Accounts Payable Ageing Report: What it is and How to Make One
Learn how to create and read an AP ageing report. Our guide covers buckets, AP invoice checks, cash-flow actions and payment workflows for UK finance teams.
How to Accept Payments Online: A Step by Step Guide for UK Businesses
With the right online payment proces, your business can connect with the biggest possible pool of customers globally. But how do you offer online payment methods that allow more customers to buy from you, boosting sales and increasing your brand awareness?
This question is at the heart of why we've put this guide together. We've explained how to accept payments online in the UK, including the parties involved, the setup steps, payment methods, fees, security and settlement checks.
We've also explained how Wise Business helps businesses manage money received or spent internationally alongside their chosen checkout or payment provider.
| 💡 Manage multi-currency payouts like a pro with Wise Business |
|---|
| Once your payment provider has collected an online sale, Wise Business can help you manage the international money that follows. With Wise Business, you can receive payments using local account details in 8+ currencies, hold money in 40+ currencies, and send money to 140+ countries. This can help when you receive overseas sales proceeds, want to avoid converting them to GBP immediately, or need to use those funds to pay international suppliers and contractors. |
Note: Wise Business offers a free Essential plan for basic spending and transferring. If you need to receive money, set up direct debits, or generate invoices, you'll pay a one-time £50 setup fee to unlock the Advanced features.
How to accept payments online: summary of steps
| Step | What to do |
|---|---|
| 1. Map where customers pay | Decide whether payment happens on a website, invoice, payment link, QR code, marketplace or subscription page. |
| 2. Choose payment methods | Select the cards, wallets, bank payments or recurring-payment options your customers are likely to use. |
| 3. Choose a provider | Compare payment methods, pricing, settlement, security, integrations and support. |
| 4. Set up security and compliance | Confirm how your chosen setup handles card data, authentication and your own responsibilities. |
| 5. Connect and test | Add the checkout or payment request to your sales channel, then test customer, refund and receipt journeys. |
| 6. Plan settlement and reconciliation | Check where funds arrive, deductions, refunds, disputes and how transactions will match to sales records. |
1. Decide where customers will pay
Start with the customer journey. Will customers pay at checkout on your website, from an invoice, through a payment link sent by email or message, through a QR code, on a recurring subscription page or through a marketplace?
The answer affects the tools you need. An online shop may need ecommerce checkout. A consultant may need invoices and payment requests. A membership business may need recurring billing.
2. Choose the payment methods you want to offer
Common online payment methods include debit and credit cards, digital wallets, bank transfers, payment links, Direct Debit, recurring card payments, buy now, pay later and local payment methods for overseas customers.
Offering more ways to pay can reduce friction, but it can also add cost and administration. Choose methods based on the customer, transaction value, sales channel and when you need funds to settle.
For recurring revenue, compare the collection method, fees, failed-payment handling, cancellation flow and reporting. Read more: recurring card payments vs Direct Debit.
3. Choose a payment provider or gateway
You may need a payment gateway, payment processor, merchant account, payment service provider that bundles several roles, or ecommerce or invoicing software with payment collection included. Learn more about choosing merchant payment services for your business.
When comparing a setup, check:
- supported payment methods
- UK, EEA and international card fees
- currency-conversion costs
- settlement times and payout arrangements
- chargeback, dispute and refund fees
- security and fraud tools
- ecommerce, accounting and subscription-billing integrations
- reporting, reconciliation and customer support
Avoid choosing on headline transaction fees alone. The total cost depends on the routes and features your business uses.
Ecommerce payments are coming to Wise soon. Click below to register your interest and we'll notify you once it's available.
4. Set up security and compliance basics
Online payments involve sensitive customer data, so security and compliance matter from the outset. According to the PCI Security Standards Council's document library, PCI DSS v4.0.1 is among the current published card-data security standards and supporting documents.2
Many smaller businesses choose a hosted checkout, payment link or established payment provider so they do not handle card data directly. Check the provider's documentation for the responsibilities that still apply to your specific setup.
