Then look at your side of the sale: finding an order, refunding a customer and checking that the money has arrived should all be straightforward.
Before choosing: Check the fees for the payment methods you will offer. Ask to see how refunds and payouts work so you know what to expect before customers start using it.
Adyen is aimed at larger businesses with more involved payment needs. If you are expanding across countries or linking several locations and systems, it may belong on your list. If you just need to start taking a few card payments, you can usually focus your research on the simpler options earlier in this guide.
Before choosing: Ask whether your business meets its requirements, whether minimum charges apply and what it would take to get started. Include the time and help needed to connect your systems.
Checkout.com provides payment services for online businesses. It is more useful to compare when you have a clear picture of your website, customer countries and payment needs, plus someone who can look after the setup. Ask how it would help you manage your checkout day to day, rather than choosing on the length of its feature list.
Before choosing: Find out who will set it up, how the fees work and where you get help with failed payments or disputes. Ask for unfamiliar terms to be explained before agreeing to anything.
Trust Payments offers services for online and face-to-face payments. It is an option to discuss if your business needs both, or if you are looking for a service that connects with tools you already use. Explain the jobs you need it to handle, then ask which products make up the offer and who will put them together.
Before choosing: Check that it works with your website or till, that your business can apply and what the full payment fees are. Make sure you know who handles setup problems and ongoing support.
The name behind current Total Processing enquiries
Nomupay / Total Processing
If you have been searching for Total Processing, its website now points to Nomupay. Nomupay offers online and other payment services. For a new enquiry, start with the current offer. If you already have a quote or use the service, ask the provider to explain what applies to your business before making any changes.
Before choosing: Get the current prices and support details, and confirm which company your agreement is with. If your website already connects to the service, ask whether anything needs changing.
The number to compare is the total bill, not just the percentage in the advert. You may pay a fee on each sale, a few pence per payment and monthly charges for the machine or software. The deal that looks cheaper at first glance can cost more once you add those together.
You do not need a complicated spreadsheet to get started. Take a typical month’s card sales, count the payments and ask each provider to price that same month. Include any overseas or business cards you regularly accept.
Costs to include in your payment provider comparison
Cost
What to ask
Why it matters
CostTransaction charges
What to askWhich percentage and fixed pence fees apply to each card or payment method?
Why it mattersSmall transactions are more sensitive to a fixed pence charge.
CostFixed charges
What to askWhat are the monthly processing, software, gateway and terminal costs?
Why it mattersYou may pay these even during a quiet month.
CostExtra events
What to askWhat do refunds, disputes, chargebacks and failed payments cost?
Why it mattersYour sales mix and return rate affect the real bill.
CostPayouts and currencies
What to askAre faster transfers or currency conversion charged separately?
Why it mattersAccess to funds and conversion costs can change the value of a deal.
CostContract and exit
What to askWhat is the minimum term, notice period and cost to leave?
Why it mattersSwitching before the end of an agreement can add expense.
A simple monthly cost example
Imagine you take £10,000 over 500 card payments in a month. Using an example rate of 1% plus 5p per payment, the percentage charge is £100 and the 5p charges add another £25. That makes £125 for processing. Add £20 to rent the machine and you reach £145 before any other charges or applicable VAT.
This is an illustration, not a provider’s offer, and it assumes all 500 payments qualify for that rate. It shows why the small print matters: ‘1%’ alone would only account for £100 of that example bill.
Now try a quieter month. A seasonal business still has to cover fixed charges when fewer customers are buying. Look at the year as a whole, and ask what happens to the bill when sales dip. Our card machine fees guide for more on comparing payment costs.
Getting paid by the same customers regularly
If the same customers pay you regularly, the goal is often to spend less time chasing them. There are two parts to consider: keeping track of what each customer owes and collecting the money. Some services help with both; others handle one part. Ask which jobs are included so you can see what admin would still fall to you.
