Card Machines & Payment Processing for Charities UK 2026

This page is for UK charities, not-for-profit organisations, community interest companies and voluntary groups that need to take card payments. Whether you run a charity shop, process online donations, sell tickets to fundraising events or collect memberships, Compare Card Fees is a free, independent advisory service that has helped UK businesses find better card payment deals since 2012. We cut through the jargon and show you which providers offer genuine charity pricing, which contracts carry hidden costs and where you can save money without sacrificing reliability.

What to Look For in a Charity Payment Provider

Transaction fees are the single biggest cost lever for charities. Most standard UK providers charge between 1.69% and 2.5% per transaction for card-present payments. Registered charities can sometimes negotiate lower rates, particularly with providers that have a dedicated nonprofit programme. Stripe, for instance, offers a discounted rate of 1.4% plus 20p per successful card charge for eligible UK charities, compared to its standard 1.4% plus 30p. That 10p saving sounds small, but at 500 donations of £20 a month it adds up to £50 saved monthly.

Hardware needs vary by charity type. A charity shop needs a countertop or portable card machine that works reliably all day. A fundraising team doing street collections needs a pocket-sized reader that pairs with a smartphone. An events team selling raffle tickets outdoors needs a reader with strong battery life and offline capability. Not every provider covers all three scenarios, so match the hardware to your actual use case before signing anything.

Point-of-sale and software integration is more important than many charities realise. If you use a CRM such as Salesforce Nonprofit or a donation platform such as Enthuse or Donorfy, your payment provider needs to connect to it cleanly. A mismatch forces manual data entry, which wastes staff time and introduces errors. Check whether the provider offers a documented API or native integration before you commit.

Contract flexibility and settlement speed are the two factors most charities overlook. A 36-month lease on a card terminal locks you in even if your needs change. Rolling monthly agreements cost slightly more per month but give you the freedom to switch. On settlement, aim for next-business-day funding as a minimum. Some providers, including Square and SumUp, offer instant or same-day payouts for a small additional fee, which can help when you need funds quickly after a fundraising event.

Fee Comparison Table

Rates correct as of June 2026. Worldpay rates require a custom quote and are subject to contract terms. Stripe nonprofit pricing requires FCA-regulated charity status verification.

Best Providers for Charities

SumUp

SumUp charges 1.69% per transaction with no monthly fee and no fixed contract. The Air card reader costs £39 plus VAT and works via Bluetooth with a smartphone or tablet. Battery life is rated at around 500 transactions per charge, which covers a full day of fundraising for most teams. There is no charity-specific discount, but the low flat rate and zero ongoing commitment make it one of the most accessible options for smaller charities.

SumUp's weakness for charities is its limited integration with donation and CRM platforms. There is no native Salesforce NPSP connection and Gift Aid workflows must be handled entirely outside the SumUp system. For charities that process mostly in-person donations and do not need a joined-up data trail, that is manageable. For those running coordinated fundraising campaigns with donor databases, it can create extra administration work.

Read the full SumUp review on Compare Card Fees for a detailed breakdown of hardware options and fee structures.

Square

Square charges 1.75% per transaction in person, with no monthly fee on its free plan. The Square Reader costs £19 plus VAT, making it one of the cheapest entry points in the market. Square's free point-of-sale app includes basic inventory management, which is useful for charity shops that sell donated goods at variable prices. Settlement arrives in one to two business days as standard, with an instant transfer option available for 1.75% of the transfer amount.

Square does not offer a dedicated charity pricing tier as of June 2026. Its online payment fees of 1.4% plus 25p per transaction are competitive, but charities processing large numbers of small online donations will find the fixed 25p per transaction adds up quickly. A campaign receiving 1,000 donations of £5 would pay £250 in fixed fees alone, on top of the percentage charge.

Read the full Square review on Compare Card Fees for a detailed comparison with similar providers.

Stripe

Stripe offers a reduced rate of 1.4% plus 20p per transaction for UK registered charities, down from its standard 1.4% plus 30p. The saving applies to online card payments. Stripe's developer-friendly API makes it the strongest choice for charities that want to build custom donation pages, set up recurring giving or integrate payments directly into their website or CRM. Platforms including JustGiving, Enthuse and Donorfy can connect to Stripe directly.

