Compare card payment processing fees in the UK
Your card processing cost is seven charges, not one rate. This page sets out all seven, shows the published Open Rates price for each, and lets you compare your own statement in about a minute — without giving anyone your details.
There is no single card processing rate
Providers advertise one headline percentage because it is easy to remember. Your actual cost is made of seven separate charges, and any one of them can quietly undo a good headline rate.
A fair comparison looks at all seven at once. That is the only way two quotes can honestly be put side by side.
- Card machine rental — a fixed monthly cost for the terminal
- Debit card rate — a percentage of each debit sale
- Credit card rate — a higher percentage on credit
- Business and commercial card rate — higher again
- PCI compliance — a monthly fee for the annual security questionnaire
- Authorisation fee — a few pence on every single transaction
- Other costs — gateway, settlement, statement or minimum monthly charges
The published Open Rates prices
These are on the home page, updated live, and they are the same prices used in the calculator. Nothing is held back for a negotiation.
| Cost | Open Rates |
|---|---|
| Card machine | £15/mo + VAT |
| Debit card | 0.32% |
| Credit card | 0.62% |
| Business card | 2.20% |
| PCI compliance | £5/mo + VAT |
| Authorisation | 2p |
| Other costs | £0 |
| Contract exit fee | £0 |
How to compare properly in five minutes
- Get your most recent monthly statement, not a quote or a welcome letter.
- Write down all seven charges, excluding VAT, exactly as they appear.
- Note your monthly card turnover and your average transaction value.
- Enter them into the free calculator and read the monthly and annual difference.
- Ignore any comparison that only shows you one percentage.
How this is different from a broker site
Most UK comparison sites ask for your name, number and email before showing you anything, then sell that enquiry to several providers. What follows is a fortnight of phone calls.
Open Rates publishes its rates up front and the calculator is completely anonymous. Nothing is submitted anywhere until you decide to move forward, and if you do, it is one call at the rates you have already seen.