Collecting payments by Direct Debit
GoCardless
GoCardless collects payments by Direct Debit, including regular invoices and subscriptions. It is one to look at if customers pay you on an agreed schedule, such as a cleaning business with monthly clients or a club collecting membership fees. The practical question is whether it helps you collect those payments with less manual follow-up.
Before choosing: Ask when collections reach you, what happens if a payment fails and whether it connects to your accounts software. It handles a different job from taking a card payment at the counter.
Stripe Billing is part of Stripe and helps manage subscriptions and billing. Think of the admin behind a recurring service: what someone owes, which plan they are on and when they should pay. If that is becoming hard to manage yourself, compare what Billing handles with what your existing tools already do.
Before choosing: Add the billing charge and the cost of collecting the payment. Ask how you would change a customer’s plan, stop a subscription and deal with an unsuccessful payment.
Recurly provides subscription management and recurring billing software. It may be useful when you have several plans, changing subscriptions or more billing work than your current tools can comfortably handle. Start by listing the tasks taking up your time. That gives you something concrete to compare against the software cost.
Before choosing: Ask which service actually collects the money, what you pay for that on top of the software and who will set everything up. Check the combined bill rather than either price on its own.
You can skip this section unless one of these jobs is on your list. Letting a customer pay in instalments, adding bank payments to a checkout and paying an overseas supplier are different needs. A service that is useful for one may do nothing for the others.
Instalment payment providers
These are extra ways for customers to pay at checkout. Before adding one, look at what it costs you and how refunds work. More payment buttons are only helpful if customers use them and the numbers make sense for your business. Follow the provider’s current instructions for what you must tell customers.
An additional customer payment option
Klarna
Klarna offers payment options you can add to your checkout. If you think customers would use them, compare the available products and the fees your business would pay. Do not build your budget around an assumed jump in sales: check what happens to completed orders, returns and the amount you keep.
Before choosing: Ask which UK options are available to your business, when you get paid and what refunds cost. Use the provider’s required customer information on your website.
Clearpay offers instalment payments for eligible purchases. For a retailer, the question is whether that extra payment choice suits what you sell and leaves enough margin after fees. Think through a return as well as a successful sale, so staff know how to help a customer who changes their mind.
Before choosing: Compare the fees and extra admin with any improvement you actually see in completed orders. Check what information you need to show customers before switching it on.
Pay by bank lets customers pay from their bank account through a supported payment service. Ask to see the steps a customer would take, then what you see when the payment succeeds or fails. Your website or software still needs to support the service, so check that before comparing fees.
Bank based payment services
Trustly
Trustly provides bank-based payment services. It is one to look at if you want to give customers a bank payment option. Ask how it would fit into the checkout you already use and what the customer has to do. An extra payment method should make sense for your customers as well as your business.
Before choosing: Check which banks it supports and how you find successful payments, match them to orders and issue refunds. Ask who connects it to your website or software.
TrueLayer supplies technology for bank payments. If you want to add that option to a website or app, ask your platform provider whether there is an existing way to connect it. That first answer helps you see whether this is a manageable addition or a bigger website project.
Before choosing: Find out whether an existing connection is available or a developer needs to build one. Ask how you will check payment status and return money to a customer.
Yapily provides the technology behind open banking services. This is generally a discussion to have with the people responsible for your website, app or software. Explain what you want customers to be able to do, and ask whether Yapily fits that job and what building it would involve.
Before choosing: Ask which banks and payment functions are covered, what it costs and who will do the setup. Include the ongoing work of maintaining the connection.
Getting paid from abroad and paying overseas suppliers
If you buy stock abroad or work for overseas clients, currency costs can become another business expense to watch. These services help with international money movement. Compare the exact job you need done, such as paying a supplier in euros, rather than treating them as alternatives to every card machine provider above.
International accounts and transfers
Wise Business
Wise Business offers international account and payment services. It may be useful if you pay suppliers abroad or receive money in different currencies. For example, an independent maker buying materials overseas would want to compare the full amount paid to get the supplier the required sum. That is a different comparison from choosing a card machine for customer sales.
