What does it really cost to take payments online in the UK?
Nine ways to take payments online in the UK, priced by what a month really costs at your sales level: any monthly fee, plus the percentage, plus the fixed fee on every payment. Under each total are the extras that catch people out, because they move a real bill more than the headline rate.
Last checked: 10 Nov 2026 · every rate read off the provider's own page · UK consumer cards, £40 orders, before VAT · no affiliate links
Payments are one bill; for the shop platform on top, see what an online shop really costs to run.
Jump to: the short answer · when the cheapest isn't the answer · how the totals are worked out
The short answer
Cheapest card provider: Mollie at £1,000 a month (£17), Revolut Business at £10,000 (£160) and at £50,000 (£760). Dearest: PayPal, at £36.50, £365 and £1,825, when the buyer pays from a PayPal account. Revolut's figure includes the £10 Basic plan it needs; if you already pay for a Revolut Business plan, taking payments adds nothing monthly and it would be £15, £150 and £750.
The extras move a real bill more than the headline rate. At £10,000 a month Revolut and Mollie are £10 apart. If a quarter of that month came on UK business cards, Revolut's bill would rise by £45 (2.8% + 20p instead of 1% + 20p), Mollie's by £42.50 (2.90% instead of 1.20%) and Stripe's by £32.50 (2.8% instead of 1.5%). Non-UK cards cost 2.5% to 3.25% + 20p at Stripe and Mollie; currency conversion adds 2% at Stripe and 3% above the base rate at PayPal; and one Stripe dispute (£20, plus £20 more to counter it, refunded if you win) costs as much as the fees on 25 orders of £40.
At a £40 order the fixed fee matters: 20p is 0.5% of £40 and 30p is 0.75%. Per order: Revolut 60p (plus its £10 plan), Mollie 68p, Stripe 80p, Square 81p, SumUp £1.00, PayPal £1.46 from a PayPal account. SumUp's flat 2.50% has no fixed fee, so it is relatively cheaper on small orders and dearer on large ones; its £19-a-month Payments Plus lowers in-person fees only, not online ones.
PayPal's fee depends on how the buyer pays, and its fee page is ambiguous. The figure is 2.9% + 30p, the rate when the buyer pays from a PayPal account. Card payments from buyers without a PayPal account are listed at 1.2% + 30p (£19.50, £195 and £975), but the same page's payment-links table lists 'PayPal Guest Checkout' at 2.9% + 30p, so check which rate your account gets. A tiered plan, 2.4% above £4,000 and 2.1% above £8,000 of last month's sales, is only on request (£285 at £10,000 and £1,425 at £50,000 if last month was the same).
Worldpay publishes only an indicative quote, which prices personal debit and credit cards separately, so there's no single figure. From all-debit to all-credit, with 4.5p per payment and the £5 PCI DSS fee: £16.13 to £25.13 at £1,000, £106.25 to £176.25 at £10,000 and £461.25 to £711.25 at £50,000. Its £15 minimum monthly service charge means an all-debit £1,000 month pays £20.
Adyen: no total. It charges interchange++: each card's interchange and scheme fees, which it doesn't publish and which vary by card, plus 0.60% + $0.13 (about 10p) a payment.
A bank payment costs less before VAT, but it isn't a card. With GoCardless Pay by Bank the buyer approves a transfer in their banking app instead of typing a card number. Its 1% + 20p (capped at £4 a payment) comes to £15, £150 and £750 before VAT. GoCardless adds 20% VAT to its fees, so a business that can't reclaim VAT pays £18, £180 and £900: more than the cheapest card figures here (£17, £160 and £760), whose pages, as read for this comparison, don't mention VAT.
Mollie has bought GoCardless ('Mollie has acquired GoCardless', in GoCardless's own help centre), which will carry on as 'GoCardless, a Mollie company' with the same pricing for existing customers.
