Merchant services
Ecommerce payment processing for UK online shops.
How online shops take card and wallet payments, what Shopify Payments and the main processors charge, and which costs least at your sales. Prices read 27 October 2026.
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How online shops take card and wallet payments, what Shopify Payments and the main processors charge, and which costs least at your sales. Prices read 27 October 2026.
Published online rates from the major processors serving UK businesses, plus the quoted rates that only come on request. You see them side by side, on your own sales.
The short answer
Ecommerce payment processing is how an online shop takes card and wallet payments at checkout. On Shopify, Shopify Payments charges 2% + 25p on the Basic plan and Shopify adds a 2% fee if you use another processor. On your own site, Mollie (1.20% + 20p), Airwallex (1.30% + 20p) and Stripe (1.5% + 20p) publish lower UK card rates. Prices read 27 October 2026.
Published prices read on 27 October 2026 from each provider's own pricing page. Quote only or not published means the provider gives rates on request; we obtain those for you.
| Provider | Standard UK card rate | European and international cards | Monthly fee | Payouts | Contract |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shopify Payments Source | 2% + 25p on Basic; 1.3% + 25p on Plus | 3.1% + 25p on Basic | Plan from £25 (£19 paid yearly) | Not on pricing page | Monthly or yearly plan |
| Mollie Source | 1.20% + 20p UK consumer cards | 2.90% + 20p European and UK commercial; 3.25% + 20p other | £0 | 5 free a month, then 25p each | No lock-in |
| Airwallex Source | 1.30% + 20p UK cards | 2.40% + 20p EEA; 3.15% + 20p international | £0 or £19 (waived over £10k) | Not on pricing page | Not stated |
| Stripe Source | 1.5% + 20p standard UK cards; 2.8% + 20p premium UK cards | 2.5% + 20p EEA; 3.15% + 20p international; +2% if converted | £0 | Standard free; instant 1% (min 40p); first payout 7 to 14 days | Pay as you go |
| Square Online Source | 1.4% + 25p UK cards | 2.5% + 25p non-UK cards | £0, or Plus from £29 | Next day; instant 1.95% | Not stated |
| PayPal Source | 2.9% + 30p standard; 1.2% + 30p for advanced card payments | +1.29% EEA, +1.99% other markets | £0; £20 for Website Payments Pro | Free withdrawal to bank | Not stated |
| Viva.com Online Source | 2.19% + 24p UK consumer cards | 2.06% + 24p plus interchange and scheme fees | Not published for online | Not published | Not published |
| Adyen Source | £0.11 + interchange++ + 0.60% | Same structure; interchange is higher | £0, no setup fee | Flexible, you choose | Not stated |
| Worldpay Source | Indicative quote, e.g. 1% debit, 1.8% credit + 4.5p | Quote only | £5 PCI fee; £15 minimum monthly charge | 24 hours | Not shown in tool |
Rates are for online card payments taken by UK businesses, before VAT where the provider states it. Premium, business and non-UK cards usually cost more. Our service is free to you. We may receive a fee from the provider you choose; it never changes the price you pay.
Tell us about your business. We compare the whole market, including the processors that only quote on request, and come back with the lowest total cost for your online sales and the right set-up. You keep a named account manager after setup.
Our service is free to you. We may receive a fee from the provider you choose; it never changes the price you pay.
Your shop's checkout collects the customer's card or wallet details through a payment provider's form or plugin. The provider checks the payment with the customer's bank, runs 3D Secure when the bank asks for it, and confirms the order to your shop in seconds. Money from approved payments is then paid to your bank, usually one to two working days later.
Most ecommerce platforms let you plug in a choice of providers. Shopify has its own Shopify Payments. WooCommerce and other open platforms use plugins from Stripe, PayPal, Mollie, Square, Airwallex and others. Larger shops often connect Adyen, Checkout.com or a Worldpay merchant account directly.
What you pay depends on three things: the rate for the cards your customers use, any fixed fee per order, and any platform fee for using a processor other than the platform's own.
Shopify's published UK rates for online card payments fall as your plan rises: 2% + 25p on Basic, 1.7% + 25p on Grow, 1.5% + 25p on Advanced and 1.3% + 25p on Plus. International and American Express cards cost 3.1% + 25p on Basic. Plans cost £25, £65 and £344 a month paid monthly, or £19, £49 and £259 a month paid yearly. Plus starts at £1,800 a month.
If you use another processor on Shopify, Shopify charges a third-party transaction fee of 2% on Basic. That usually wipes out any saving from a cheaper processor, so on Shopify the real choice is which plan, not which processor.
