Card processing is what happens between a customer presenting a card and money arriving in your account: authorisation, clearing and settlement, run by an acquirer. You pay for it as a percentage of each sale plus a set of fixed charges. Published UK in-person rates run from 0.79% to 1.75%, and the fixed charges are where quotes diverge most.
What the percentage is made of
Interchange to the customer's card issuer, capped for UK domestic consumer cards. Scheme and processing fees to Visa or Mastercard. Then the acquirer's margin. Most UK providers blend the three into one figure. Adyen prices them separately as interchange plus, which is why its published number looks lower and is not directly comparable with a blended rate.
The fixed charges beside it
An authorisation fee per request at some acquirers, a minimum monthly service charge, PCI compliance fees, chargeback and refund fees. Lloyds Cardnet prints a minimum monthly charge and shows an authorisation fee inside a worked example. Teya's published schedule prices transfers and cash deposits. These belong in the quote, and are frequently absent from the pricing page.
Machines are not processing
A card processing machine is a terminal; the processing is the account behind it. Buyers routinely compare machines and sign accounts. Published hardware here spans 11 to 179 pounds; the account spans 0.79% to 1.75% of every sale, forever. Get the account right and the machine follows it.
Questions people ask about card processing
What do card processing companies charge in the UK?
Published in-person rates run from 0.79% to 1.75%, usually with a fixed pence element, plus authorisation, minimum monthly, PCI and chargeback charges depending on the provider.
What is a card processing machine?
A card terminal. The processing itself is performed by the acquirer behind it, and that account is what determines your cost and your settlement timing.
Should a processing quote itemise every fee?
Yes, and you should ask for it in writing: the in-person rate, the rate for commercial and non UK cards, any authorisation fee, the minimum monthly charge, PCI fees, the term and the early termination charge.