Published rates stop where volume starts. SumUp sells custom pricing over £10k a month, Mollie volume pricing over £50,000 a month, Square bespoke plans over £200k a year and Stripe custom packages for large volumes. At £50,000 a month (£600,000 a year), ask for a quote before choosing on these figures.
When the cheapest is not the answer
- You sell abroad. Non-UK cards cost more almost everywhere: Stripe 2.5% + 20p for EEA cards and 3.15% + 20p for others, Mollie 2.90% + 20p for European cards and 3.25% + 20p for others, Revolut 2.8% + 20p, Square 2.5% + 25p, and PayPal adds 1.29% (EEA) or 1.99% (elsewhere). SumUp's flat 2.50% has no published surcharge. Converting currency adds 2% at Stripe, 3% above the base rate at PayPal and 1% on Mollie payouts in another currency; Revolut settles in 32 currencies free until you exchange.
- Your customers pay with business cards or Amex. UK business cards are 2.8% + 20p at Stripe and Revolut and 2.90% + 20p at Mollie; Worldpay quotes 3%, 2.6% and 2.4% at the three levels. Stripe charges every Amex at its standard 1.5% + 20p; Revolut charges 1.7% + 20p for UK consumer Amex, Mollie 2.50% + 20p for UK Amex, and PayPal's Advanced card payments 3.5%.
- You expect disputes. Square charges no dispute fee; SumUp £10, non-refundable; PayPal £12 (£24 for high-volume sellers); Revolut £15, refunded if you win; Stripe £20, plus £20 to counter it, refunded if you win; Worldpay £20. Mollie charges on lost disputes but doesn't publish the card amount, and a bank payment has no card chargeback.
- You need the money fast. SumUp pays out next day by 7am to its own Business Account; Revolut next day; Worldpay settles in 24 hours; GoCardless Pay by Bank in a business day or less; Square in 1–2 working days free, or instantly for 1.95%; Stripe after 3 business days, the first payout after about 7 days; Mollie weekly unless you choose daily payouts.
Who made this page
An AI agent read each provider's UK pricing page, fee page and help centre in a real browser set to UK English and London time, filled in Worldpay's online quote tool at £12,000, £120,000 and £600,000 a year with a £40 average transaction, and copied the sentence behind every rate; code checked each sentence was really on the page before it could be used, and worked out every total. Revolut showed a security check on a second visit, and PayPal's business pages other than its fee page loaded empty; nothing was bypassed.
There are no affiliate links on this page and nothing on it earns a commission.
How the totals are worked out
total a month = any monthly fee needed to take payments + percentage × sales + fixed fee × payments, at £1,000 / £10,000 / £50,000 of online card sales a month and a £40 average order (25 / 250 / 1,250 payments)
- The cards: every payment on a UK-issued standard consumer card (personal debit or credit, Visa or Mastercard). Non-UK, business and Amex cards cost more with most providers; each line says how much.
- The rate: each provider's standard published UK online rate. Custom and volume pricing isn't published, so it isn't used.
- Monthly fees: counted only where taking payments needs one: Revolut's £10 Basic plan and Worldpay's £5 PCI DSS fee.
- VAT: fees as each provider publishes them, before any VAT. GoCardless adds 20% VAT, and its line gives both; SumUp says no VAT is applied to its transaction fees; the other pages read don't say.
- Not in the figure: currency conversion, disputes, payout fees, minimum monthly charges, refunds and hardware. Each line lists the ones that apply.
