Payment Processing
Independent reviews, head-to-head comparisons and practical guides to help UK businesses choose how to take card and online payments, by business type, provider, fees and payout speed.Compare Payment Processing Products
Best Card Machines
The readers worth buying, and the ones to skip
Best Credit Card Readers for iPhone and Android
Turn the phone in your pocket into a till
Best Countertop Card Machines
Terminals that sit by the till and stay put
Best Merchant Service Providers
Full-service acquirers, sorted by who suits whom
Best Payment Gateways
The gateways that lose you fewest sales at checkout
Best Virtual Terminals
Take card payments by phone or post, no reader needed
Best Direct Debit Providers
Collect regular payments without chasing every invoice
Best EPOS Systems
Till systems that handle stock, staff and sales
Best Free POS Systems
Run a till without paying a monthly licence
Best Retail POS Systems
Tills that keep shop and online stock in step
Best Restaurant POS Systems
Table assignment, KDS and bill-splitting for dining venues
Best POS Systems for Bars and Pubs
Best fit for tabs, tips and pre-auth at the bar
Cheapest Card Processing
Where the money actually goes, and who charges least
Card Machine and Reader Reviews
Square Card Reader Review
Does Square’s little tap-and-go reader earn its place?
SumUp Review
Best for sole traders and mobile professionals with low volumes
Dojo Review
Purpose-built for higher-volume UK hospitality and retail
Revolut Card Reader Review
Makes most sense inside the Revolut Business setup
Takepayments Review
A named account manager, if you can haggle
Tide Card Reader Review
Worth it mainly if you already bank with Tide
myPOS Review
Instant settlement into a built-in account; no bank required
Barclaycard POS Review
The default if you already bank with Barclays
PayPal POS Review
PayPal’s rebranded no-contract card reader
GuavaPay Review
Cross-border acquiring for businesses selling abroad
Revolut Terminal Review
Countertop terminal for Revolut Business
CreatePay Review
Merchant services aimed at UK SMEs
Lopay Card Reader Review
Low-cost reader with next-day payouts
Payment Gateway and Processor Reviews
GoCardless Review
Pulls subscriptions straight from the customer’s bank
Airwallex Review
Built for businesses billing in several currencies
Adyen Review
Heavy-duty acquiring, more than most shops need
Checkout.com Review
Aimed at scaling online sellers who watch approvals
DNA Payments Review
A UK challenger to the old-guard acquirers
Elavon Review
Bank-backed acquiring, but you sign a contract
Tyl by NatWest Review
NatWest’s own card processing for its account holders
Worldpay Review
The incumbent giant, with the contracts to match
Worldline Review
Large-scale European acquiring
Shopify Payments Review
Built-in checkout for Shopify stores
POS and EPOS Reviews
Lightspeed EPOS Review
Powerful reporting, but a steeper learning curve
Epos Now Review
Widely sold UK till system; read the contract
Square POS Review
Till, card reader and payments, no contract
YumaPOS Review
Built for fast turnover at quick-service counters
TouchBistro Review
iPad POS built for hospitality
Clover POS Review
All-in-one POS hardware and software
Teya Review
Fast-growing UK merchant services challenger
Shopify POS Review
In-person selling tied to Shopify
Toast POS Review
Restaurant-specific POS platform
Payment Provider Comparisons
Square vs Dojo
No-contract simplicity vs dedicated UK hospitality features
Square vs Zettle
Two near-identical readers, one telling difference
Square vs Lopay
The known name against the cheaper newcomer
Square vs myPOS
Flat-rate POS vs instant settlement with a built-in account
Square vs Teya
Zero-contract giant vs fast-growing UK merchant services provider
Square vs Tide Card Reader
Square’s standalone POS vs Tide’s bank-linked card reader
SumUp vs Square
Europe’s two most popular no-contract readers head to head
SumUp vs Dojo
Pay-as-you-go vs hospitality-built
SumUp vs Lopay
The settled name against the cheaper upstart
SumUp vs myPOS
No-contract reader vs instant settlement with a built-in account
SumUp vs Teya
No-contract reader vs UK merchant services
SumUp vs Tide
A reader, or a bank account that takes cards
SumUp vs Zettle
So evenly matched the small print decides
Tide Card Reader vs Dojo
Bank-linked reader vs hospitality kit
Tide Card Reader vs Lopay
Bank-linked reader vs low-cost Lopay
Tide Card Reader vs myPOS
Bank-linked reader vs instant settlement
Tide Card Reader vs Teya
Bank-linked reader vs Teya
Tide Card Reader vs Zettle
Bank-linked reader vs PayPal’s Zettle
Stripe vs Airwallex
Online payments vs multi-currency accounts
Stripe vs Mollie
Developer platform vs European simplicity
Stripe vs Shopify Payments
Custom checkout vs built-in Shopify
Stripe vs Square
Online-first API platform vs all-in-one POS-and-payments
GoCardless vs Access PaySuite
Two UK Direct Debit providers
GoCardless vs Stripe
Direct Debit vs card-first billing
Worldpay vs Elavon
Two incumbent acquirers compared
DNA Payments vs Monek
Two UK challengers, and which undercuts the other
Top Square Competitors
Where to look when Square stops fitting
Specialist Payment Processing
Best High-Risk Merchant Accounts
Who will take you on when others won’t
Payment Gateways for High-Risk Businesses
Gateways that won’t drop you mid-trade
Best Payment Gateway for CBD Businesses
Processors that will actually bank CBD sellers
International Payment Gateways
Let overseas customers pay the way they expect
Best Subscription Payment Gateways
Gateways built for recurring billing
Integrated EPOS and Payments
Stop keying card totals into the till twice
Payment Processing by Business Type
Payment Processing for Hospitality
Pre-auth, tipping and table management for pubs and hotels
Payment Processing for Market Traders
Readers that work off mains, wifi and a stall
Payment Processing for Restaurants
How restaurants take payments, from tableside readers to full EPOS
Payment Processing for Retail
Payment options built for shop floors and online stock together
Payment Processing for Trades
On-site, mobile card payments for tradespeople
Payment Processing for Sole Traders
Take a card without tying yourself to a contract
Payment Processing Guides
Accepting Payments: Complete Guide
Every way to get paid, weighed up
How to Take Card Payments
Every route to accepting cards
Card Processing Fees Explained
Decode your statement and stop overpaying
What Is a Merchant Account?
What it is, and whether you need one
Online Payment Gateways Explained
Compare the gateways that plug into your online store
Ecommerce Payments
Stop losing buyers at the final step
Direct Debit and Recurring Payments
Get paid on time, every month, automatically
Contactless and Mobile Payments
What tap and phone payments mean for you
Payment Links and QR Codes
Get paid without the customer in front of you
Payment Link vs Card Machine vs Payment Gateway
Three ways to get paid, sorted for you
Buy Now, Pay Later and Open Banking
Newer ways to pay, and what they cost you
Fraud Prevention and Chargebacks
Keep money you’ve earned from being clawed back
Payment Reversals Explained
The earlier you catch a reversal, the less it costs you
PCI DSS and Strong Customer Authentication
The compliance boxes you can’t afford to miss
How to Switch Payment Provider
Move processor without your payments going dark
Card Machines and Terminals Explained
Which terminal type fits how you trade
POS vs EPOS Systems
What separates a till from an EPOS
Tap to Pay Solutions
Compare softPOS options: pay by phone without a card reader