Strong Customer Authentication can also be relevant. According to the FCA's Strong Customer Authentication guidance, the rules apply when a payer initiates an electronic payment transaction, accesses a payment account online or takes a remote action that may imply a risk of payment fraud, unless an exemption applies.3
5. Connect payments to your website, invoices or checkout
Your setup route depends on your sales channel.
| Sales channel | Typical setup to assess |
|---|---|
| Ecommerce website | Payment gateway, payment service provider or ecommerce payment app. |
| Service invoices | Invoicing software with payment collection. |
| Social selling | Payment links or QR codes. |
| Subscriptions | Recurring billing provider. |
| Marketplace | The marketplace's own payment system. |
| International B2B sales | Invoicing plus appropriate multi-currency receiving arrangements. |
Test the flow before going live: check desktop and mobile checkout, declined-payment messages, refund flow, receipts, tax information and what the customer sees on their bank statement.
6. Plan settlement and reconciliation
Getting authorisation is only one part of accepting a payment. Check when funds will arrive, where they settle, whether fees are deducted before payout, how refunds and disputes are recorded, how payments match to invoices or orders, and how foreign-currency payments are converted.
This matters particularly for businesses with many small transactions, multiple currencies, or a mix of online and offline sales.
What does it cost to accept payments online?
Costs vary by payment provider, customer location, payment method, card type and sales volume. Common fee types include:
| Fee type | What it can cover |
|---|---|
| Transaction fee | A percentage, fixed fee or both on each payment. |
| Card-type fee | Different pricing for domestic, international, premium or business cards. |
| Currency-conversion fee | A charge where the payment currency differs from the settlement currency. |
| Monthly or gateway fee | A fixed platform, account or gateway charge. |
| Chargeback or dispute fee | A fee when a customer disputes a payment. |
| Refund or payout fee | A fee or retained processing cost associated with refunds or moving funds out. |
| Add-on fee | Extra cost for subscriptions, fraud tools, reporting or other services. |
For international sales, examine the settlement currency and conversion path. A payment can appear inexpensive at checkout but cost more if it is automatically converted at an unfavourable rate or paid out in a currency you do not need.
Read more: Payment processing fees guide for the UK.
Best practices for processing payments online
| Best practice | What to do |
|---|---|
| Keep checkout simple | Use a clear checkout, show the total before payment and make error messages straightforward. Test the purchase path on desktop and mobile. |
| Offer the payment methods that fit your customers | Do not add every possible payment method by default. Start with the options your customers are likely to recognise and use, then review abandoned-checkout and support data. |
| Make fees visible internally | Track fees by payment method, customer location, card type and currency. This makes it easier to identify whether a particular route is affecting margins. |
| Prepare for failed payments, refunds and disputes | Decide who will monitor declined payments, respond to customer queries, process refunds and provide evidence if a payment is disputed. |
| Review international payment routes | Compare payment methods by market. A card checkout may suit one country, while a local bank payment method or another payment arrangement may be more familiar elsewhere. |
Taking online payments internationally? Manage the money after checkout with Wise Business
The checkout provider you select is responsible for collecting the customer payment. Once funds settle, a business selling internationally may also need to decide whether to hold the payout currency, convert it or use it for overseas operating costs.
Wise Business can support that next stage for eligible businesses.
Wise Business offers a free Essential plan for basic spending and transferring. If you need to receive money, set up direct debits, or generate invoices, you'll pay a one-time £50 setup fee to unlock the Advanced features.
With Wise Business, you can:
- 🌍 Send money to 70+ countries and pay overseas invoices at the mid-market exchange rate with low, transparent fees and no hidden exchange rate markups (product availability varies by region)
- 📥 Receive payments in 24 currencies and counting
- 💵 Get local account details for 8+ currencies, including USD and EUR, to let your customers pay in a currency they know and trust - convenience for them and peace of mind for you
- 💰 Hold money in 40+ currencies
- 🔁 Convert currencies anytime at the mid-market exchange rate with low, transparent fees
- ⚡ Use the batch payments tool to create and send up to 1,000 payments in a single transfer
- 👥 Run payroll and make international payments for up to 1,000 employees all over the world - including paying suppliers using local payment methods like ACH, SEPA, and Faster Payments
- 💳 Get business debit cards with 0.5% cashback for you and your team to keep track of team expenses and spend all over the world, with real-time visibility and categorisation. See full cashback terms and conditions
- 🏢 Manage cash in 55+ currencies across international offices from a single business account and move money between business accounts in seconds (exact speeds can vary depending on individual circumstances and may not be the same for all transactions)
- 🧾 Connect and sync every business transaction to your favourite accounting software, including Xero, Quickbooks, and more
- 🔐 Create your own payment approvals process to manage your team better with customised access for different team members, roles and permissions
- 📑 Create custom professional invoices and schedule invoice payments for future dates
- 📈 Earn variable returns on GBP, USD and EUR with Wise Interest (Growth not guaranteed. Your balance will go down in the event of a government default or interest rates going negative.)
