How do I take card payments on my website?
The three ways, what each costs per sale, how fast you get paid, and what you need to start.
See the templatesThe short answer: you sign up with a payment provider, usually Stripe, PayPal or SumUp, your site sends the customer to their secure checkout, and the money lands in your bank a day or two later minus a small fee. You never handle card numbers yourself, and you should not want to.
The three ways
- A payment link. The provider gives you a link or a button for a fixed amount. Paste it on the site. Fine for deposits, gift vouchers, one product
- A checkout on your site. A basket that totals up and hands over to the provider's secure page. This is what a small shop uses
- A platform's built in payments. Shopify Payments, Wix Payments. Convenient, and the fees are theirs
What it costs per sale
| Provider | UK card, online |
|---|---|
| Stripe | 1.5 percent plus 20p |
| SumUp | 2.5 percent plus 20p |
| PayPal | About 2.9 percent plus 30p |
| Shopify Payments, Basic plan | 2 percent plus 25p, on top of the plan |
On a £50 sale that is 95p with Stripe and about £1.75 with PayPal. Cards from outside the UK cost more with all of them.
What you need
- A business bank account, or a personal one for a sole trader
- Your business details and ID for the provider's checks
- A terms page with your returns policy, which they ask for
- A site with the padlock
How we do it
Our shop template connects to your own Stripe account. The money goes to you and the card rate is 1.9% + 20p per sale, which is Stripe's fee plus a small share to us that is set out in our terms. Outside the UK, where Stripe is not available, the shop uses PayPal at PayPal's own rate.
Fees in this post were checked on 9 October 2026 and change; confirm on the provider's own page before you decide.
A shop of your own is £99 then £20 a month, with card payments through your own Stripe account at 1.9% + 20p per sale, paid straight to you. See the shop templates.