Merchant services
Travel merchant accounts for UK travel agents and tour operators.
Why card processors treat travel as higher risk, what that means for your cash flow, and how to get better terms. Prices read 27 October 2026.
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Why card processors treat travel as higher risk, what that means for your cash flow, and how to get better terms. 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
A travel merchant account lets a travel agent or tour operator take card payments, often months before travel. Processors see this as higher risk, because if a trip does not happen, customers claim their money back through their card issuer. Expect a reserve or delayed settlement. Worldpay's tool gave indicative online rates of 0.8% for debit and 1.3% for credit for a travel business, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| 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 |
| Checkout.com Source | Quote only (interchange++) | Quote only | No setup or account fees | Not published | Not published |
| Trust Payments Source | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| Paysafe Source | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| Nuvei Source | Not published | Not published | Not published | 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.
In most retail, the customer pays and receives the goods within days. In travel, a customer may pay a deposit a year ahead and the balance weeks before departure. If the trip is cancelled, or the operator or a supplier fails, the customer can ask their card issuer to reverse the payment. The acquirer must refund the issuer, and if the business cannot repay, the acquirer carries the loss.
This gap between payment and delivery is what processors price. PayPal's UK user agreement lists your delivery time frames among the factors it uses to decide whether to hold a reserve. So acquirers look closely at your finances, the customer money you hold for future trips and your protection arrangements.
Mainstream providers are cautious too. Stripe's UK list, last updated 22 September 2026, prohibits commercial airlines and cruises, international charter and private airlines and timeshare services, and restricts travel reservation services and clubs.
Travel acquirers manage the risk in three main ways. A rolling reserve holds a percentage of each day's takings for a set period. Delayed settlement pays you closer to the travel date rather than when the customer pays. A security deposit or guarantee covers a share of your future bookings.
Worked example: a tour operator taking £300,000 a month in card payments, about £10,000 a day, with a 10% rolling reserve held for 90 days, the example PayPal's UK user agreement uses to explain reserves. About £1,000 is held each day, building to about £90,000 after 90 days, then staying near that level while takings are steady.
Delayed settlement can tie up far more. If all card money were held until departure and the average booking is made four months ahead, about four months of takings, or £1.2 million on these figures, would sit with the acquirer. That is why negotiating the form of protection matters as much as the rate.
ATOL, which stands for Air Travel Organisers' Licensing, is financial protection when someone books a package trip that includes a flight. It is run by the UK Civil Aviation Authority, and customers should receive an ATOL certificate. Acquirers ask about ATOL, other bonding and trust account arrangements, because they reduce the chance that customers will need to claim from their card issuer.
Expect underwriters to ask for:
Worldpay's online pricing tool includes a Travel and Tourism sector. For £500,000 a year in card sales at a £400 average booking, it gave indicative online rates of 0.8% for personal debit, 1.3% for personal credit and 2.4% for business cards, plus 4.5p per authorisation and a £20 chargeback fee, read 27 October 2026. It says its prices are indicative only, and the tool does not show reserve terms.
On £40,000 a month of bookings at £400, all on personal debit cards, 0.8% is £320 plus 100 authorisations at 4.5p, or £324.50 a month.
We name only providers whose own sites describe a travel service. Trust Payments publishes a travel payments page. Paysafe publishes a UK travel and airlines page. Nuvei publishes a travel and mobility page. Checkout.com publishes a page for online travel agencies covering customer payments and supplier payments by virtual card. All quote individually, and approval is never guaranteed.
We work with banks and processors that accept higher-risk sectors, and we know which of them take travel agents and tour operators. 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.
Customers pay long before they travel. If a trip does not happen, they can reclaim the money through their card issuer, and the acquirer must refund it. So acquirers check your finances, forward bookings and protection, and often require a reserve or delayed settlement.
Delayed settlement means the acquirer pays you card money closer to the travel date rather than when the customer pays. It protects the acquirer if trips do not go ahead, but it can tie up months of takings. Its terms are negotiable, especially with ATOL or other protection in place.
It helps. ATOL is financial protection for package trips that include a flight, run by the UK Civil Aviation Authority. Acquirers ask about ATOL and other bonding because they reduce the chance customers will need to reclaim money through their card issuer.
Rates are usually quoted. Worldpay's tool gave indicative online rates of 0.8% for personal debit and 1.3% for personal credit for a travel business with £500,000 a year at £400 average, plus 4.5p per payment, read 27 October 2026. Reserves are agreed separately.
Partly. Stripe's UK list, last updated 22 September 2026, prohibits commercial airlines and cruises, international charter and private airlines and timeshare services, and restricts travel reservation services and clubs. Many tour operators need an acquirer that serves travel.
Tell us what you need and where you operate.