Online payment gateways
Payment gateways UK: compare online card payment gateways
A payment gateway is the service that takes a card payment on your website when the customer is not in front of a card machine. In the UK the main options are Stripe, Adyen, Worldpay, Square Online and Shopify Payments, plus specialist high-risk acquirers. They differ on price (typically 1.4% to 2.9% per online transaction), SCA / 3D Secure 2 handling, settlement speed, and how much developer work setup needs. This page compares the UK gateway landscape, the omnichannel acquirers that run both terminals and online, and the high-risk verticals mainstream acquirers won’t underwrite.
UK payment gateways compared (2026)
Indicative UK online (card-not-present) pricing. Rates vary by volume and account; confirm on quote.
| Gateway | UK online pricing | SCA / 3DS2 | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stripe Checkout | 1 | SCA handled automatically via 3D Secure 2 | UK ecommerce stores running on Shopify, WooCommerce or custom builds |
| Adyen Web | Bespoke interchange-plus per merchant | SCA via 3D Secure 2 automatic | Mid-market and enterprise UK merchants |
| Shopify Payments | 2 | SCA via 3D Secure 2 handled by Shopify and Stripe automatically | UK Shopify stores (Basic, Shopify, Advanced, Plus plans) |
| Square Online | 1 | SCA via 3D Secure 2 handled automatically | UK SMBs already using Square Terminal in person |
| GoCardless | 1% + 20p per UK Bacs transaction, capped at £2 per transaction | N/A for Bacs Direct Debit (no card details, no SCA required) | UK subscription businesses (SaaS, membership, gym, recurring deliveries) |
| PayPal Checkout | 2 | SCA via 3D Secure 2 handled automatically | UK ecommerce stores wanting maximum consumer-recognition payment options |
| Opayo (formerly Sage Pay) | Bespoke per merchant | SCA via 3D Secure 2 | Established UK SMBs and mid-market with 1+ year trading history |
| Mollie | 1 | SCA via 3D Secure 2 handled automatically | UK ecommerce stores selling into EEA markets |
Taking payments by phone instead of on a website? See the UK virtual terminal guide. Comparing the per-transaction cost itself? See interchange-plus vs blended pricing.
Omnichannel acquirers (already reviewed)
These acquirers run both card terminals (in-person) and online gateways (card-not-present). If you sell both ways, one of these is usually the right call: one statement, one reconciliation, one chargeback workflow.
Square Terminal
4.1/5Square Terminal is the strongest all-in-one no-contract UK card terminal for independent retail and small hospitality in 2026. £149 to £199 hardware with built-in receipt printer, 1.75% per transaction, no contract, no monthly fee. Tighter integration with the Square stack (online store, invoices, inventory, payroll) than any other UK no-contract terminal. The 1.75% rate is uncompetitive above £20k monthly card volume.
Stripe Reader S700
4/5Stripe Reader S700 is the strongest UK card terminal for businesses already running on Stripe online in 2026. £329 hardware, touchscreen with built-in receipt printer, WiFi + 4G + Bluetooth, custom checkout flows via the Stripe Terminal SDK. Pricing is bespoke per Stripe account. Best fit for hybrid online-plus-in-person SMBs with developer resource; not a plug-and-play choice for non-technical small retail.
Tide Card Reader
3.8/5Tide Card Reader is the in-app card-acceptance product for Tide Business banking customers. Cheapest mainstream UK rate at 1.5% per transaction. Best fit if you already bank with Tide; less compelling otherwise because the ecosystem-lock-in has no upside outside the Tide stack.
Revolut Card Reader
3.7/5Revolut Card Reader is part of the Revolut Business stack. Headline rate is among the cheapest in the UK SMB market, but conditional on holding a Revolut Business subscription. Best fit for Revolut Business users with international payment flow; less compelling as a standalone choice.
Adyen for Platforms
4/5Adyen is the enterprise-grade acquirer used by larger UK merchants and platforms (Just Eat, Deliveroo, Booking.com, Klarna). Premium pricing transparency and global coverage; not a small-SMB product. Worth knowing about because larger UK SMBs sometimes need to consider it.
Online-led high-risk verticals
Most online gambling, crypto, dating, subscription and adult businesses fall outside mainstream UK acquirer underwriting. They need specialist high-risk acquirers with explicit risk-aware approvals, higher rates, and rolling-reserve arrangements. We cover the panel that engages with each.
