Plain-English guides for UK businesses that take card payments.
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6 clusters · 44 guidesMerchant statements & fees
Everything on your monthly statement — line by line — and how to spot overcharging.
Explore clusterPricing models & rates
How UK card processing is priced — interchange-plus, blended, IC++ — and what a fair rate looks like.
Explore clusterContracts, exit fees & switching
Contract length, autorenewal, termination clauses and how to switch provider without penalties.
Explore clusterPCI, SCA & risk
PCI DSS compliance, Strong Customer Authentication, chargebacks and reserves.
Explore clusterCard machines & hardware
Terminals, PDQs, portable and mobile card machines — buying guides by business type.
Explore clusterOnline & cross-border payments
Gateways, merchant accounts, surcharging law and dynamic currency conversion.
Explore clusterMerchant statements & fees
9 guidesEverything on your monthly statement — line by line — and how to spot overcharging.
Understanding Your Merchant Statement: A Line-by-Line UK Guide
A plain-English walk-through of every line on a UK merchant services statement, from interchange and scheme fees to PCI, terminal hire and the small charges that quietly inflate your effective rate.
How To Read A Card Payment Statement
A step-by-step UK guide to working through every section of a merchant statement and spotting the line items that matter.
Card Payment Fees Explained: A UK Business Guide
A plain-English breakdown of every card payment fee a UK business is likely to see - what each charge is, why it exists, and what a reasonable range looks like.
Authorisation Fees Explained: The Silent Cost of Small Transactions
What per-transaction authorisation fees are, how much they add up to for low-ticket UK businesses, and how to include them properly in your effective rate.
PCI Compliance Fees & Costs UK 2026: SAQ Types, Prices and How to Avoid Non-Compliance Charges
How much PCI DSS compliance costs UK businesses in 2026, what acquirers actually charge (£3–£6/month), which SAQ applies, and how to stop £15–£35 non-compliance fees.
Monthly Minimum Charges Explained
How UK merchant accounts use monthly minimum service charges, when they hurt, and how to spot them on your statement.
Merchant Acquirer Margin Explained
The acquirer's margin is where the real cost comparison happens on Interchange Plus. Here's how to isolate it.
Scheme Fees Explained (Visa & Mastercard)
The pass-through fees Visa and Mastercard charge on every card transaction, and why they've risen sharply since 2016.
What Is An Effective Merchant Rate?
The single most useful number to know about your card processing, and how to calculate it from any UK merchant statement.
Pricing models & rates
7 guidesHow UK card processing is priced — interchange-plus, blended, IC++ — and what a fair rate looks like.
How Card Payment Pricing Works in the UK
Blended, Interchange Plus, IC++ and pay-as-you-go pricing explained — with real UK rate examples, when each model wins, and the trade-offs behind the headline percentage.
Interchange Plus vs Blended Pricing
What the two main UK card payment pricing models actually mean, and which one usually suits which business.
UK Interchange Rates Explained: The Regulated Caps and What Comes On Top
A complete UK reference to Visa and Mastercard interchange: the regulated 0.2% / 0.3% consumer caps, commercial card ranges, cross-border rates and how interchange flows through your merchant statement.
UK Card Processing Rates: What's Reasonable in 2026
A practical look at typical UK card processing rates by business type, the difference between headline and effective rates, and how to sense-check what you're paying.
What Is An Effective Merchant Rate?
The single most useful number to know about your card processing, and how to calculate it from any UK merchant statement.
Card Payment Costs For UK SMEs
A realistic look at what UK small businesses typically pay to accept card payments - and where the cost most often hides.
Cheapest Card Processing UK
The cheapest UK card processing options by business size, and why the cheapest headline rate is rarely the cheapest total cost.
Contracts, exit fees & switching
7 guidesContract length, autorenewal, termination clauses and how to switch provider without penalties.
Merchant Services Contract Guide: What UK Businesses Should Check Before Signing
A practical guide to the terms hidden inside UK merchant agreements — term length, notice periods, auto-renewal, rate review clauses and the separate terminal contract most businesses forget about.
Early Termination Fees on UK Merchant Contracts: What They Really Cost
How UK acquirers calculate early termination fees, why two ETFs can apply at once, and your realistic options if you want to leave a contract that still has months to run.
Switching Merchant Providers: A UK Guide
How to switch card payment providers cleanly, without downtime, mis-settled funds or duplicate contracts.
Negotiating Merchant Fees
Practical negotiation tactics for lowering your card processing costs without switching providers.
Questions To Ask Before Switching Provider
Ten questions every UK business should ask any new merchant services provider before signing.
How To Compare Merchant Service Providers
A structured framework for comparing UK card payment providers on more than just the headline rate.
How To Reduce Card Processing Costs
Practical, vendor-neutral steps any UK business can take to bring down card processing costs without compromising service.
