Take card payments on your website, live in 2 days.
Stripe Checkout, Adyen Web, Shopify Payments, Square Online, GoCardless. We match you against the right UK online gateway for your platform, volume, B2B-vs-B2C mix and SCA / 3DS2 requirements.
UK Strong Customer Authentication compliant out of the box. Frictionless flow on low-risk, challenge on high-risk. Liability shift to issuer.
Subscription, marketplace, B2B
Stripe Billing for SaaS, Stripe Connect for marketplaces, GoCardless Bacs for B2B invoicing, Klarna for BNPL.
From 0.8% to 2.9%
UK online gateway rates from Revolut 0.8% (Premium plan) through Stripe 1.5%+20p to PayPal 2.9%+30p. We get quotes line-by-line.
Best fit for
UK Shopify and WooCommerce ecommerce
UK SaaS subscription billing
UK marketplaces (Stripe Connect)
UK B2B invoicing (GoCardless Bacs)
Not the right fit if
In-person-only trade (card machine, not gateway)
Cash-only businesses
In the UK market
Stripe and Shopify Payments dominate UK SMB ecommerce in 2026. Adyen wins above £1m monthly.
UK merchants ask
Which UK online payment gateway is the cheapest?+
Depends on volume and channel. Sub-£10k monthly: Shopify Payments (Shopify stores only) or Stripe (1.5%+20p). Above £100k: Adyen interchange-plus. B2B recurring above £30/month: GoCardless Bacs at 1%+20p capped £2.
Does my UK online business need its own SCA implementation?+
No if you use hosted-checkout (Stripe Checkout, Shopify Payments, Square Online, Mollie). The gateway handles SCA. If you use direct-form (Stripe Elements, Adyen Components), you need to integrate the 3DS2 SDK.
Can MerchantHQ help with high-risk online verticals?+
Yes. We route online gambling, crypto, dating, subscription, adult, CBD and other high-risk verticals to our specialist acquirer panel. Disclosed upfront on every introduction.
Get matched in 2 minutes.
Whole-of-market UK acquirer panel. Free to apply. Acquirer pays our commission. 24/7 dedicated UK account team for the life of the agreement.
MerchantHQ is operated by Best Business Loans Ltd, registered in England and Wales (company number 16833937). All services, operations and publications under the MerchantHQ brand are delivered by Best Business Loans Ltd.
Legal and Registration
Registered in England and Wales. Company number 16833937. D‑U‑N‑S 234324824. ICO registered, reference ZC151816 (certificate, verify). Registered supplier on the UK Government's Find a Tender Service (FTS). Details publicly available via Companies House and OpenCorporates.
Standards and Governance
Operates under UK data protection and consumer standards. Aligns with UK GDPR, ISO 27001 and ISO 9001 principles. Working towards Cyber Essentials certification.
Domain Continuity
Primary domain merchanthq.co.uk. Business ownership, entity and services remain unchanged. Reviewed quarterly.