How online processing works
The customer enters card details on your site or a hosted page. The gateway transmits the data securely to the acquirer, who routes it via the card scheme to the issuing bank for authorisation. Funds settle to your bank a day or two later.
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Start free reviewThe main provider types
Bundled online-first
Stripe, Adyen, Shopify Payments, PayPal. Fast to set up, blended pricing, no long contracts.
Traditional acquirer + gateway
Worldpay/Barclaycard + Opayo/Braintree. More negotiable at scale, more complex to manage.
Wallets and BNPL
Apple Pay, Google Pay, Klarna, Clearpay - added as extra payment methods on top of a primary processor.
Keeping costs low as you scale
Below £20k/month, bundled is usually cheapest. £20k-£100k, benchmark blended vs Interchange Plus. Above £100k/month, Interchange Plus or a negotiated Adyen/Worldpay deal usually wins.
Key takeaways
- ●Online processing needs a merchant account and a gateway (bundled or separate).
- ●Bundled providers dominate low and mid volume; Interchange Plus dominates high volume.
- ●Review pricing at every material step-change in monthly volume.