Chapter 06Last updated: November 3, 2026Published by Avendo
UK card payment fees: debit vs credit, Square, SumUp and Zettle
Card payment fees in the UK typically range from 1.5% to 3.5% per transaction, depending on your provider, the type of card and whether payment is taken in person or online, according to Stored.
This chapter of the Avendo Fee Field Guide gathers the UK figures Stored publishes: interchange caps for debit and credit cards, scheme fees, and in-person rates for three well-known card machine providers. Every number below is credited to Stored and keeps its original conditions.
How much are card payment fees in the UK?
Most UK businesses pay 1.5% to 3.5% per transaction in total. Underneath that, Stored reports interchange caps of 0.2% for consumer debit cards and 0.3% for consumer credit cards, plus Visa and Mastercard scheme fees of approximately 0.02% to 0.2%. The rest is the provider's own charge.
Debit vs credit card payment fees
Consumer debit interchange is capped at 0.2% and consumer credit at 0.3% (Stored). On a £50 sale, that is at most 10p of interchange on debit and 15p on credit. Scheme fees and the provider's markup are added on top, so the total you pay is higher than the cap alone.
Card machine fees explained
Card machine providers usually quote one flat in-person rate. Stored reports Square at 1.75%, SumUp at 1.69% and Zettle by PayPal at 1.75% per in-person transaction. Online rates from the same providers can differ, so check each provider's own pricing page for your channel.
UK rates on the same criteria
| Provider | Rate cited here | Channel | Fee on a £50 sale | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SumUp | 1.69% | In person | about £0.85 | Stored |
| Square | 1.75% | In person | about £0.88 | Stored |
| Zettle by PayPal | 1.75% | In person | about £0.88 | Stored |
| Avendo | No merchant price published; Avendo does not bill merchants directly | Online (e-commerce) | Depends on the processor each sale is routed to | Avendo |
Rows are sorted by the rate cited, lowest first. Avendo is listed last because no comparable published rate exists for it.
Which UK option fits which business?
If most of your sales happen face to face, a card machine provider such as SumUp, Square or Zettle is built for that and may suit you better. If you sell online, Avendo connects your existing checkout to multiple PCI DSS-compliant processors and routes each payment to the best available rate. Price any option in the card payment fee calculator with the £ currency setting.
How we chose
Every provider is described with the same facts: the rate cited, the channel it applies to, the fee on a £50 sale and the source. Provider rates are taken only from Stored's published calculator page. Avendo has not published a merchant rate, so this page does not claim it is cheaper than any provider listed.
Published by Avendo. This page was written by Avendo, the business that publishes this guide. It is not an independent review. Read the full methodology.
Questions merchants ask
What are Square's card fees?
Stored reports that Square charges 1.75% per in-person transaction in the UK, the same as Zettle by PayPal, while SumUp charges 1.69%. Those are UK in-person rates as published by Stored; online and other-country rates differ. Check Square's own pricing page for the current rate in your country and sales channel.
Are debit card fees lower than credit card fees?
Debit card fees are usually lower than credit card fees. In the UK, Stored reports interchange caps of 0.2% for consumer debit cards and 0.3% for consumer credit cards. Your processor's markup and scheme fees are added on top, so check how your statement separates the two card types.
Are UK card payment fees different online and in person?
Yes. Stored reports UK card payment fees typically range from 1.5% to 3.5% per transaction, depending on the provider, the type of card, and whether payment is taken in person or online. Online payments often carry different pricing from card machine payments, so compare rates for the channel you actually use.
What are Square's fees for EFTPOS transactions?
This guide does not have a sourced figure for Square's EFTPOS fees, which apply in Australia. The only Square rate cited here is the UK in-person rate of 1.75% reported by Stored. For Australian EFTPOS pricing, check Square's Australian pricing page directly, since rates vary by country and card type.
Which credit card has zero processing fee?
No major card type is free for the merchant to accept, because interchange and network fees apply to every card transaction. Debit cards usually cost less than credit cards: in the UK, Stored reports interchange caps of 0.2% for consumer debit and 0.3% for consumer credit. Premium and business cards often cost the merchant more.
What is an interchange fee?
Interchange is the part of the fee paid to the bank that issued your customer's card. CO by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce reports that interchange fees range from 1% to 3% and are nonnegotiable. In the UK, Stored reports interchange is capped at 0.2% for consumer debit cards and 0.3% for consumer credit cards.
Selling online in the UK?
Avendo works with existing checkout pages and only with PCI DSS-compliant processors and gateways.