Worldpay UK: a guide to the payment service provider

Worldpay UK is one of the UK’s most popular merchant providers. Find out if its fees, rates, customer support and security tools will suit your business in our expert guide.

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Written and reviewed by:
Robyn Summers-Emler Grow Online Editor

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4.7 out of 5
  • Pricing
    3.7
  • Features
    4.5
  • Customer Support
    5
  • Customer Score
    3.8

Worldpay is the UK’s leading payment provider and earns an impressive 4.7 out of 5, overall, in our independent research. Based on our unique methodology and scoring system, it is our best payment gateway for small businesses. 

Our research highlights Worldpay for its excellent 24/7 customer support, and clear, and easy-to-understand pricing. But, Worldpay offers over 300 different payment methods, including card payments, online payments, and phone payments.

So what to choose, and where to start? With so many rising costs amid the recession, you can't afford to pick a payment provider or fee structure that will come back to haunt you or your business.

How does Worldpay compare to other payment processing services?

If you're considering Worldpay, then you may be reassured to know we've ranked it as our top payment processing service:

  1. Worldpay: Best overall payment processing service
  2. Square: Best for taking mobile payments
  3. Stripe: Best merchant service provider for online payments
  4. SumUp: Best for handling next day deposits
  5. Barclaycard Payments: Best merchant service provider for brand familiarity

Click any of the links above to begin comparing costs on merchant account services for your own business's size and needs.

In this guide, we'll go through Worldpay’s pricing, merchant services, and customer support. We also compare it with its top competitors, so you can check how its pros, cons, and costs stand up against rival providers.

For a detailed breakdown of Worldpay's fees and benefits, we've put all of our expert knowledge into the guide below.

What is Worldpay?

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Worldpay is a leading payment processing provider and it has, so far, supported over 400,000 merchants across 146 countries. This boils down to 26 million transactions every day.

Worldpay may be one of the most well-known merchant service providers, but is it the best payment solution for your small business?

There are two ways businesses can benefit from Worldpay: Worldpay Payment Gateway for ecommerce, and Worldpay Card Machines for face-to-face or virtual purchases.

If your business is brick-and-mortar as well as online, Worldpay makes it easy to manage all your sales from a single, online account. Plus, you avoid any surprise bills with ultra-transparent pricing and excellent fraud protection.

UK business owners tend to like Worldpay. According to Enlyft, an AI sales platform, 77% of businesses using a Worldpay mobile or the tablet point of sale (POS) system are based in the UK.

Worldpay has spent the last three decades helping large businesses, like British Airways and Starbucks, as well as startups, accept a range of payment types (online and offline) across the globe.

Small businesses that use Worldpay include:

Worldpay small businesses

Features

Worldpay payment gateway example

Worldpay’s merchant portal allows you to seamlessly accept a range of different payments, including card payments, online payments, mail and phone payments, and email payments – all such convenient and vital features, and for this reason, Worldpay scores 4.5 out of 5 in this area.

It offers two main merchant services: an online payment gateway or a card machine.

With both pay-as-you-go and pay monthly, you’ll get all the features you need to take payments securely:

  • PCI compliance
  • Real-time data
  • Fast payouts 
  • Recurring billing
  • Global reach
  • Fraud prevention

Worldpay’s payment gateway also offers:

  • Flexibility – Worldpay has a package built for businesses of all shapes and sizes
  • Business Manager Tool – This built-in feature lets you manage all of your transactions, as well as access key reports and insights
  • Fraud protection – Worldpay is known for its advanced fraud protection, reliability, and user-friendly system

We went out and actively engaged with the local business community in London to establish connections with various enterprises and delve into their user experiences with the card readers. Our intention was to gain firsthand experience and a more comprehensive understanding of their dynamics – from identifying both the commendable aspects, and the areas for improvement.

Kameron Patel, the manager at Nisa Local described the Worldpay machine as “a basic payment reader”, but this description was emphasised in a positive way. He further explained that it hadn't ever caused him any hassle, and did what it was meant to do efficiently with no problems.

