Payzone for Business UK: Fees, Features and Honest Review (2026)

Payzone is a UK card payment and retail services provider, owned by Post Office Limited since 2018. It operates across more than 24,000 partner store locations in the UK and offers countertop, portable and mobile card machines alongside a combined bill-payment and card acceptance device called Payzone Plus. The Payzone Plus terminal rents for £8.55 per week with no setup fee and no stated exit fee. Card transaction rates are not published. You must request a custom quote. Payzone is best suited to independent convenience retailers, newsagents and post office-style outlets that want card acceptance bundled with utility bill-payment collection in a single terminal. It is a direct competitor of PayPoint and is not affiliated with it in any way.

Key Facts: Payzone UK

Who Is This Page For?

This page is for independent convenience store owners, newsagents, off-licence operators and anyone considering joining the Payzone retail network as a new partner. It is also useful for business owners who have received a Payzone quote and want to check whether the terms are competitive. If you are already a Payzone merchant looking to log in or find your nearest terminal, this is an independent review page rather than Payzone's own website.

Cafe, restaurant and tradesperson businesses are unlikely to find Payzone relevant. For those sectors, providers such as Dojo, takepayments or Square are worth considering instead.

What Is Payzone?

Payzone is a UK retail services network that allows independent stores to collect bill payments on behalf of utility companies and other service providers, whilst also accepting card payments from customers. The business is owned by Post Office Limited, which acquired it in 2018. It operates from over 24,000 partner locations across the UK, making it one of the largest retail bill-payment networks in the country alongside its direct competitor, PayPoint.

The term "Payzone" can refer to three related things: the retail partner network, the card machines the company supplies, or the Payzone Plus combined terminal. This page covers all three from the perspective of a retailer considering joining the network.

Payzone vs PayPoint: What Is the Difference?

Payzone and PayPoint are separate, competing businesses. They are not the same company and have no common ownership. Payzone is a subsidiary of Post Office Limited. PayPoint is an independently listed public company trading on the London Stock Exchange. Both offer retail bill-payment network services and card machines to independent stores, which is why the names are frequently confused.

The competitive rivalry between the two is well established. In 2019, Payzone won British Gas's payment business away from PayPoint. In 2021, Payzone replaced PayPoint at Tesco stores. Those contract wins shifted significant transaction volumes from one network to the other.

For a detailed side-by-side breakdown, see our PayPoint review.

Payzone Features

• Payzone Plus combined terminal: A single device that accepts card payments and collects bill payments for utilities and other services. It reduces the need for separate equipment on the counter.
• Three hardware options: Countertop (wired, fast receipt printing), portable (Bluetooth or WiFi, works up to around 50 metres from the base unit) and mobile (built-in SIM card using GPRS, works anywhere with a mobile signal).
• Broad card and contactless acceptance: Accepts Visa, Mastercard, Maestro, Apple Pay and Google Pay on all devices.
• Next-day settlement: Card takings settle to your nominated bank account the next business day.
• No setup fees: Payzone states no fees to join and no hidden fees at contract end.
• 24,000+ location network: Being part of Payzone's retail network can bring additional customer footfall from people who use the bill-payment service.
• Post Office backing: As a Post Office Limited subsidiary since 2018, Payzone has institutional support and an established UK supply chain for hardware and servicing.
• Card-only referral option: Businesses that do not need bill-payment functionality can be referred to takepayments for a standalone card machine and merchant account.

Payzone Fees and Pricing

Payzone publishes one confirmed price: the Payzone Plus device rental costs £8.55 per week. That works out to roughly £37 per month or £444.60 per year. There are no stated setup fees and no stated exit fees, which compares favourably to providers that charge hundreds of pounds to terminate a contract early.

Card transaction rates are not disclosed on the Payzone website. You will need to contact Payzone directly and request a custom quote. This is a genuine drawback. Without a published rate, it is impossible to compare Payzone's transaction costs against providers such as Paymentsense or takepayments without going through the sales process first. Always ask for the exact percentage rate per transaction for debit cards and credit cards separately, and confirm whether that rate applies to all card types including premium and corporate cards. For guidance on what to ask, see our article on how to compare card payment quotes without getting caught out.

Contracts are typically 12 months. A minimum monthly turnover clause is standard in this part of the industry. If your card volume drops significantly below the agreed threshold, you may face a shortfall fee. Read the contract carefully before signing. Ask the sales team to confirm the minimum volume figure in writing before you commit. Our guide to early termination fees in merchant contracts explains what to look for.

Because Payzone's transaction rates are undisclosed, the comparison above covers only confirmed public figures. Use it as a starting point, not a definitive cost analysis.

Payzone Services: What Can Retailers Offer Through the Network?

Payzone partner retailers can collect payments on behalf of a wide range of utility and service companies. The bill-payment service is a key reason independent convenience stores join the network, as it drives footfall and provides a modest commission income on each transaction processed.

