Cashflows UK: Payment Processing Fees Explained Simply

Cashflows is a UK-based payment processor and direct card acquirer founded in 2008, authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority under FRN 900006, and headquartered in Cambridge. It offers card acquiring, a payment gateway, and in-person card terminals to UK businesses, operating its own acquiring platform rather than reselling another provider's infrastructure. Indicative transaction fees start from around 0.40% for UK consumer debit card transactions (card-present, Visa or Mastercard) and from around 1.00% for UK consumer credit card transactions, with all pricing individually quoted. Cashflows positions itself as a mid-market alternative to Worldpay or Barclaycard Business, suited to businesses processing at least £100,000 per year in card payments that want negotiated rates and multi-channel payments under one merchant account.

Key Facts: Cashflows UK

Who Is This Page For?

This page is for UK business owners and finance managers researching Cashflows as a potential card payment provider. It covers Cashflows' fees, payment gateway, contract terms, and how it compares to Worldpay. It is also useful if you have received a Cashflows quote and want to check whether the rates are competitive before signing.

If you process under £50,000 per year in card payments, you will likely find better value with a flat-rate provider. This page will tell you that honestly, and point you in a more useful direction.

Who Is Cashflows Best Suited To?

Cashflows suits UK businesses that take card payments across multiple channels and want a single provider to handle both face-to-face and online transactions. That typically means retailers, hospitality businesses, and service companies turning over at least £100,000 a year in card payments, where individually negotiated rates start to produce meaningful savings over flat-rate providers.

The platform is a reasonable fit for businesses that have outgrown entry-level providers like SumUp or Square but are not yet large enough to demand bespoke enterprise contracts from the very biggest acquirers. If you process between £100,000 and £5 million annually in card payments, Cashflows is the kind of provider worth putting on your shortlist.

It is less well suited to sole traders or very small businesses processing under £50,000 a year in cards. At that volume, a pay-as-you-go flat-rate provider will almost certainly be simpler and cheaper. Businesses that need advanced multi-currency acquiring or complex international routing should also look at providers like Adyen or Nuvei before committing.

Cashflows Features

• Own acquiring platform: Cashflows is a direct acquirer, meaning your transactions do not pass through a third-party processor. This typically means faster issue resolution and more control over risk decisions compared to reseller models.
• Payment gateway: The Cashflows payment gateway supports card-not-present transactions, virtual terminals for telephone payments, and hosted payment pages for ecommerce. It connects to major UK shopping platforms via API or pre-built integrations.
• Card-present terminals: Cashflows offers countertop, portable, and mobile card machines. Terminals are typically supplied on a rental basis as part of a merchant services contract.
• Pay by Link: Merchants can send payment requests via email or SMS without a dedicated ecommerce site. This is useful for service businesses, tradespeople, or anyone taking remote payments occasionally. See our guide to Pay by Link services in the UK for a broader comparison.
• Multi-channel reporting: A single merchant portal covers online and in-person transactions together. You can view settlement reports, transaction data, and exception reports in one place.
• 3D Secure 2 (3DS2) support: The gateway is compliant with the Strong Customer Authentication rules introduced under PSD2, which became mandatory for UK and European card payments from July 2021. See our guide to 3D Secure and SCA for UK merchants.
• Fraud screening tools: Built-in fraud management includes velocity checks, CVV and AVS verification, and configurable risk rules. More advanced rules are available on request for higher-risk merchant categories.
• Dedicated account management: Cashflows assigns named account managers to established merchant accounts, which is not standard practice at all providers of this size.

Cashflows Fees and Pricing: What Does Cashflows Cost?

Cashflows does not publish a standard public price list. All pricing is individually quoted based on your business type, monthly card turnover, average transaction value, and card mix. That is common practice among direct acquirers in the UK and is not a red flag on its own, but it does mean you cannot compare costs accurately without requesting a formal quote.

Indicative rates in the market suggest UK consumer debit card transactions (card-present, Visa or Mastercard) start from around 0.40% per transaction for businesses with meaningful volume. UK consumer credit card transactions typically start from around 1.00% per transaction. Commercial credit card rates are higher, often 1.5% or above, reflecting the higher interchange costs passed through from the card schemes. American Express is usually priced separately and higher still, typically above 2.00% for most merchant categories.

Monthly fees, terminal rental, and gateway fees are additional costs to budget for. Terminal rental typically runs from around £15 to £30 per month per device depending on the model and contract length. A payment gateway subscription may add a further £10 to £25 per month. PCI DSS compliance fees, where charged, are commonly £2 to £5 per month but can be higher if you are non-compliant. Always ask for a full schedule of fees before signing, not just the headline transaction rate. Our guide to PCI compliance fees in the UK explains what to expect.

Early termination fees apply if you exit a contract before the agreed term ends. Cashflows contracts of 24 or 36 months can carry termination charges equal to several months of minimum fees. Read the termination clause carefully before you commit. Our article on early termination fees in merchant contracts explains what to look out for.