Before choosing: Compare the conversion and transfer cost for your actual currencies, plus account and receiving requirements.
Payoneer provides international business payment services. It may be relevant if you get paid by overseas clients or through marketplaces. Start with where the money will come from, then check how you can receive it and move it to the account you use for your business expenses.
Before choosing: Check the countries, currencies and payment methods you need. Add any account, withdrawal and currency conversion charges so you can see how much you would keep.
Ebury offers international business accounts and payment services. If paying overseas suppliers is a regular job rather than a one-off, it is another service to compare. Use real examples from your business, including the currencies, payment sizes and how often you send money, to get a useful quote.
Before choosing: Ask what it would cost to make your usual payments, how the account works and where you get help if a transfer needs attention.
Crezco focuses on payment tools for bills, payroll and expenses. That is about money your business pays out, so start here if those tasks are taking too much time. Ask whether it works with the accounting software you already use and what the process would look like for the person handling your bills.
Before choosing: Check which payments it supports, who can approve them and how they appear in your accounts. If you need to collect customer invoices instead, ask about that specifically rather than assuming it is included.
Write down what you need. Note where customers pay, how many machines you need, your monthly card sales and the size of a typical payment. Add anything likely to change soon, such as a new premises or website.
Ask for the full offer. Ask for the full charges, contract length, equipment and payout timings in writing. If a fee is unclear, ask for an example in pounds and pence.
Check the day-to-day work. Ask how staff will take a payment, issue a refund, close the day and match payouts to sales.
Test the support route. If you trade at weekends, can you get help then? Ask who you call when a machine fails and how quickly a replacement could arrive. Put the same questions to your website payment provider.
Plan any switch. Check your notice period before cancelling. Get the new service working first, and keep the records you may need for refunds or disputes relating to older sales.
Best approach: choose two or three providers that solve your actual problem. Compare what you would pay, what work the service saves and how easy it is to get help. You do not need to speak to every company on this page.
Payment processing questions, answered
Which payment processing company is best for a UK small business?
It depends on what you need it to do. A dog groomer visiting customers might put portability first; a busy parts counter might care more about a machine that connects to the till. Start with your everyday payment needs, then compare the full bill and support. There is no one provider that is best for every small business.
Do I need a separate merchant account?
Not always. Some providers include the arrangements needed to process cards and receive the money in one service. Ask whether the offer covers everything you need to start taking payments, or whether there is another application and agreement to complete.
Is a payment gateway the same as a processor?
No, although one provider may include both. The gateway passes the payment details from your website, while processing handles the transaction. You do not need to become an expert in either: ask your provider and web designer to confirm that the whole setup is covered.
Are Stripe Billing and Recurly payment processors?
Stripe Billing is a Stripe product for managing billing. Recurly is subscription management software. Think of them as tools for organising recurring customer payments, and check separately which service collects the money. Include both charges in your budget.
Can I use one provider for online and in person sales?
Sometimes, yes. Ask whether the particular products connect to your website and till, and whether they make your admin easier. Being able to see both sets of sales and handle refunds without switching between several systems may matter more to you than having one supplier name.
Does the quote form compare every company listed here?
No. The quote form is for card payments and merchant services. The guide also includes services for jobs such as collecting subscriptions and paying suppliers abroad. For those, follow the relevant provider link and ask about the service you need.
What happened to Total Processing?
The Total Processing website now points to Nomupay. If you already use the service, ask your support contact what applies to your account. If you are shopping around, get the current product details and terms rather than relying on an older quote.
Compare card payment options for your business
Ready to compare a card machine or payment package? Tell us a little about how your business takes payments using the form above. Keep a recent statement handy if you have one, then compare the equipment, full costs and contract before deciding what suits you.
Provider information checked 9 September 2026. Availability, pricing and eligibility can change. Confirm the current terms for your own business directly with the provider.
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