Services available through the Payzone network typically include:

• Gas and electricity bill payments (including British Gas, which switched from PayPoint to Payzone in 2019)
• Water bill payments for participating utility providers
• Prepaid energy meter top-ups
• Prepaid mobile phone top-ups
• Cash top-ups for certain prepaid cards
• Council tax and local authority payment collection (varies by partnership agreements)
• Insurance premium collection for participating providers

The specific range of services available at any given Payzone outlet depends on the partnerships Payzone holds at the time. Not every service listed above is available at every location. Contact Payzone directly to confirm which payment types your store could process under a current partner agreement.

Payzone Terminal Options

Payzone offers three card machine form factors. The right choice depends on whether your shop has a fixed counter, a front-of-house service area where staff move around, or a need to take payments away from the premises entirely.

• Countertop terminal: Connects via broadband or a phone line. Suited to shops with a fixed till point. Produces printed receipts quickly and has no battery to manage.
• Portable terminal: Connects via Bluetooth or WiFi. Works up to around 50 metres from the base unit, which suits small shops where the card machine needs to move between a counter and a separate serving area.
• Mobile terminal: Uses a built-in SIM card over a GPRS mobile data connection. Works anywhere with a mobile signal. Suited to outdoor stalls, markets or delivery-based businesses that need to take payments on the move.

The Payzone Plus combined terminal integrates bill-payment collection with card acceptance in a single device. It is the flagship product for convenience retailers and is the model most Payzone partner stores use.

Payzone Merchant Services: Customer Reviews

Independent reviews of Payzone as a merchant services provider are mixed. Positive feedback tends to focus on the simplicity of the Payzone Plus terminal and the convenience of combining bill payments with card acceptance in one device. Retailers who were previously running separate systems report that the combined terminal reduces daily reconciliation time.

Negative reviews commonly mention two issues. The first is difficulty reaching customer support quickly during busy periods, a meaningful concern for a convenience store that cannot process payments during a terminal fault. The second is the lack of pricing transparency, which some merchants say left them feeling unprepared when they later compared their rates against competitors. If you are considering Payzone, request a formal written quote and cross-reference it against at least one other provider before signing. Our guide to negotiating card processing fees may help you prepare.

Does Payzone Offer Online Payments?

Payzone does not offer a standalone ecommerce payment gateway for online stores. The product range is focused entirely on in-store transactions through the Payzone Plus terminal and the three card machine variants. If you sell online as well as in-store, you will need a separate payment gateway provider for your website. Providers such as Opayo, Stripe or PayPal offer ecommerce gateway products that could sit alongside a Payzone in-store terminal. See our guide to the best payment gateways for UK businesses for a full comparison.

Some searches for "Payzone online payments" or "can I pay Payzone online" relate to consumers wanting to pay a bill at a Payzone outlet rather than merchants seeking an online gateway. If you are a consumer looking to pay a bill, you will need to visit a Payzone partner store. Payzone does not offer a consumer-facing online payment portal for bill settlement.

TP Ltd and Payzone: What Is the Connection?

Some merchants see "TP Ltd" or "TP Ltd / Payzone" on their bank statements and are unsure what it refers to. TP Ltd is the legal entity name for takepayments, Payzone's referral partner for card-only merchant accounts. If you were referred from Payzone to takepayments for a standalone card machine, your statement descriptors and contract counterparty may reflect takepayments rather than Payzone. The two businesses are separate legal entities. Payzone handles bill-payment network membership; takepayments handles the card merchant account for retailers who do not need the combined Payzone Plus terminal. For a full breakdown of takepayments' own fees and contracts, see our takepayments review.

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Combined bill-payment and card acceptance in one device, which is genuinely useful for convenience retailers and reduces counter equipment.
• No setup fees and no stated exit fees on the Payzone Plus product.
• Next-day settlement to your bank account.
• Accepts all major card types and digital wallets including Apple Pay and Google Pay.
• Three hardware form factors (countertop, portable, mobile) to suit different shop layouts and trading environments.
• Part of a 24,000-location UK network, which can bring additional customer footfall from bill-payment users.

Cons

• Transaction rates are not published. You cannot compare costs without going through a sales call, which puts you at a negotiating disadvantage if you are unprepared.
• The product is built around convenience retail. Businesses outside that sector, such as hospitality, tradespeople and online sellers, will find little here that suits them.
• A 12-month contract with a minimum turnover clause means lower-volume months could trigger additional charges. Get the exact threshold figure in writing before signing.
• Customer reviews on independent platforms are mixed, with some merchants reporting difficulties reaching support quickly during busy periods.
• No ecommerce payment gateway is offered. If you sell online as well as in-store, you will need a separate provider for your website.

Is Payzone Right for Your Business?

Payzone makes most sense for independent convenience retailers who already handle, or want to handle, bill payments for utilities and services. The combined Payzone Plus terminal at £8.55 per week is a straightforward proposition. Next-day settlement and zero setup costs are genuine advantages. The lack of published transaction rates is a real transparency issue, and you should not sign anything until you have compared the custom quote against at least two other providers.

For businesses purely looking for card acceptance with no bill payments and no combined device, Payzone's own website points you toward takepayments as a referral partner. That is an honest acknowledgement from Payzone itself that its core product is not the right fit for every merchant. Competitors such as Paymentsense and Dojo are worth examining if you want a card-only terminal with more transparent published pricing.

Updated August 2026.