Stripe is not the right fit for charities that primarily take payments in person. Its card reader, Stripe Terminal, requires development work to set up and is better suited to organisations with technical resource. The charity discount also requires verification, which can take several days. Customer support is email and chat only, with no telephone helpline, which some smaller charities find frustrating when problems arise.

Read the full Stripe review on Compare Card Fees to see how it compares for online donation processing.

Zettle by PayPal

Zettle charges 1.75% per transaction in person, matching Square's rate. The Zettle Reader 2 costs £29 plus VAT for a first purchase and has strong reviews for reliability in retail environments. Charities with existing PayPal accounts benefit from unified reporting across in-person and online PayPal payments. Next-day settlement is available into a UK bank account.

Zettle does not offer charity-specific pricing. Its online payment fees for PayPal-based transactions can be higher than competitors, particularly for international donors paying in foreign currencies. Charities that receive a significant share of donations from overseas supporters should compare the foreign exchange loading carefully before choosing Zettle.

Read the full Zettle by PayPal review on Compare Card Fees for a side-by-side comparison with Square.

Pros and Cons by Provider Type

Portable Card Machine Providers (SumUp, Square, Zettle)

• Low upfront cost. Readers start from £19 plus VAT.
• No monthly fee on pay-as-you-go plans, which suits seasonal charity income.
• Easy to set up. Most teams are processing payments within an hour.
• Limited integration with charity CRM and donor management platforms.
• No telephone customer support from most providers in this category.
• Per-transaction fees can be higher than negotiated rates at volume above £20,000 per month.

Payment Gateway Providers (Stripe, PayPal)

• Strong API and integration support for connecting to donation platforms and CRMs.
• Competitive online transaction fees, particularly for charities with verified nonprofit status.
• Recurring payment and subscription tools built in, useful for regular giving schemes.
• In-person hardware requires additional setup and, in Stripe's case, developer resource.
• Not well suited to charities with no technical staff or budget for web development.
• Charity discount verification can delay your go-live date by several days.

Traditional Acquirers and All-in-One Providers (Worldpay, Barclaycard)

• Negotiated rates can be significantly lower than flat-rate providers at high monthly volumes.
• Dedicated account managers and telephone support as standard.
• Countertop terminals and integrated EPOS systems available for charity shop environments.
• Fixed-term contracts of 12 to 36 months are standard and can be difficult to exit early.
• Monthly fees, PCI compliance charges and terminal rental costs increase total cost of ownership.
• Setup and onboarding typically takes longer. Expect one to three weeks before you can take payments.

Which is Better For...?

Charity Shops

A charity shop needs a reliable countertop or portable card machine that can handle dozens of small transactions per day. Square and Zettle both offer free point-of-sale apps that handle variable pricing and basic stock tracking, which suits donated goods. If your shop takes more than £10,000 per month in card payments, request a custom quote from Worldpay or Barclaycard. A negotiated rate of 0.75% to 1.2% at that volume saves hundreds of pounds a year compared to a flat 1.75% rate.

Events and Street Fundraising Teams

Teams collecting donations at events or on the street need a compact reader with reliable Bluetooth connectivity and good battery life. SumUp Air is the most common choice in this category. It pairs quickly with a smartphone, handles contactless and chip-and-pin payments and costs £39 plus VAT. Make sure your team has the SumUp app downloaded and tested before the event. Mobile signal quality affects transaction speed, so check coverage at your venue in advance.

Online Donation and Regular Giving

Charities focused on online donations or running regular giving schemes should look at Stripe first, particularly if you qualify for the nonprofit rate of 1.4% plus 20p per transaction. Stripe's recurring billing tools handle monthly direct donations cleanly and its webhook system can push transaction data directly into Salesforce NPSP or Donorfy. If you do not have technical resource in-house, a donation platform such as Enthuse or Fundraise Up, which sits on top of Stripe, handles the setup for you.