Customer support

Call centre customer support

A five-star review from Wild Jacks on Trustpilot:

“I contacted Worldpay to get a review of our prices, Daniela Sardone couldn't have been any more helpful, not only did she provide me with a very competitive quote, but she also went further and undercut another provider who had offered a better rate. She also agreed to fast track our new terminal as we are on a tight timeframe. Deffo recommend, and speak to Daniela.”

(Source)

Worldpay has plenty of card machine and payment gateway support, available over the phone and online, 24/7.

If you want to switch your small business payment systems to Worldpay, there are dedicated teams available to make the process as smooth as possible.

But how do small businesses rate Worldpay’s customer support? Worldpay has a very respectable score of 4.2 out of 5 on the review site, Trustpilot. Some praise the “great customer service”, and others have complaints about technical issues and wait times.

Customer score

Worldpay scores high for customer score and satisfaction, mostly for the ease of their payment features, affording them an excellent overall score of 5 out of 5 for customer service.

Customers don’t even need to leave your site to make a payment. Instead, they can follow these three simple steps:

  • Add items to their online shopping basket
  • Enter their card details on a Worldpay hosted payment page or an integrated payment page
  • Their details are then sent to the payments gateway, where the payment is authorised

The payment gateway gives your customers more ways to pay through the Virtual Terminal and pay per link features.

These handy touches make online payments as simple as possible, helping ensure more of your customers make it to checkout.

Payment Options

The Worldpay online gateway lets you take safe and secure credit card, debit card, and PayPal payments through your website.

Worldpay and PayPal are both known for top-notch security and user-friendly payments, but Worldpay's fees are easier to get your head round. This knowledge makes all the difference for small businesses needing to plan costs.

Worldpay card readers

Worldpay

An example of Worldpay card machine

Worldpay offers a range of card machines and readers to cater for merchants’ differing business needs, including countertop card machines, portable card machines, and mobile card machines.

We spoke to Kameron Patel, the manager at Nisa Local, who provided a positive description of the Worldpay card machine, referring to it as a “simple yet efficient” payment reader. He expressed satisfaction with its performance, highlighting that it had never caused him any inconvenience and fulfilled its intended purpose seamlessly.

Kameron acknowledge an occasional sluggishness in connectivity, but clarified that this is dependent on the broadband server and not Worldpay's fault. To mitigate such situations, he suggested that small businesses should consider having a backup system in place for emergencies.

Prior to adopting Worldpay, Kameron had been using Paymentsense, which he regarded as the worst machine he had encountered, even worse than those provided by HSBC or Barclays. He described Paymentsense as outdated, antiquated, and slow, noting that it printed double receipts, which he considered wasteful to the environment.

According to Kameron, Worldpay is highly competitive, and he expressed contentment with the terms of his contract.

Take a look at our review of the best card machines for small businesses to see where Worldpay ranks.

Worldpay pricing explained: transaction fees, rates, and costs

worldpay fees rates and costs uk

Small businesses like Worldpay for its easy-to-understand pricing, fees, and rates, without any of the surprises – on the downside however, it does tend to have higher than average terminal fees – so for these reasons, we have awarded Worldpay an average score of 3.8 out of 5 when it comes to pricing overall.

The Worldpay pay-as-you-go fees are 2.75% of each transaction plus £0.20. The rate for the pay monthly option is £19 per month. It’s free to process refunds, and there are no ‘hidden’ fees.

If you're purchasing a Worldpay card machine, you can pay either a fixed monthly rate or a custom rate.

The custom rate is £17.50/mo for a standard terminal per month for 18 months, and variable transaction rates (with a minimum charge of £15 per month) based on your sales volumes.

The initial cost of the device on a fixed monthly contract is £49.99 for an 18-month rental period. This is best for medium-sized companies with consistent transaction levels all year round.

For the first three months the monthly service invoice online dashboard (normally £4.99) is included in your subscription, for free.

Worldpay’s charges are headache-free

Worldpay’s fees, rates, and overall pricing structures are designed to be as flexible and business-friendly as possible. It offers plans to suit small businesses and growing startups, and aims to make taking face-to-face and online payments easy.

Worldpay rates and fees: the small print

Are there any hidden fees? No, you know where you stand with Worldpay. As with most merchant accounts, there are also no setup fees.