Adult industry merchant accounts UK
Card networks treat adult content and services as the highest-chargeback-risk vertical outside gambling. Mainstream acquirers decline categorically.
Gambling merchant accounts UK
UK gambling merchant accounts require a specialist regulated-vertical acquirer panel separate from mainstream card acceptance. Gambling is the heaviest-regulated UK vertical with the most complex chargeback and fraud profile; card networks impose specific MCC codes and processing rules, and mainstream UK acquirers (Dojo, SumUp, Square, Stripe) do not underwrite the category. Typical gambling-friendly providers are specialist gambling acquirers and tier-one international acquirers via specific programmes; expect 2.5% to 5.0% rates depending on sub-category and substantial settlement reserves. A Gambling Commission licence is required.
Health supplements merchant accounts UK
Subscription billing and weight-loss claims drive high chargeback rates. Card networks watch this vertical closely.
Crypto-adjacent merchant accounts UK
Card networks treat crypto purchases as the highest-fraud-risk vertical alongside gambling. Mainstream UK acquirers decline categorically. Specialist acquirers exist but pricing is high and reserves substantial.
Subscription-billing merchant accounts UK
Subscription chargeback rates run materially above one-off retail. "I cancelled but you charged me" disputes are the dominant chargeback reason. Card schemes scrutinise this vertical closely.
Dating site merchant accounts UK
Subscription-billing chargeback rates run high on dating verticals. Catfishing complaints, dispute-rate spikes around Valentine's, and consent-capture complexity drive acquirer caution.
UK online payment gateway reviews
Each gateway page covers UK pricing, SCA / 3D Secure 2 handling, setup complexity, pros, cons, and competitors. Hands-on test is in progress for several; structural reviews are live.
Stripe Checkout
StripeThe standard UK hosted-checkout payment gateway. SCA-aware, subscription-ready, Connect-ready.
Read review →
Adyen Web
AdyenEnterprise omnichannel gateway with bespoke pricing. Strong for mid-market and up.
Read review →
Shopify Payments
ShopifyNative checkout for Shopify stores. Stripe-powered, discounted rates for Shopify merchants.
Read review →
Square Online
SquareSquare ecommerce builder plus payment processing. Bundled with Square Terminal for omnichannel SMBs.
Read review →
GoCardless
GoCardlessBank-to-bank direct debit, not card. Lower fee for recurring B2B and subscription billing.
Read review →
PayPal Checkout
PayPalMainstream UK consumer wallet. Buy Now Pay Later, abandoned-cart recovery, higher rates.
Read review →
Opayo (formerly Sage Pay)
ElavonUK-specific gateway popular with established SMBs and mid-market. Owned by Elavon.
Read review →
Mollie
MollieEuropean-headquartered gateway. Strong Klarna, iDEAL, Bancontact for cross-border UK ecommerce.
Read review →
What changes when payment moves online
- Card-not-present pricing
- Online transactions carry higher interchange than in-person. Expect 0.3% to 0.7% more than the same acquirer's POS rate, before scheme fees and gateway markup.
- Chargeback exposure rises sharply
- Card-not-present transactions sit on the merchant for fraud. Friendly fraud and "item not received" disputes are common. Most UK gateways charge £15 to £35 per chargeback regardless of outcome.
- 3D Secure 2 (SCA) is mandatory
- UK and EEA card payments require Strong Customer Authentication on most online transactions. Gateways handle the challenge flow automatically but conversion drops 2 to 5 percentage points when SCA is triggered.
- Settlement schedule differs
- Online acquirers often hold reserves and settle on rolling schedules for new accounts. Stripe defaults to 7 days for new merchants. Adyen schedules are bespoke. Reserve and settlement terms matter more online than they do in person.
- PCI compliance is different
- In-person you can usually claim SAQ-B (hardware-only). Online you typically need SAQ-A or SAQ-A-EP, with quarterly scans for the latter. Hosted-checkout gateways minimise scope; self-hosted forms increase it. See the PCI-DSS v4 guide for UK small merchants for the SAQ-A vs SAQ-A-EP vs SAQ-B decision tree.
Last reviewed: 11 May 2026.