- 🔗 Create payment links and QR codes to get paid easily (Card payment acceptance for new Wise Business customers is currently unavailable. Payment methods subject to eligibility and availability.)
- ⚙️ Automate payouts with the Wise API (comes with 24/7 customer support, a sandbox account to test integrations, API tokens, and clear documents on how to implement and make the most of our API)
Make the wise choice when selecting a business account for your domestic and global needs.
Be Smart, Get Wise.
Wise Interest disclaimer: Growth not guaranteed. Your balance will go down in the event of a government default or interest rates going negative. Taxes may apply. 3.32% variable rate on GBP is based on 7 day performance as of 05 Aug 2026. For full 5-year past performance and fund information, visit https://wise.com/interest. Investments are offered by Wise Assets UK Ltd. (FRN 839689)
FAQs
What does it mean to process payments online?
Processing payments online means accepting a customer's payment digitally and moving funds through the payment chain to the account used for settlement. That can happen through a website checkout, online invoice, payment link, QR code, marketplace checkout, subscription page or booking form.
For many businesses, online payments start with cards. They can also include bank transfers, digital wallets, Direct Debit, buy now, pay later and local payment methods used in other markets.
Online cards remain an important part of UK commerce. According to UK Finance's Card Spending update, UK cardholders made 2.2 billion debit-card transactions and 402 million credit-card transactions in April 2026, with total spending of GBP 66.7 billion and GBP 22 billion respectively.1
How do online card payments work?
A card payment can feel instant to a customer, but several parties can be involved behind the scenes.
| Party | What it does |
|---|---|
| Customer or cardholder | Enters card details, uses a wallet or confirms the payment. |
| Merchant | The business selling the goods or services. |
| Payment gateway | Securely captures and passes payment details for authorisation. |
| Payment processor | Helps route the transaction between the gateway, acquirer, card network and issuer. |
| Acquirer | The merchant-side acquiring institution. |
| Card network | The network connecting acquirers and issuers. |
| Issuer | The customer's card provider or bank. |
| Merchant or business account | Where approved funds are eventually settled or paid out. |
In simple terms, the customer enters payment details, the details are passed for authorisation, the issuer approves or declines the transaction and an approved payment is later settled to the merchant. The precise setup varies: some providers bundle gateway, processing and acquiring functions, while other setups use separate services.
What is the easiest way to accept payments online?
For many small businesses, a payment service provider, payment-link tool, ecommerce checkout app or invoicing platform with collection built in can be a practical starting point. The best option depends on your sales channel and the payment methods customers expect.
Do I need a payment gateway?
You usually need gateway functionality to take card payments online, but you may not need to buy it separately. Many payment service providers and ecommerce platforms include it as part of their service.
Can I accept payments online without a website?
Possibly. Depending on the provider and your business model, you may be able to use an online invoice, payment link, QR code, booking tool or marketplace checkout. Check the provider's eligibility, payment-method and fee terms before choosing a route.
How long do online payments take to settle?
Settlement time depends on the provider, payment method, currency, customer location and whether the payment needs review. Check the provider's payout timetable and the time at which its cut-off applies before relying on funds for payroll or supplier payments.
Are online payments secure?
Online payments can be secure when set up properly, but no payment method is risk-free. Use an appropriate provider, understand the card-data and authentication responsibilities that apply to your setup, and minimise the customer data your business handles. PCI DSS and SCA are relevant considerations for many card-payment journeys.2,3
Can I take recurring payments online?
Yes. Subscription billing tools, Direct Debit providers and recurring card-payment services can support recurring collection. Compare fees, failed-payment recovery, cancellation flow, notice requirements and reporting before selecting a provider.
Sources:
- Card Spending | UK Finance
- Document Library | PCI Security Standards Council
- Strong Customer Authentication | FCA
Sources last checked on 10th September 2026
*Please see terms of use and product availability for your region or visit Wise fees and pricing for the most up to date pricing and fee information.
This publication is provided for general information purposes and does not constitute legal, tax or other professional advice from Wise Payments Limited or its subsidiaries and its affiliates, and it is not intended as a substitute for obtaining advice from a financial advisor or any other professional.
We make no representations, warranties or guarantees, whether expressed or implied, that the content in the publication is accurate, complete or up to date.
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