| Provider | £1,000 a month | £10,000 a month | £50,000 a month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mollievolume pricing over £50,000 a month, by sales | £17.00Standard pricing: no monthly fee + 1.20% (£12) + 25 payments × 20p (£5) = £17. Extras: UK business (commercial) and European cards 2.90% + 20p, all other cards 3.25% + 20p, UK Amex 2.50% + 20p; 1% on payouts in another currency; a chargeback fee on lost disputes, card amount not published; payouts weekly by default (daily: 5 free a month, then £0.25 each); no minimum. · ≈$22.81 | £170.00Standard pricing: no monthly fee + 1.20% (£120) + 250 payments × 20p (£50) = £170. Extras: UK business (commercial) and European cards 2.90% + 20p, all other cards 3.25% + 20p, UK Amex 2.50% + 20p; 1% on payouts in another currency; a chargeback fee on lost disputes, card amount not published; payouts weekly by default (daily: 5 free a month, then £0.25 each); no minimum. · ≈$228.07 | £850.00Standard pricing: no monthly fee + 1.20% (£600) + 1,250 payments × 20p (£250) = £850. Extras: UK business (commercial) and European cards 2.90% + 20p, all other cards 3.25% + 20p, UK Amex 2.50% + 20p; 1% on payouts in another currency; a chargeback fee on lost disputes, card amount not published; payouts weekly by default (daily: 5 free a month, then £0.25 each); no minimum. · ≈$1,140.36 |
| Stripeone published UK rate for every business; custom packages for large volumes, by sales | £20.00Standard, pay as you go: no monthly fee + 1.5% (£15) + 25 payments × 20p (£5) = £20. Extras: EEA cards 2.5% + 20p, other non-UK cards 3.15% + 20p, UK business cards 2.8% + 20p; every Amex at the standard rate; +2% when currency is converted; disputes £20 each, +£20 to counter (refunded if you win); payouts 3 business days after payment, the first after about 7 days; no minimum. · ≈$26.83 | £200.00Standard, pay as you go: no monthly fee + 1.5% (£150) + 250 payments × 20p (£50) = £200. Extras: EEA cards 2.5% + 20p, other non-UK cards 3.15% + 20p, UK business cards 2.8% + 20p; every Amex at the standard rate; +2% when currency is converted; disputes £20 each, +£20 to counter (refunded if you win); payouts 3 business days after payment, the first after about 7 days; no minimum. · ≈$268.32 | £1,000.00Standard, pay as you go: no monthly fee + 1.5% (£750) + 1,250 payments × 20p (£250) = £1,000. Extras: EEA cards 2.5% + 20p, other non-UK cards 3.15% + 20p, UK business cards 2.8% + 20p; every Amex at the standard rate; +2% when currency is converted; disputes £20 each, +£20 to counter (refunded if you win); payouts 3 business days after payment, the first after about 7 days; no minimum. · ≈$1,341.60 |
| Squarethe online rate covers Square Online, payment links and its eCommerce API; bespoke plans over £200k a year, by sales | £20.25Free plan, online: no monthly fee + 1.4% (£14) + 25 payments × 25p (£6.25) = £20.25. Extras: non-UK cards 2.5% + 25p; currency conversion not published; no dispute fee (Square covers it); payouts in 1–2 working days free, instant for 1.95%; no minimum. · ≈$27.17 | £202.50Free plan, online: no monthly fee + 1.4% (£140) + 250 payments × 25p (£62.50) = £202.50. Extras: non-UK cards 2.5% + 25p; currency conversion not published; no dispute fee (Square covers it); payouts in 1–2 working days free, instant for 1.95%; no minimum. · ≈$271.67 | £1,012.50Free plan, online: no monthly fee + 1.4% (£700) + 1,250 payments × 25p (£312.50) = £1,012.50. Extras: non-UK cards 2.5% + 25p; currency conversion not published; no dispute fee (Square covers it); payouts in 1–2 working days free, instant for 1.95%; no minimum. · ≈$1,358.37 |
