Online payment gateways suit UK ecommerce businesses taking cards through a website, whether hosted, embedded, or via a platform plugin. Merchant Advice helps you compare suitable providers with a clearer view of cost, contract terms, approval, and day-to-day fit.
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How you integrate shapes setup cost, compliance scope, and how much control you have over your checkout. Here's how the main routes compare.
Customers are redirected to a secure provider-hosted checkout. Lower build effort, tighter PCI scope, faster to go live.
Payments happen inside your own branded checkout, with deeper developer involvement and full control over the customer journey.
Pre-built connectors for Shopify, WooCommerce, Magento, and similar platforms. Fast to deploy, with provider support already baked in.
The right gateway for a fashion store isn't the right one for a subscription platform - and neither of those fits a higher-risk merchant. We match the setup to how you actually trade.
Retail, fashion, home, electronics, food and drink. Focus on platform fit, supported payment methods, and keeping abandoned baskets down.
SaaS, membership, subscription box, digital services. Recurring payments, stored credentials, dunning logic, and cancellation flows matter most.
If you trade in a sector providers review more closely, we work with specialist acquirers who can underwrite the account properly - not decline by default.
Well matched low-risk merchants can qualify for transaction rates from 0.5%, but the headline rate never tells the full story. Here's what really drives the cost of taking payments online.
We compare the total cost of each route - not just the headline transaction rate.
A gateway should do more than authorise payments. The right one also protects revenue, simplifies reporting, and keeps checkout converting.
How providers handle strong customer authentication, fraud screening, and checkout friction directly affects conversion.
Chargebacks hit fees, reserves, and account stability. Ask about alerts, evidence workflows, and dispute reporting before you sign.
Payout timing, dashboard quality, reconciliation exports, and multi-currency settlement all affect daily operations.
Providers review website compliance, refund policies, trading history, product category, and processing projections before approval.
The right setup depends on your website, risk profile, payment mix, and how much checkout control you need.
| Setup | Often suits | Watch out for | Merchant Advice view |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hosted checkout | Merchants that want a faster, simpler launch with reduced technical burden. | Less control over branding and the checkout journey. | A sensible first route when speed and compliance simplicity matter most. |
| Embedded / API checkout | Businesses that need full control over checkout UX, branding, and conversion testing. | More developer time, more PCI scope, and more compliance overhead. | Worth it when the extra control drives real commercial value. |
| Platform plugin | Shopify, WooCommerce, Magento, and similar ecommerce stores. | Plugin compatibility, feature ceilings, and variable provider support. | A practical route when provider fit matters as much as platform fit. |
Going direct means you only see one route. We put the market side-by-side so you can judge fit, cost, and terms before a single sales process narrows it for you.
We're not tied to any one provider. We recommend the setup that fits your business - not the one that pays us best.
We help you push back on the first offer - on rates, contract length, exit fees, reserves, and settlement terms.
Already under contract? We help you check exit fees, timing, and parallel running so switching doesn't interrupt payments.
Been declined, had an account closed, or trade in a tougher sector? We work with specialist acquirers who underwrite properly.
Tell us how your business takes payments online and we'll help you decide which gateway route is right, what to compare next, and which options are worth taking seriously.