It’s also free to accept international currencies, which will save you a bundle if you’ve got your sights set on reaching global customers.

You’ll also find it’s free to process refunds, and chargebacks are only £15 (this will be returned to you if the chargeback is unsuccessful) – this is the same as PayPal.

You can read more on credit card processing costs.

Here's a summary of Worldpay transaction fees and costs:

  • Worldpay pay-as-you-go cost: 2.75% of each transaction plus 20p
  • Worldpay pay monthly: £19.95 per month
  • Worldpay device cost: £17.50/mo (18-month contract)

Why choose Worldpay's monthly package?

Worldpay’s tidy monthly plans are ideal for business owners who like:

Simplicity

One monthly fee that includes all standard charges; suitable for growing businesses

Fixed monthly payments

Pay the same price each month, including transaction and terminal rental; suitable for businesses that want to know costs in advance

Custom packages

Combined regular monthly charges and transaction fees that vary depending on volume and card; suitable for established businesses

Why choose Worldpay pay-as-you-go?

Designed to simplify charges, the pay-as-you-go payment structure is perfect for business that are seasonally focused, and don’t take payments all year round.

Here’s why:

  1. There are no sign up fees
  2. You just pay a flat rate of 2.75% plus a 20p transaction charge
  3. The service doesn’t tie you into expensive or lengthy contracts, so you can stop using it whenever you need to
  4. You get the same transaction rates for both debit and credit card payments

Worldpay’s pay-as-you-go service can be used online, as well as on mobile phones and tablets.

Worldpay add-ons

How much bang do you get for your buck? All Worldpay packages and payment types can be upgraded with a range of optional bolt-ons, including:

  • My Business Dashboard: manage transactions and finances online
  • Virtual terminal: take payments over the phone
  • Pay by link: take payments via an email link
  • Online payments gateway: offer payments through a website
  • Risk management: check your payments for any fraud
  • Future Pay: offers internet versions of traditional recurring payment methods

How does Worldpay keep my money safe?

Cashflow is so important for small businesses and startups, and you’re not alone in asking ‘will my money (and my customers’ payment details) be safe with Worldpay?'

Worldpay has over 25 years of experience when it comes to processing card payments, so you don’t have to worry about them dropping out of the game any time soon. Worldpay takes security very seriously, and you can benefit from:

  1. Robust fraud protection: a number of risk management monitors will flag anything fishy, plus you can set your own security standard (with CVC and AVS to verify online payments).
  2. PCI compliance: there’s a lot to get your head around when you start accepting card payments, but providers like Worldpay take care of the data compliance for you, using secure servers and anonymised tokens.

Being PCI compliant is good news:

  1. It reduces the risk of data security breaches
  2. It safeguards businesses against card fraud
  3. It gives customers extra confidence
  4. It helps businesses to avoid fines and non-compliance charges

Building a good transaction experience into your sales process is proven to keep customers happy (and coming back).

Is there a free plan?

There is no free plan with Worldpay, unlike some of its competitors – Square, Paypal and Stripe for example.

How does Worldpay compare to its competitors?

While Worldpay is a solid provider, some movers and shakers, like Zettle by PayPal, Square and SumUp, offer competitive transaction fees, and you can sometimes get your hands on your cash sooner.

Worldpay offers expert support and ironclad security but, based purely on the numbers, here’s how they compare:

Swipe right to see more
0 out of 0
Card Reader

Worldpay

Card Reader

Square Online

Card Reader

SumUp

Card Reader

Zettle by PayPal

Device Cost

£17.95/month

Device Cost

£19 (inc. VAT)

Device Cost

£29

Device Cost

£29 for one reader (£59 for each subsequent device)

Transaction Fee

2.75% + 0.25p

Transaction Fee

1.75%

Transaction Fee

1.69%

Transaction Fee

1.75%

Settlement time

3-4 days

Settlement time

Instant deposits available (1% fee applies).

Settlement time

3 business days

Settlement time

2-3 business days

Our methodology: how did we evaluate Worldpay for small businesses?

When it comes to deducing a score, we look at our research and the statistics of each provider's features, both individually and overall in the marketplace. We then combine these to reach a conclusion about each provider.