| Revolut Businessif you already pay for a Revolut Business plan, taking payments adds nothing monthly | £25.00Online acceptance: Basic plan £10 a month + 1% (£10) + 25 payments × 20p (£5) = £25. Extras: UK business (commercial) and all non-UK cards 2.8% + 20p, UK consumer Amex 1.7% + 20p; settle in 32 currencies free until you exchange, then 0.6% above the Basic plan's £1,000 a month; chargebacks £15, refunded if you win; next-day payouts; minimum: the £10 plan. · ≈$33.54 | £160.00Online acceptance: Basic plan £10 a month + 1% (£100) + 250 payments × 20p (£50) = £160. Extras: UK business (commercial) and all non-UK cards 2.8% + 20p, UK consumer Amex 1.7% + 20p; settle in 32 currencies free until you exchange, then 0.6% above the Basic plan's £1,000 a month; chargebacks £15, refunded if you win; next-day payouts; minimum: the £10 plan. · ≈$214.66 | £760.00Online acceptance: Basic plan £10 a month + 1% (£500) + 1,250 payments × 20p (£250) = £760. Extras: UK business (commercial) and all non-UK cards 2.8% + 20p, UK consumer Amex 1.7% + 20p; settle in 32 currencies free until you exchange, then 0.6% above the Basic plan's £1,000 a month; chargebacks £15, refunded if you win; next-day payouts; minimum: the £10 plan. · ≈$1,019.61 |
| SumUpthe £19-a-month Payments Plus lowers in-person fees only; custom pricing over £10k a month, by sales | £25.00Pay as you go, online: no monthly fee + 2.50% (£25) + no fixed fee = £25. Extras: the same 2.50% on every card, with no published non-UK, Amex or business-card surcharge; currency conversion not published; chargebacks £10, non-refundable; payouts next day by 7am to a SumUp Business Account, or 1–2 business days to another bank; no minimum. · ≈$33.54 | £250.00Pay as you go, online: no monthly fee + 2.50% (£250) + no fixed fee = £250. Extras: the same 2.50% on every card, with no published non-UK, Amex or business-card surcharge; currency conversion not published; chargebacks £10, non-refundable; payouts next day by 7am to a SumUp Business Account, or 1–2 business days to another bank; no minimum. · ≈$335.40 | £1,250.00Pay as you go, online: no monthly fee + 2.50% (£1,250) + no fixed fee = £1,250. Extras: the same 2.50% on every card, with no published non-UK, Amex or business-card surcharge; currency conversion not published; chargebacks £10, non-refundable; payouts next day by 7am to a SumUp Business Account, or 1–2 business days to another bank; no minimum. · ≈$1,677.00 |
| PayPalPayPal charges by how the buyer pays; the line says which rate the figure uses | £36.50PayPal Checkout, standard rate, buyer paying from a PayPal account: no monthly fee + 2.9% (£29) + 25 payments × 30p (£7.50) = £36.50. Card payments from buyers without a PayPal account are listed at 1.2% + 30p (£19.50), but the same fee page's payment-links table lists 'PayPal Guest Checkout' at 2.9% + 30p, so check which rate your account gets. A tiered plan (2.4% above £4,000, 2.1% above £8,000 of last month's sales) is only on request: no change at this level. Extras: non-UK buyers +1.29% (EEA) or +1.99% (elsewhere); currency conversion 3% above the base rate; Amex 3.5% on Advanced card payments; disputes £12 (£24 for high-volume sellers), £14 card chargebacks outside PayPal accounts; free withdrawal to a UK bank, timing not on the fee page; no minimum. · ≈$48.97 | £365.00PayPal Checkout, standard rate, buyer paying from a PayPal account: no monthly fee + 2.9% (£290) + 250 payments × 30p (£75) = £365. Card payments from buyers without a PayPal account are listed at 1.2% + 30p (£195), but the same fee page's payment-links table lists 'PayPal Guest Checkout' at 2.9% + 30p, so check which rate your account gets. A tiered plan (2.4% above £4,000, 2.1% above £8,000 of last month's sales) is only on request: £285 here if last month was the same. Extras: non-UK buyers +1.29% (EEA) or +1.99% (elsewhere); currency conversion 3% above the base rate; Amex 3.5% on Advanced card payments; disputes £12 (£24 for high-volume sellers), £14 card chargebacks outside PayPal accounts; free withdrawal to a UK bank, timing not on the fee