

You’ll also have to consider swipe rates, merchant accounts, hardware and security standards, but we’ve got you covered. The most common place to start is with a credit card machine.

Virtual terminals are PCI compliant, but there are still some basic precautions you should take when using them. If you’re not doing it right, you could face big fines. your customer’s card credit card number) safe. Īs mentioned, maintaining PCI compliance involves taking protective measures to keep cardholder data (i.e. The answer, as with most things, is yes – providing you do it properly. Is it safe to take payments over the phone? In some cases, PCI compliance might cost a fee (a few pounds a month, at most), but trust us – it’s worth it. The networks and processes these companies utilise are already encrypted to the sufficient level, so there’s nothing more required from your side. The easiest way to achieve PCI compliance is to select a merchant services provider that is already compliant. All businesses processing card payments must comply. It’s a set of strict guidelines safeguarding the transmission of sensitive data in card transactions. PCI DSS stands for Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards. What is PCI DSS, and how do I remain compliant?

So which one is the best fit for the unique requirements of your business?Īccepting card payments over the phone: FAQs And as you’ve seen, virtual terminals are like Orwell’s animals – not all of them are created equal. īusinesses raking in upwards of £15,000 in card payments are looking at the sweetest deal, with PayPal’s fee for this bracket sitting at just 1.9% + 20p. Up to £6,000, that fee drops to 2.9% + 20p, while businesses taking between £6,000 and £15,000 in card volume will pay 2.4% + 20p. If that volume is less than £1,500 in card payments per month, you’ll pay 3.4% + 20p per transaction. On top of a fixed monthly fee of £20, PayPal’s per transaction rates are based on your business’ overall sales volume. Other providers, such as PayPal, operate a noticeably different ‘sliding’ pricing scale. Any sales you make over that limit are charged at a flat rate of 10p per occurrence. Sometimes, that monthly charge includes a set amount of ‘free’ transactions – with Handepay for instance, you’ll pay £9.99 per month, which gets you 200 transactions during that period. VAT) per month, while Sage Pay's virtual terminal incurs a monthly fee of £15 (excl. Worldpay’s service, for instance, is £9.95 (excl. Other suppliers – typically traditional merchant account providers – charge a monthly fee, with transaction fees on top of that. Square, for instance, charges just 2.5% of each transaction, while SumUp’s fee is 2.95% + 25p per sale. This pricing style is more common with payment facilitators. Some merchant services providers offer their virtual terminal service at no monthly cost, with just a flat percentage-based fee applied to each transaction you accept through it. Virtual terminal fee structures and exact pricing varies across different suppliers. How much does it cost to take payments over the phone?