We evaluated Worldpay on five key factors:

  • Price
  • Taking payments
  • Features
  • Customer support
  • Customer score

According to our readers, these are the top areas they look at when choosing a merchant account. Our researchers the compile the data so that you can rely on our ratings, and know that they aren’t simply pulled out of thin air. The information consists of what is being offered in the current market, the dynamics of the key segments within the market and, of course, to ensure that we're providing you (our readers) with the most accurate, thorough, and well-researched information at all times.

Worldpay: Final Verdict

Worldpay is the UK’s leading payments provider and our number one choice for small business owners. As a reputable brand, it's simple, safe to use, and boasts reliable customer support.

Here are the key points to remember:

  1. Faster payments: Worldpay makes payment a smooth process for you and your customers.
  2. Safer payments: safety comes first for Worldpay, with robust fraud protection and PCI compliance.
  3. Simpler payments: clear pricing is good for businesses that need predictable cashflows, though some rivals, like Zettle by PayPal, offer competitive fees.
  4. Flexibility: choose between Pay Monthly and Pay As You Go, and upgrade with any bolt-ons you want.
  5. 24/7 support: expert support is available whenever you need it.

Worldpay specialises in making your life easier, making your payments safer, and helping more customers through the check-out.

Some of the newer kids on the block are able to offer lower transaction fees but, if they come with a bunch of hidden fees and cashflow drama, you may not not really be making a saving. This is why it’s a good idea to consider all of your options.

Next steps

Finding the right merchant provider depends on your individual needs, and the best way to decide who will give you the best deal is to talk directly to the suppliers.

That’s where we can help. Tell us what your business needs using our free, handy 🔍cost comparison tool, and we’ll use our expertise to match you with the best merchant account service providers. The process is also a fast and free way to discover the best merchant rates for your business!

Worldpay
4.7
Worldpay is a complete online payments service that gives you the ability to take payments directly from your website or app.
  • Price Minimum £19 + VAT
  • Fees 0.75%-2.75% Monthly: £19/mo + 2.75% (credit cards) & 0.75% (debit card) Pay as you go: 2.75% + £0.20 (for both credit and debit cards)
  • Offers 100+ integrations - the most out of all providers we reviewed by far
  • The only provider out of the ones we reviewed with a 24/7 phone number
  • Highest rated for Customer Service
Summary Worldpay is a complete online payments service that gives you the ability to take payments directly from your website or app. Easy to integrate and easy to use, our API helps developers to create bespoke checkout forms that can be activated and ready to take payments within 24 hours.
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Frequently Asked Questions
  • Can Worldpay be trusted?
    Based on our research, which sees Worldpay receive an overall score of 4.7 out of 5 for security, and our 20 years of experience, we've concluded that Worldplay is indeed a trusted provider for small businesses.
  • What percentage do Worldpay take?
    Worldpay takes a fixed monthly payment of £9.95 minmum, plus 2.75% (for credit cards) & 0.75% (for debit cards).
  • How do I apply for a WorldPay Internet Merchant Account?
    You can easily apply for a Worldpay merchant account on the company's website. Upon completion of your online application, your WorldPay account will automatically be set up and ready for use.
  • How long do Worldpay payments take to clear?
    Worldpay will clear and settle every payment within a maximum of seven working days. It typically takes three to four working days.
  • What is the difference between Worldpay and PayPal?
    The main difference between PayPal and Worldpay is that the latter has better customer service. Worldpay offers 24/7 phone service and, compared with PayPal, you are closer to real customer support teams based in the UK.
  • Can I accept international payments with Worldpay?
    Yes, you can accept payments from anywhere in the world.

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Written by:
Stephanie Lennox is the resident funding & finance expert at Startups: A successful startup founder in her own right, 2x bestselling author and business strategist, she covers everything from business grants and loans to venture capital and angel investing. With over 14 years of hands-on experience in the startup industry, Stephanie is passionate about how business owners can not only survive but thrive in the face of turbulent financial times and economic crises. With a background in media, publishing, finance and sales psychology, and an education at Oxford University, Stephanie has been featured on all things 'entrepreneur' in such prominent media outlets as The Bookseller, The Guardian, TimeOut, The Southbank Centre and ITV News, as well as several other national publications.
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