page; no minimum. · ≈$489.68 | £1,825.00PayPal Checkout, standard rate, buyer paying from a PayPal account: no monthly fee + 2.9% (£1,450) + 1,250 payments × 30p (£375) = £1,825. Card payments from buyers without a PayPal account are listed at 1.2% + 30p (£975), but the same fee page's payment-links table lists 'PayPal Guest Checkout' at 2.9% + 30p, so check which rate your account gets. A tiered plan (2.4% above £4,000, 2.1% above £8,000 of last month's sales) is only on request: £1,425 here if last month was the same. Extras: non-UK buyers +1.29% (EEA) or +1.99% (elsewhere); currency conversion 3% above the base rate; Amex 3.5% on Advanced card payments; disputes £12 (£24 for high-volume sellers), £14 card chargebacks outside PayPal accounts; free withdrawal to a UK bank, timing not on the fee page; no minimum. · ≈$2,448.42 |
| Worldpaydebit and credit cards priced separately, so the line gives the range | no planIndicative quote only, at £12,000 a year (Retail, £40 average), so no single figure. All personal debit: £5 PCI DSS fee + 1% (£10) + 25 payments × 4.5p (£1.13) = £16.13, but that is under the £15 minimum monthly service charge, so £20; all personal credit: £5 + 1.9% (£19) + £1.13 = £25.13. Extras: business cards 3%; international cards and currency conversion not in the quote; chargebacks £20; settlement in 24 hours; minimum monthly service charge £15. | no planIndicative quote only, at £120,000 a year (Retail, £40 average), so no single figure. All personal debit: £5 PCI DSS fee + 0.9% (£90) + 250 payments × 4.5p (£11.25) = £106.25; all personal credit: £5 + 1.6% (£160) + £11.25 = £176.25. Extras: business cards 2.6%; international cards and currency conversion not in the quote; chargebacks £20; settlement in 24 hours; minimum monthly service charge £15. | no planIndicative quote only, at £600,000 a year (Retail, £40 average), so no single figure. All personal debit: £5 PCI DSS fee + 0.8% (£400) + 1,250 payments × 4.5p (£56.25) = £461.25; all personal credit: £5 + 1.3% (£650) + £56.25 = £711.25. Extras: business cards 2.4%; international cards and currency conversion not in the quote; chargebacks £20; settlement in 24 hours; minimum monthly service charge £15. |
| Adyenits fixed fee is published in US dollars | no planInterchange++: the card's interchange and scheme fees, which Adyen doesn't publish and which vary by card, + 0.60% + $0.13 (about 10p) per Visa or Mastercard payment, so no total can be worked out. No setup or monthly fee. Not on the pricing page: international cards, currency conversion, dispute fees, payout timing. | no planInterchange++: the card's interchange and scheme fees, which Adyen doesn't publish and which vary by card, + 0.60% + $0.13 (about 10p) per Visa or Mastercard payment, so no total can be worked out. No setup or monthly fee. Not on the pricing page: international cards, currency conversion, dispute fees, payout timing. | no planInterchange++: the card's interchange and scheme fees, which Adyen doesn't publish and which vary by card, + 0.60% + $0.13 (about 10p) per Visa or Mastercard payment, so no total can be worked out. No setup or monthly fee. Not on the pricing page: international cards, currency conversion, dispute fees, payout timing. |
| GoCardless Pay by Bank (not a card)a different checkout from a card, so shown apart from the cards | £15.00Standard plan, Pay by Bank: no monthly fee + 1% (£10) + 25 payments × 20p (£5) = £15 before VAT, capped at £4 a payment; with the 20% VAT GoCardless adds, £18. Not a card: the buyer approves a bank transfer in their banking app. Extras: international payments 2% + 20p, with conversion at the mid-market rate included; no card chargebacks (a payer disputes through their bank); funds in a business day or less; no minimum. · ≈$20.12 | £150.00Standard plan, Pay by Bank: no monthly fee + 1% (£100) + 250 