Secure Trading UK: Payment Gateway Costs and Features

Secure Trading is a UK-based payment gateway provider that rebranded as Trust Payments in 2020. Many UK businesses still search under the original name, so this page covers both. Trust Payments Ltd is authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority as an Electronic Money Institution (FCA regulated — verify current FRN on the FCA register). Transaction fees run between 0.75% and 2.5% per transaction for UK and European personal Visa and Mastercard cards, though pricing is negotiated individually and not published. The platform suits established online businesses, subscription merchants, and operators in higher-risk sectors such as travel, gaming, and financial services.

Key Facts: Secure Trading (Now Trust Payments)

Who Is This Page For?

This page is for UK businesses researching the Secure Trading payment gateway, comparing it with alternatives, or trying to understand what happened after the 2020 rebrand to Trust Payments. It is also relevant if you have an existing Secure Trading contract and want to understand your options. If you run an online store, a subscription business, or operate in a sector that mainstream processors treat cautiously, this review will help you judge whether the platform is worth quoting.

What Is the Secure Trading Payment Gateway?

Secure Trading is the original brand name for what is now the Trust Payments payment gateway. Founded in 1997, the company built a hosted payment gateway used primarily by UK online retailers and businesses in higher-risk sectors. The 2020 rebrand to Trust Payments changed the name and marketing but not the underlying technology or FCA-authorised entity. If you signed a contract under the Secure Trading name, that agreement is now held by Trust Payments Ltd.

The gateway handles card-not-present transactions online, supports MOTO payments through a virtual terminal, and includes built-in fraud screening tools. It connects to multiple acquiring banks, which gives it flexibility when underwriting merchants that single-acquirer processors decline. Processing in over 150 currencies makes it a practical choice for businesses with international customers.

Who Is Secure Trading (Trust Payments) For?

Secure Trading suits online businesses that process meaningful monthly volumes and need more than a basic payment page. The platform is designed for merchants who want hosted payment pages, tokenisation for repeat billing, and built-in fraud tools rather than having to bolt on third-party services. Start-ups expecting low monthly volumes will find the pricing less competitive than flat-rate alternatives.

The gateway has particular strength in sectors that standard processors treat cautiously. These include travel, gaming, financial services, and subscription businesses. Trust Payments actively courts merchants in these categories and has underwriting experience that high-street acquirers typically lack. For more on what makes a business higher-risk, see our guide to high-risk merchant accounts in the UK.

Developers integrating a bespoke checkout into a custom-built platform will find a well-documented REST API and a range of integration methods. Smaller merchants using off-the-shelf platforms such as Shopify or WooCommerce can use pre-built plugins, though the setup process is more involved than with simpler gateways such as Stripe or Opayo.

Secure Trading Features

• Hosted payment page: A PCI DSS-compliant checkout page hosted by Secure Trading, which removes most of the PCI scope burden from your own servers.
• Tokenisation and stored credentials: Card details are tokenised so repeat customers can pay without re-entering card data, useful for subscription and membership businesses.
• Multi-currency processing: Accepts payments in over 150 currencies, with dynamic currency conversion available for international checkouts.
• Fraud screening with customisable rules: Built-in fraud scoring with velocity checks, BIN analysis, and address verification. Rules can be adjusted per merchant account to reduce false declines.
• 3D Secure 2 (3DS2) compliance: Supports the Strong Customer Authentication requirements introduced under PSD2, reducing unnecessary friction for low-risk transactions. See our plain-English guide to 3DS2 and SCA for more detail.
• REST API and hosted field integration: Developers can embed payment fields directly in a custom checkout or use a full redirect, depending on how much PCI scope they want to manage.
• MOTO (Mail Order and Telephone Order) payments: Virtual terminal access for telephone-based sales, suitable for call centres and remote order teams.
• Reporting and reconciliation dashboard: Transaction-level reporting with export options, though some merchants find the interface dated compared with newer gateways.

Secure Trading Fees and Pricing

Secure Trading does not publish a standard rate card. Pricing is agreed individually based on your monthly turnover, average transaction value, and the sector your business trades in. This is typical of enterprise-focused gateways but makes upfront budgeting harder than with flat-rate processors.

Based on publicly available information and merchant feedback, typical charges include a transaction fee of between 0.75% and 2.5% per transaction for UK and European personal Visa and Mastercard cards. Commercial cards and non-European cards attract higher interchange costs that are usually passed through to the merchant. Most contracts also include a monthly gateway fee, which commonly falls between £20 and £75 per month depending on the feature set agreed. For context, a business processing £20,000 a month at 1.5% pays £300 in transaction fees alone before monthly charges.

Setup fees have been reported by merchants, though these are sometimes waived for larger accounts. Early termination fees apply on most 12 and 24-month contracts, so read the exit clause carefully before signing. PCI compliance fees are charged separately in most packages, typically £5 to £15 per month. That cost is easy to overlook when comparing headline transaction rates. Our guide to PCI compliance fees in the UK explains what you should and should not be paying.

Secure Trading Payment Gateway: How It Works

The Secure Trading payment gateway sits between your website or application and the acquiring bank. When a customer enters card details, the gateway encrypts that data, checks it against fraud rules, and routes the authorisation request to the relevant card scheme. The whole process typically takes two to three seconds.