PCI, SCA & risk
7 guidesPCI DSS compliance, Strong Customer Authentication, chargebacks and reserves.
PCI DSS SAQ Guide: Which Self-Assessment Applies to Your Business
A UK guide to the PCI DSS Self-Assessment Questionnaires (SAQ A, A-EP, B, B-IP, C, C-VT, P2PE-HW, D), when each applies, and how merchant level thresholds change what you must do.
PCI Compliance Fees & Costs UK 2026: SAQ Types, Prices and How to Avoid Non-Compliance Charges
How much PCI DSS compliance costs UK businesses in 2026, what acquirers actually charge (£3–£6/month), which SAQ applies, and how to stop £15–£35 non-compliance fees.
Strong Customer Authentication and 3-D Secure 2: A UK Merchant Guide
How SCA and 3-D Secure 2 work under UK PSD2, which exemptions actually reduce friction, and how to balance conversion with liability shift on card-not-present transactions.
Chargebacks Explained for UK Merchants
How chargebacks work, what they cost, and the practical steps to reduce them.
UK Chargeback Reason Codes: The Complete Merchant Reference
A working UK reference to Visa and Mastercard chargeback reason codes, the dispute lifecycle, the evidence that actually wins representments, and the VAMP / Excessive Chargeback thresholds you must stay under.
Rolling Reserves Explained
Why some providers hold back a percentage of your card takings, when it's justified, and how to reduce it.
Card Payment Settlement Times in the UK: Standard, Next-Day & Same-Day
How UK settlement actually works, what standard / next-day / same-day really mean, and which businesses genuinely benefit from faster settlement.
Card machines & hardware
12 guidesTerminals, PDQs, portable and mobile card machines — buying guides by business type.
Card Machine Buying Guide
A structured buying process for UK businesses choosing a new card machine, from shortlist to signature.
PDQ Machines Explained: What Is a PDQ Card Machine? (UK 2026)
What PDQ means, the four types of UK card machine (countertop, portable, mobile, mPOS), typical rental costs and how to pick the right one.
Terminal Rental Costs in the UK: Hire, Buy, Bundled & What to Check
A comprehensive guide to how UK card terminals are priced — monthly rental, one-off purchase and bundled models — and why the terminal contract usually outlasts your merchant agreement.
Best Card Machine UK 2026: Compare Card Machines, Readers & Terminals
Compare the best UK card machines and card readers for 2026 across countertop, portable, mobile and mPOS - with real cost checks, not just headline rates.
Best Card Machine for Small Business UK
The card machine options that suit small UK businesses, and how to pick between pay-as-you-go and monthly plans.
Best Card Machine for Restaurants
What restaurants need from a card machine, and the leading UK options for tips, split bills and table service.
Best Card Machine for Cafes
Fast, low-cost card machines suited to high-volume, low-value cafe transactions.
Best Card Machines for Retail UK 2026: Countertop & Portable Compared
The best UK retail card machines and terminals for 2026 - countertop vs portable, EPOS integration, rental costs and what to negotiate.
Best Card Machine for Trades
Mobile card readers that work on-site, in vans and at client premises for UK trade businesses.
Portable Card Machine Comparison
Side-by-side comparison of the leading portable card machines used by UK hospitality and retail.
Mobile Card Machine Guide
How mobile card machines work, the leading UK options, and how they differ from portable and mPOS.
EPOS and Card Machine Guide
How EPOS software and card machines fit together, and how to avoid paying twice for the same functionality.
Online & cross-border payments
6 guidesGateways, merchant accounts, surcharging law and dynamic currency conversion.
Online Payment Processing: A UK Guide
How online card processing works in the UK, the main provider types, and how to keep costs low as you scale.
Merchant Account vs Payment Gateway
The difference between a merchant account and a payment gateway, and why online businesses need both (or a bundled equivalent).
Card Surcharging in the UK: What the Law Actually Says
The UK ban on consumer card surcharges, where B2B surcharging remains legal, and how cash discounting, service charges and DCC fit into the same picture.
Dynamic Currency Conversion (DCC): How It Works and What UK Merchants Earn
How DCC works at UK terminals and checkouts, the revenue share merchants receive, the transparency rules that apply, and when it makes sense to offer it.
Strong Customer Authentication and 3-D Secure 2: A UK Merchant Guide
How SCA and 3-D Secure 2 work under UK PSD2, which exemptions actually reduce friction, and how to balance conversion with liability shift on card-not-present transactions.
Card Payment Settlement Times in the UK: Standard, Next-Day & Same-Day
How UK settlement actually works, what standard / next-day / same-day really mean, and which businesses genuinely benefit from faster settlement.
Find out if you're overpaying on card fees
Two numbers — your monthly card bill and annual turnover — and we'll estimate your effective rate against the UK average. Send your statement and we'll email a full written breakdown within 30 minutes (8am–6pm, 7 days a week).
Takes 30 seconds. Statement optional.