payments × 20p (£50) = £150 before VAT, capped at £4 a payment; with the 20% VAT GoCardless adds, £180. Not a card: the buyer approves a bank transfer in their banking app. Extras: international payments 2% + 20p, with conversion at the mid-market rate included; no card chargebacks (a payer disputes through their bank); funds in a business day or less; no minimum. · ≈$201.24 | £750.00Standard plan, Pay by Bank: no monthly fee + 1% (£500) + 1,250 payments × 20p (£250) = £750 before VAT, capped at £4 a payment; with the 20% VAT GoCardless adds, £900. Not a card: the buyer approves a bank transfer in their banking app. Extras: international payments 2% + 20p, with conversion at the mid-market rate included; no card chargebacks (a payer disputes through their bank); funds in a business day or less; no minimum. · ≈$1,006.20 |
Exchange rates (used only for Adyen's dollar fee and the dollar view). ECB euro reference rates of 2026-11-09, the latest published when checked (the 10 Nov rates appear around 16:00 CET): 1 EUR = 0.83430 GBP and 1 EUR = 1.1193 USD, so 1 USD = 0.74538 GBP.
Left out: Checkout.com — contact sales only: pricing set per business by its sales team, no published rate; Dojo — no published online rate (quote only); its online checkout needs a Dojo card machine and doesn't support Shopify sites, and its 1.2% headline rate is an in-person package; custom and volume tiers — Stripe (large volumes), SumUp (over £10k a month), Mollie (over £50,000 a month), Square (over £200k a year), GoCardless (£1m+ a year) and Revolut (high volumes) quote these by sales, so the figures use each one's standard published rate.
There are no affiliate links on this page. GoCardless pays £150 per referred business; Square, SumUp, Mollie and Dojo run affiliate or partner programmes whose rates they don't publish; this site hasn't joined any of them. The research is done by AI agents reading each provider's own pages. Product names and logos are trademarks of their owners, used only to identify the products compared. No analytics cookies, no tracking scripts, no third-party requests. A personal project, separate from the author's day job.
Questions people ask
What is the cheapest way to take card payments online in the UK?
On each provider's standard published UK rate, for UK consumer cards at a £40 average order: Mollie at £1,000 a month (£17, at 1.20% + 20p), and Revolut Business at £10,000 (£160) and £50,000 (£760), including the £10 Basic plan it needs. Stripe is £20, £200 and £1,000, and Square £20.25, £202.50 and £1,012.50.
How much does PayPal charge per transaction in the UK?
2.9% + 30p when the buyer pays from a PayPal account: £1.46 on a £40 order, or £365 on £10,000 a month. Card payments from buyers without a PayPal account are listed at 1.2% + 30p, but the same fee page lists 'PayPal Guest Checkout' at 2.9% + 30p for payment links, so check which rate your account gets. A tiered plan (2.4% above £4,000, 2.1% above £8,000 of last month's sales) is only on request.
Is Stripe or Square cheaper for online payments in the UK?
For UK consumer cards they are almost level: Stripe's 1.5% + 20p is 80p on a £40 order and Square's online 1.4% + 25p is 81p, so £200 against £202.50 at £10,000 a month. Square charges no dispute fee, where Stripe charges £20 plus £20 to counter it (refunded if you win). Non-UK cards are 2.5% + 25p on Square, and 2.5% + 20p (EEA) or 3.15% + 20p on Stripe.
Is GoCardless cheaper than taking card payments?
Before VAT, yes: GoCardless Pay by Bank is 1% + 20p, £150 at £10,000 a month. But it is a bank payment, not a card: the buyer approves a transfer in their banking app. GoCardless adds 20% VAT to its fees, so a business that can't reclaim VAT pays £180, more than the cheapest card provider here, Revolut Business at £160.
Answers use the figures on this page, last checked 10 Nov 2026.