Merchants have three main integration paths. A hosted payment page redirect sends customers to a Trust Payments-hosted checkout, which is the lowest-effort option and removes almost all PCI scope from your own infrastructure. Hosted payment fields let you embed the card-entry form directly within your own page using JavaScript, keeping the customer on your site. A direct REST API gives full control for developers building bespoke checkout flows, though it carries greater PCI obligations. Our guide to hosted versus self-hosted payment gateways explains the trade-offs in plain terms.

Pre-built plugins are available for WooCommerce, Magento, and other major ecommerce platforms. These reduce integration time for merchants on standard platforms, though configuration is more involved than with Stripe or Shopify Payments. Developer documentation is available through the Trust Payments portal after account approval.

Secure Trading API

The Secure Trading REST API allows developers to build fully custom payment flows. Requests use standard HTTPS calls with JSON payloads, and authentication is handled via a site reference and password combination generated at account setup. The API supports authorisation, capture, refund, and subscription billing operations from a single interface.

Webhooks notify your server of payment outcomes in near real time, which is useful for order management systems that need instant status updates. Sandbox testing is available before going live. The documentation has improved since the rebrand to Trust Payments, though some developers report that certain edge cases are not well covered and that support response times for technical queries can be slow. For a broader look at how payment gateway integrations work, see our payment gateway integrations guide.

Secure Trading Virtual Terminal

The Secure Trading virtual terminal lets authorised staff take card payments over the phone or by post without the customer being present. Agents log into a browser-based interface, enter the card details and transaction amount, and submit for authorisation. No card machine is needed. This makes it practical for call centres, mail order operations, and any business that takes telephone bookings.

MOTO transactions typically carry higher interchange rates than card-present or online transactions, so expect the per-transaction cost to sit toward the upper end of your agreed rate. The virtual terminal is included in most Secure Trading packages, though some entry-level contracts limit the number of MOTO users or require a separate add-on fee. Confirm this with your account manager before signing. For more on MOTO payments in the UK, see our dedicated MOTO payments guide.

Secure Trading for Financial Services Businesses

Financial services is one of the sectors where Secure Trading has historically had an edge over mainstream acquirers. Many standard processors apply blanket restrictions to businesses categorised as financial services, including forex brokers, insurance providers, and regulated lenders. Secure Trading built underwriting processes specifically for these merchants, meaning approval is more likely than with a high-street acquirer.

That said, approval is not guaranteed. Trust Payments still conducts its own risk assessment, and merchants in sectors such as forex trading or credit broking will need to provide detailed documentation. Higher-risk businesses should also expect transaction rates toward the upper end of the 0.75%–2.5% range, and rolling reserves are possible. Before committing to any contract, read our overview of payment processing for high-risk businesses to understand what to expect.

Secure Trading vs Stripe: Which Is Right for UK Businesses?

Stripe charges 1.5% per transaction for UK Visa and Mastercard debit cards and 1.9% for credit cards, with no monthly fee and no fixed contract. Secure Trading charges are comparable or higher on transaction rates but add monthly gateway fees of £20–£75 and contract lock-in of 12–24 months. At £10,000 monthly card volume, Stripe costs roughly £150–£190 in transaction fees alone with zero monthly overhead. Secure Trading at a mid-range 1.5% rate plus a £40 monthly fee costs around £190 before PCI charges.

Stripe is cheaper and simpler for most small to medium businesses processing under £10,000 a month. Secure Trading has an advantage in multi-currency support, acceptance of higher-risk business types that Stripe often declines, and MOTO capabilities built into the platform. If your business sells internationally across multiple currencies, processes telephone orders regularly, or operates in a sector Stripe will not underwrite, Secure Trading is worth quoting. See our full Opayo vs Stripe comparison for a sense of how enterprise gateways stack up against flat-rate processors more broadly.

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Strong fraud tools included: Built-in fraud screening with customisable rules reduces manual review overhead for online retailers.
• Handles higher-risk sectors: Accepts merchants in travel, gaming, and financial services that many mainstream processors decline.
• Multi-currency capability: Processing in over 150 currencies makes this practical for businesses with international customers.
• 3DS2 and SCA-ready: Full PSD2 compliance built into the platform, so you are not scrambling to retrofit Strong Customer Authentication.
• Flexible integration options: Hosted page, API, and plugin integrations cover most technical setups without rebuilding your checkout from scratch.

Cons

• No published pricing: You have to request a quote, which makes it impossible to budget accurately without committing time to a sales conversation.
• Longer contracts with exit fees: Twelve to 24-month terms with early termination fees are a genuine financial risk if your volumes drop or you find a better deal. See our guide to early termination fees in merchant contracts before you sign.
• Dated reporting interface: Several merchants report that the back-office dashboard feels behind modern gateways such as Stripe or Adyen in terms of usability.
• Not suited to very small businesses: Monthly fees and contract length make it uneconomical for micro-businesses turning over less than around £5,000 a month in card payments.
• Support quality varies: Some merchants report responsive account management; others describe slow responses to technical issues. Service quality appears inconsistent outside of enterprise-tier contracts.

Updated August 2026