Best Credit Card Processing for UK Businesses 2026
Accept card payments in-person and online with FCA-regulated processors. Compare Square, SumUp, Zettle, Stripe, Worldpay, and Lightspeed POS on pricing, hardware, and UK settlement speeds.
1. Square
All-in-one payment processing platform popular with UK retail, hospitality, and service businesses. Square offers card readers, POS terminals, online payment links, and invoicing with flat-rate pricing and no monthly fees. Funds settle next business day to any UK bank account. FCA-regulated with PCI DSS Level 1 compliance.
Key Features
2. SumUp
UK-headquartered payment processor offering pay-as-you-go card readers with no monthly fees and one of the lowest in-person rates on the market. SumUp Air, Solo, and POS Lite hardware accept chip, contactless, Apple Pay, and Google Pay. Settlement to UK bank accounts within 1-3 business days. FCA-regulated and ideal for sole traders, market stalls, and mobile businesses.
Key Features
3. Zettle by PayPal
PayPal-owned payment processor with strong UK presence in retail and hospitality. Zettle offers card readers, full POS systems, and inventory management with seamless PayPal integration. Funds settle to your PayPal balance instantly or to UK bank accounts within 1-2 business days. Popular with cafés, salons, and pop-up shops needing built-in stock and staff management.
Key Features
4. Stripe
Developer-first online payment platform powering checkouts for thousands of UK businesses, from startups to FTSE 100 companies. Stripe handles online cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, BACS Direct Debit, and Stripe Terminal for in-person. Strong Customer Authentication (SCA) compliant, with advanced fraud prevention via Stripe Radar. Settles to UK bank accounts in GBP every 7 days by default.
Key Features
5. Worldpay
UK-founded enterprise payment processor (now part of FIS) with deep retail, hospitality, and high-volume merchant expertise. Worldpay offers in-person terminals, ecommerce gateways, omnichannel payments, and chargeback management with bespoke pricing for established businesses. FCA-regulated, PCI DSS Level 1, and accepts 300+ payment methods across 146 currencies.
Key Features
6. Lightspeed POS
Cloud-based POS and payments platform built for UK retail, hospitality, and golf businesses. Lightspeed combines an iPad-first till system with Lightspeed Payments for fully integrated card processing — one provider, one dashboard, one settlement. Advanced inventory, multi-location stock, supplier ordering, and detailed reporting included. Settles to UK bank accounts in GBP and integrates with Xero, QuickBooks, and major ecommerce platforms.
Key Features
Square UK Pricing Breakdown
| Transaction Type | Rate |
|---|---|
| In-person (chip & contactless) | 1.75% |
| Online payments | 2.5% |
| Invoices | 2.5% |
| Payment links | 2.5% |
| Manually keyed transactions | 2.5% |
| Monthly fee | £0 |