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How to take recurring card payments, what it costs, the card scheme rules for free trials, and why trial-based and supplement businesses are treated as high risk.
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
Subscription payment processing charges a customer's card automatically each period. Card rates are the same as one-off payments, such as Mollie at 1.20% + 20p with recurring payments included. Direct Debit is cheaper for regular amounts: Stripe charges 1%, capped at £4. Free trials and nutraceuticals face extra rules: Visa requires clear terms at checkout and seven days' notice before a trial ends.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| Paddle Source | 5% + 50¢ (merchant of record) | 5% + 50¢ | £0 | Not on pricing page | No lock-in |
| Adyen Source | £0.11 + interchange++ + 0.60% | Same structure; interchange is higher | £0, no setup fee | Flexible, you choose | Not stated |
| PayPal Braintree Source | 1.9% + 20p; Amex 2.4% + 20p | +1% for non-UK cards | Not published | Not published | Not stated |
| Checkout.com Source | Quote only (interchange++) | Quote only | No setup or account fees | Not published | Not published |
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 know which banks and processors accept your sector, prepare the application so it is read properly, and come back with the terms you can actually get. 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.
When a customer signs up, they enter their card once and agree to be charged on a schedule. The processor stores the card securely and charges it each month or year without the customer re-entering details. If a card expires or is replaced, a card account updater can refresh the details; Stripe, for example, includes one in its Authorisation Boost features.
You need two things: a processor that supports recurring card payments, and billing software that knows who to charge, how much and when. Some providers bundle both. Mollie includes recurring payments at no extra cost. Airwallex charges 0.50% per successful card transaction for its subscription management, on top of its card rates.
A merchant of record goes further and sells to your customer on your behalf, handling sales tax and VAT, fraud, chargebacks and payment support. Paddle charges 5% + 50¢ per transaction for this. Stripe's Managed Payments adds 3.5% to its normal payment fees.
Take 1,000 subscribers paying £20 a month, or £20,000 a month, all on standard UK cards. On published rates read 27 October 2026:
A negative option offer is one where the customer is charged unless they act to cancel, such as a free trial that rolls into a paid subscription. Visa's Core Rules, April 2026 edition, require a negative option merchant to do all of the following:
Subscriptions with clear pricing are ordinary business for most processors. The risk rises when customers do not realise they will be charged: low-priced trials that become full-price subscriptions, products sent on continuity plans, or renewals customers forget. Those customers often dispute the charge with their bank rather than contact the business, which drives up chargebacks.
Nutraceuticals, meaning supplements and similar health products, often combine trial offers with health claims. Stripe's UK list, last updated 22 September 2026, prohibits pseudo-pharmaceuticals or nutraceuticals that are not safe or make harmful claims, and prohibits negative option marketing and reduced-price trials with unclear or hidden pricing.
Card scheme monitoring applies as for any business. Mastercard flags merchants with at least 100 chargebacks a month and a 1.5% ratio, per J.P. Morgan Payments' published guide, and Visa's merchant threshold in Europe has been a 1.5% ratio, with at least 1,500 fraud reports and disputes, since 1 April 2026. On 10,000 renewals a month, 150 chargebacks reaches Mastercard's level.
Most subscription chargebacks come from confusion, not fraud. These steps keep them down and help any application for a processor:
We work with banks and processors that accept higher-risk sectors, and we know which of them take subscription, membership, trial-based and nutraceutical businesses. We prepare your application so it answers the questions underwriters ask, present it to the providers most likely to say yes, and negotiate the rate, reserve, payout timing and any volume limits. No one can promise approval, and we never do.
Once you are live, you keep a named account manager who reviews your chargeback and refund levels with you each month, so problems are fixed before a processor adds a reserve or gives notice, and who takes it up with the provider if your terms change. Our service is free to you. We may receive a fee from the provider you choose; it never changes the price you pay.
It is the service that stores a customer's card and charges it automatically each month or year. You need a processor that supports recurring card payments and billing software to schedule the charges. Some providers, such as Mollie, include recurring payments at no extra cost.
For regular fixed amounts, Direct Debit usually costs least: Stripe charges 1% for Bacs Direct Debit, minimum 20p, capped at £4, and Mollie 0.90% + 20p. For cards, Mollie's 1.20% + 20p is the lowest published UK rate, read 27 October 2026.
Yes, if you follow the card scheme rules. Visa requires clear terms at checkout, click-to-accept consent for future charges, a confirmation after sign-up, and written notice at least 7 days before a trial ends. Hidden or unclear trial pricing is prohibited by providers such as Stripe.
Often, yes, especially with clear pricing and honest claims. Processors look closely at trial offers, continuity plans and health claims. Stripe's UK list prohibits nutraceuticals that are not safe or make harmful claims. We know which providers accept the sector. Approval is never guaranteed.
If you sell software or digital products worldwide and want someone else to handle sales tax, fraud and chargebacks, yes. Paddle charges 5% + 50¢ per transaction and Stripe Managed Payments adds 3.5% to payment fees. For UK-focused businesses, a standard processor usually costs less.
Tell us what you need and where you operate.