Compare the best ecommerce payment options

Checkout and buy-now-pay-later options that lift conversion on your online store — compared on customer reach and integration.

Pricing checked: 30 July 2026 See our WMP Score methodology.

🏆

Best overall

Stripe — competitive published rates, deep platform support and no contract for a custom-built store.

💷

Best value

Already on Shopify? Shopify Payments' rate falls to 1.5%+25p on the Advanced plan with zero extra integration effort.

⭐

Best for ease of use

Apple Pay / Google Pay — no separate merchant fee, one-tap checkout, added on top of your existing gateway.

How much do you take in online card payments each month?

Estimates assume an average transaction of £35 and standard published UK domestic-card rates. BNPL and wallet options are marked "quote required" since their merchant cost isn't a single public rate.

Provider	Best for	Merchant fee	Est. monthly cost*	Contract	WMP score	Action
StStripe	Custom-built online stores	1.5% + 20p Simple pricing	—	None	★★★★★4.6/5	Check latest price
View full Stripe details Integration Full REST API/SDKs; official plugins for WooCommerce, BigCommerce, Wix, Squarespace and most major platforms Settlement 2 business days rolling; Instant Payouts available for a fee Support 24/7 chat and phone callback Pricing checked 30 July 2026 — stripe.com/gb/pricing
ShShopify Payments	Shopify store owners	1.7% + 25p Simple pricing	—	Tied to Shopify plan	★★★★☆4.1/5	Check latest price
View full Shopify Payments details Rate by plan Basic 2%+25p, Grow 1.7%+25p (shown above), Advanced 1.5%+25p, Plus custom. Amex/international add ~1% Monthly fee Tied to your Shopify plan itself (£25-£344/mo, or custom for Plus) — not modelled in the estimate above Settlement Minimum 3 business days for new accounts, tightening with history Integration Fully native — Shopify-exclusive, not usable on other platforms Pricing checked 30 July 2026 — shopify.com/uk/pricing
AmAmazon Pay	Shoppers who already trust Amazon	2.7% + £0.30 Simple pricing	—	None specified	★★★★☆3.9/5	Check latest price
View full Amazon Pay details Requires An underlying processor (Stripe or Adyen) — not a standalone gateway Cross-border 0% EEA/UK/Switzerland, up to 3.3% rest of world; currency conversion +0.5% spread Chargebacks £14 dispute fee outside the Payment Protection Policy Pricing checked 30 July 2026 — pay.amazon.co.uk/help
PaPayPal	Buyer trust & fast checkout	2.9% + £0.30 Simple pricing	—	None	★★★☆☆3.6/5	Check latest price
View full PayPal details Cash-flow risk Rolling reserves/holds of 21-90 days possible for perceived risk changes Integration Native Shopify app, official WooCommerce plugin, available on nearly all platforms Chargebacks £14 fee; standard dispute fee £12 Pricing checked 30 July 2026 — paypal.com/uk
ClClearpay (Afterpay)	Younger shoppers & fashion retail (BNPL)	~4-6% + 30p (indicative) Merchant agreement required	—	No long-term contract	★★★☆☆3.2/5	Check eligibility
View full Clearpay details Fee disclosure Not published by Clearpay itself; indicative range from cross-checked third-party sources only Settlement Merchants paid in 1-2 business days (confirmed official), whether in-store, online or via the app Integration Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, Square, plus PSPs including Stripe and Adyen Contract Official site states "no long-term contracts or upfront fees" Pricing checked 30 July 2026 — clearpay.co.uk (fee %, not disclosed on official page)
KlKlarna	Fashion, homeware & higher-ticket items (BNPL)	~2.9-5.99% + 20-35p (indicative) Merchant agreement required	—	Individual agreement	★★☆☆☆2.7/5	Check eligibility
View full Klarna details Fee disclosure Not published — Klarna's official UK business site doesn't list a %; fees are individually negotiated and disclosed only after signup Integration Native Shopify checkout option (supported regions), dedicated WooCommerce plugin Settlement Klarna states merchants are paid "upfront and in full"; exact timing set per merchant contract Pricing checked 30 July 2026 — klarna.com/uk/business (no fees published)
AfAffirm	Larger purchases with instalment plans (BNPL)	Not published for UK Merchant agreement required	—	Individual agreement	★★☆☆☆2.3/5	Check eligibility
View full Affirm details UK availability Only launched in UK preview via Stripe (Nov 2024) at time of research — not a mature, standalone UK product yet Order limits Pay in 3: £50-£700; monthly instalments: £100-£30,000 over 3-36 months Settlement Up to 2 business days via Stripe's official Affirm documentation Restrictions B2C only; several categories excluded (home improvement, professional/financial services, software) Pricing checked 30 July 2026 — docs.stripe.com/payments/affirm (no UK fee % published)
ApApple Pay	Fast one-tap mobile checkout (iOS)	No separate fee Rides on your existing gateway	—	None	★★★★☆4.4/5	View integration guide
View full Apple Pay details Important clarification Apple Pay is a wallet/authentication rail, not a standalone processor — Apple charges merchants £0; your real cost is whatever your underlying gateway (Stripe, Adyen, Shopify Payments, etc.) already charges Setup Requires domain verification and a merchant ID via Apple's developer setup, layered on your existing gateway Support No direct Apple merchant support line — support comes via your underlying processor/platform Pricing checked 30 July 2026 — cross-checked industry sources (Apple has no single public merchant-fee page by design)
GoGoogle Pay	Fast one-tap mobile checkout (Android)	No separate fee Rides on your existing gateway	—	None	★★★★☆4.4/5	View integration guide
View full Google Pay details Important clarification Like Apple Pay, this is a checkout-button rail, not an independent merchant service — Google's own documentation confirms it charges no additional fee to merchants or developers Setup Requires an existing payment processor/gateway; available natively in Shopify and via official plugins elsewhere Support Developer documentation only — transaction support comes from your underlying processor Pricing checked 30 July 2026 — developers.google.com/pay/api/web/support/faq (official statement)

*Based on £5,000 monthly online card turnover and £35 average transaction unless you change the figure above. BNPL providers (Klarna, Clearpay, Affirm) and wallets (Apple Pay, Google Pay) don't publish a single merchant rate, so no live estimate is shown for these — request a quote or check your existing gateway's rate. Availability and terms vary by region, sector and shopper eligibility. We may earn a commission when you sign up through a link on this page, at no extra cost to you. See our Affiliate Disclosure and Editorial Policy.

Boosting conversion

Why offer more than one payment option

Reduce cart abandonment

Offering a wallet option like Apple Pay or Google Pay alongside card checkout can shorten checkout to a single tap.

Lift average order value

Buy-now-pay-later options like Klarna and Afterpay let shoppers split the cost, often increasing basket size.

Need a merchant account behind your gateway?

See how merchant accounts and gateways work together.

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