Independent card payment guidance
Straight-talking advice to help you understand card payment costs, compare your options and avoid expensive mistakes.
Whether you are choosing your first card machine, checking an existing agreement or trying to understand a confusing statement, start with the subject that best matches your question.
Start with your question
Understand the different machines, providers and payment options available before you make a decision.
View advice 4 published articlesMake sense of processing rates, transaction fees, PCI charges, minimum service charges and the true cost of taking payments.
View advice 1 published articleGet clear guidance on contract lengths, notice periods, renewals and changing provider without unnecessary disruption.
View advice 4 published articlesPractical payment advice for salons, cafés, restaurants, retailers, tradespeople and other UK businesses.
View advice 2 published articlesLearn about till systems, integrated payments, payment links, ecommerce and taking payments away from the counter.
View advice 2 published articlesKeep up with important provider changes, payment outages, misleading offers, scams and other issues affecting UK businesses.
View adviceRecently published
Written by Zoe Bordiuk, Independent Payment Consultant Honest, independent guidance for UK small businesses • Last updated: 03/08/2026 When you decide to end a card machine contract, the surprises usually arrive in the same order: a notice period nobody mentioned, then a fee you were not expectin
In short: a payment link is a secure web link you send by text, email or WhatsApp so a customer can pay you by card without a machine or a website. It suits deposits, remote jobs and phone orders. Because the card is not physically present, it counts as a card-not-present payment, so it usually [
Written by Zoe Bordiuk, Independent Payment Consultant Honest, independent guidance for UK small businesses • Last updated: 17/07/2026 You opened your card machine statement, looked at the total, winced, and closed it again. Most of the business owners I speak to do exactly that every month. Not
In short: the right card machine for a UK café comes down to how you serve (counter or table), how fast you need the money to land, and how flexible your contract is, not which device has the shiniest screen. If your staff take card tips in England, Scotland or Wales, there is also a […]
Salon deposits and no-shows: how to take them by card html,body{margin:0;padding:0;background:#f5f0e8}*{box-sizing:border-box} Salon deposits and no-shows: how to take them by card Every no-show is a chair that earned nothing, and by the time you have rung round the waiting list the slot has gone
Best card machine for tradespeople UK (2026): what actually matters on the job Written by Zoe Bordiuk Independent Payment Consultant Honest, independent card payment advice for UK small businesses In short: Most guides tell tradespeople to pick the card machine with the lowest advertised rate. Th
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