Payment Processing: UK 2026 Pricing & Fee Calculator
Payment processing is what you pay to accept card payments. This calculator uses typical UK pay-as-you-go rates so you can see a realistic blended cost before comparing named providers.
What Payment Processing charges
| Fee | Rate |
|---|---|
| UK cards (typical) | 1.5% + 20p |
| European cards | 2.5% + 20p |
| International cards | 3.25% + 20p |
How the fees work
Most UK payment processors charge a percentage of each sale plus a small fixed fee per transaction. Pay-as-you-go providers usually sit between 1.4% and 1.75% on UK cards, with no monthly fee. Traditional merchant accounts can go lower on the percentage but add monthly and authorisation fees, so they only win at higher volumes.
The figures here are representative typical rates, not a single company price. They are useful for a quick blended estimate; switch to a named provider page for exact, sourced pricing.
Two things move your real cost the most: the share of non-UK cards you take (each tier above UK is roughly 1 percentage point more), and your average transaction value (the fixed fee hurts more on small baskets).
Check the official pricing
Fees change. Confirm the current rate at Stripe UK pricing (benchmark). Also: Square UK pricing (benchmark).