On WooCommerce or a custom site there is no platform fee, so the processor's rate is the full story. Watch for plugin surcharges: Viva.com says a 0.35% surcharge may apply when using certain official ecommerce plugins.
Take a shop with £30,000 a month in 500 orders of £60, all on standard UK cards. On Shopify Basic with Shopify Payments, fees are £600 plus £125, or £725, plus the £25 plan: £750. On Grow at 1.7% + 25p, fees are £635 plus the £65 plan: £700. Using Mollie on Shopify Basic would cost £460 in Mollie fees plus £600 in Shopify's 2% fee and the plan: £1,085.
The same shop on WooCommerce pays no platform fee. Mollie at 1.20% + 20p costs £460. Airwallex at 1.30% + 20p costs £490. Stripe at 1.5% + 20p costs £550. Square Online at 1.4% + 25p costs £545. PayPal's standard 2.9% + 30p rate, which applies to payments through a PayPal account, would cost £1,020 on the same orders.
These figures use published rates read 27 October 2026. Premium and international cards raise every figure.
UK shoppers expect to pay by card, Apple Pay and Google Pay, and many expect PayPal. Wallets are usually charged at the card rate: Adyen lists Apple Pay and Google Pay as defined by the card used, and Viva.com's card prices include Apple Pay and Google Pay.
PayPal costs more than cards. Its standard rate for payments through a PayPal account is 2.9% + 30p, with 1.29% added for buyers in the European Economic Area and 1.99% for other markets. Offering it can still lift sales, so many shops offer cards as the main option and PayPal alongside.
Buy now, pay later costs more again. Stripe lists Klarna from 4.99% + 35p, and Shopify lists Klarna at 4.99% + 30p on Basic. Bank payments are cheaper for large orders: Stripe charges 1% for Bacs Direct Debit with a £4 cap.
European and international cards cost more because card issuers charge more for cross-border payments. On published rates read 27 October 2026, Airwallex charges 2.40% + 20p for EEA cards and 3.15% + 20p for international cards. Stripe charges 2.5% + 20p for EEA cards and 3.15% + 20p for international cards, plus 2% if currency conversion is needed. Mollie charges 2.90% + 20p for European cards and 3.25% + 20p for all other cards.
On £10,000 a month of EEA card sales in 200 orders, Airwallex costs £280, Stripe £290, Mollie £330 and Shopify Payments on Basic, at 3.1% + 25p, £360. PayPal's standard rate plus its 1.29% EEA fee costs £479.
If a large share of your sales are international, ask for quotes from processors with local acquiring in your main markets, such as Adyen or Checkout.com. We obtain those quotes for you.
We compare the whole online payments market for you, including the processors that only quote on request, such as Worldpay, Checkout.com, takepayments and Elavon. We look at your real card mix, average sale and the countries you sell to, and work out the total monthly cost with each one, including monthly charges, dispute fees and payout costs, not just the headline rate.
We then negotiate the rate and terms, handle the application and the switch from your current processor, and give you a named account manager who stays with you after you go live and reviews your costs as your sales grow. Our service is free to you. We may receive a fee from the provider you choose; it never changes the price you pay.
Ecommerce payment processing is the service that lets an online shop take card, wallet and other payments at checkout. The provider checks each payment with the customer's bank, confirms the order to your shop and pays the money into your bank, minus its fees.
On Shopify, usually yes, because Shopify charges a 2% third-party fee on Basic if you use another processor. Off Shopify, Stripe's 1.5% + 20p is lower than Shopify Payments' 2% + 25p on Basic. Shopify's rate falls to 1.3% + 25p on Plus.
WooCommerce has no platform fee, so pick on rate and features. On published UK card rates read 27 October 2026, Mollie is lowest at 1.20% + 20p, then Airwallex at 1.30% + 20p, Square Online at 1.4% + 25p and Stripe at 1.5% + 20p.
Many UK shoppers like PayPal, so offering it can help sales. It costs more than cards: 2.9% + 30p for payments through a PayPal account, plus 1.29% for EEA buyers or 1.99% for other markets. Most shops offer cards first and PayPal alongside.
Expect to pay more than for UK cards. Airwallex charges 2.40% + 20p for EEA cards, Stripe 2.5% + 20p, Mollie 2.90% + 20p and Shopify Payments 3.1% + 25p on Basic. Stripe adds 2% if currency conversion is needed. Prices read 27 October 2026.
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