Taking card payments in the UK means opening an acquiring account and putting a terminal in front of the customer. The account charges a percentage of each sale, published on this shelf between 0.79% and 1.75%, often with a small fixed charge on top. Setup with an app based provider takes days; with a traditional acquirer it takes underwriting.
What you need before you can start
Identity documents for the people who own and control the business, bank details for settlement or acceptance of the provider's own account, and an idea of your annual card turnover and average transaction value. Traditional acquirers will also ask for your merchant category, which is why Paymentsense's pricing tool asks for it before quoting anything.
UK pricing is not global pricing
UK interchange for domestic consumer cards is capped by retained regulation, at levels Viva.com states on its own page as 0.20% for debit and prepaid and 0.30% for credit. That cap is why UK headline rates cluster where they do. A rate quoted on a .com page for another market is not your rate, and several suppliers in this index print non sterling figures on UK paths.
Card payments and cash together
Most small businesses run both for a while. A card account does not replace a till, and a till does not take the card payment, which is why EPOS suppliers and acquirers often sell as one package. Keeping them separate costs a little more and leaves both contracts independent, which matters when one of them comes up for renewal.
Questions people ask about card payments
How much does it cost to take card payments in the UK?
Published in-person rates run from 0.79% to 1.75% of each sale, several with a fixed charge of 2p to 11p on top. Monthly fees run from zero to about 18 pounds plus VAT depending on the plan.
Can a sole trader take card payments?
Yes. The app based providers here onboard sole traders on the same terms as companies, subject to identity checks. Traditional acquirers will underwrite a sole trader too, usually with more paperwork.
Do I need to accept every card type?
You choose which schemes to accept within your acquirer's terms. American Express is the usual decision point, because it is priced separately by most providers here and accepted through the same terminal.