Cashflows Payment Gateway: How It Works and What It Costs

The Cashflows payment gateway is an online card payment system that allows UK businesses to accept card payments on a website, via a virtual terminal for telephone orders (MOTO payments), or through a hosted payment page. It is built on Cashflows' own acquiring infrastructure, which means the gateway and the acquiring settlement sit with the same provider rather than being stitched together from two separate services.

Gateway pricing is not published publicly and forms part of the overall merchant services quote. In most cases, businesses pay a monthly gateway subscription (typically £10 to £25 per month) plus the per-transaction rate on each card payment processed through it. Setup fees may also apply, though these are sometimes waived depending on the contract negotiated.

The gateway supports 3D Secure 2 authentication for Strong Customer Authentication compliance, hosted payment pages, and API integration for custom builds. The integration library is smaller than gateways like Stripe or Opayo, so if you are running a less common ecommerce platform, check compatibility before you sign. For a broader look at how payment gateways work and what they typically cost, see our payment gateway costs guide for UK businesses.

Cashflows also supports MOTO (mail order and telephone order) payments via a virtual terminal, which is useful for businesses that take orders over the phone. Our guide to MOTO payments in the UK covers the compliance requirements in more detail.

Is the Cashflows Gateway Legitimate?

Yes, the Cashflows payment gateway is legitimate. Cashflows is authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority as a Payment Institution under FRN 900006. Full FCA authorisation means Cashflows is subject to ongoing regulatory oversight, including requirements around safeguarding client funds, maintaining adequate financial resources, and operating within FCA conduct rules. It is not simply registered with the FCA. It holds full authorisation, which carries a higher regulatory bar. The company has operated since 2008 and processes payments for a wide range of UK merchants across retail, hospitality, and professional services.

Cashflows vs Worldpay: UK Merchant Comparison 2026

Worldpay is the largest card acquirer in the UK by merchant numbers. It offers wider name recognition and a longer track record, but many mid-sized businesses find its pricing less flexible and its customer service harder to access directly. Cashflows, as a smaller acquirer, can typically offer more personalised account management and quicker escalation on queries. Worldpay's breadth of integrations, terminal options, and international reach is wider than Cashflows' for businesses with complex needs. For a straightforward UK-focused card processing setup, Cashflows is a credible alternative worth comparing directly on price.

For a full side-by-side breakdown of Cashflows against Stripe, see our dedicated Cashflows vs Stripe comparison page.

Pros and Cons of Cashflows

Pros

• Direct acquirer: Cashflows owns its own acquiring licence, which means faster dispute resolution and no third-party processor sitting between you and your funds.
• Multi-channel in one place: Face-to-face terminals, a payment gateway, and Pay by Link all sit under one merchant account and one reporting portal.
• Negotiable pricing: Quote-based pricing means volume discounts are genuinely available, unlike flat-rate providers where you pay the same rate regardless of turnover.
• FCA authorised: Cashflows holds full Payment Institution authorisation from the FCA (FRN 900006), not just registration, which provides a higher level of regulatory oversight.
• Named account management: Dedicated support is available for established accounts, which is a genuine differentiator from large commodity processors.

Cons

• No public pricing: You cannot compare Cashflows costs without requesting a quote, which makes initial research harder and slows down your shortlisting process.
• Early termination fees: Contracts of 24 to 36 months can carry meaningful exit costs. This is a genuine financial risk if your business circumstances change before the term ends.
• Not suited to very small businesses: At low card volumes, the quote-based model and monthly fees are unlikely to be competitive against flat-rate providers like Square or SumUp.
• Limited international acquiring: Cashflows is primarily a UK domestic acquirer. If you need sophisticated multi-currency settlement across many markets, providers like Adyen or Nuvei are better equipped.
• Smaller integration library: The Cashflows gateway has fewer pre-built platform integrations than Stripe or Opayo, which may mean development work is needed for less common ecommerce platforms.

Is Cashflows Right for Your Business?

Cashflows is a legitimate, FCA-authorised UK payment processor with a credible proposition for growing businesses that want direct acquiring and multi-channel payments under one roof. It is particularly worth considering if you process between £100,000 and £5 million in card payments annually and want the kind of individual rate negotiation that flat-rate providers simply do not offer. The combination of face-to-face terminals, a payment gateway, and Pay by Link in a single account is genuinely useful for businesses selling across more than one channel.

The quote-only pricing model is the main friction point in the buying process. It means you have to invest time in getting a formal proposal before you can make any comparison. The contract length and early termination clauses also deserve careful attention. A 36-month contract with exit fees is a meaningful commitment, particularly for a business that is still growing and whose payment needs may change. Our guide on switching costs and what to check is worth reading before you sign.

Compare Card Fees is a free, independent advisory service that has helped UK businesses find better card payment deals since 2012. If you are considering Cashflows, our advisers can help you benchmark the quote you receive against competing offers from other direct acquirers, so you know whether the rates on the table are genuinely competitive. Compare merchant services quotes through Compare Card Fees before you sign anything.

Updated August 2026