Payment Processing for Travel & Tourism UK 2026

This page is for UK travel agents, tour operators, hotels, holiday parks, ferry and coach companies, and any other travel or tourism business that takes card payments. Compare Card Fees is a free, independent advisory service that has helped UK businesses find better card payment deals since 2012. Whether you process £5,000 a month or £500,000, the right payment provider can cut your costs, reduce chargebacks, and get funds into your account faster.

What to Look For in a Payment Processing for Travel & Tourism Payment Provider

Transaction fees in travel are rarely as simple as a single percentage. Most UK acquirers use an interchange-plus model, where you pay the card scheme’s interchange rate plus a processor margin. For a standard UK consumer Visa debit card that interchange rate is around 0.2%, but a corporate travel Visa credit card can sit at 1.67% or higher before the processor adds their cut. Ask every provider for a full interchange-plus schedule, not just a blended headline rate. A blended rate of 1.5% might look competitive until you realise half your bookings come via corporate cards.

Hardware needs vary significantly across the sector. A single-location hotel needs a countertop terminal and possibly a portable unit for the bar or restaurant. A touring coach operator needs a mobile card reader that works on 4G without a fixed broadband connection. A purely online travel agent needs a payment gateway that integrates with their booking engine, not a physical terminal at all. Match your hardware to your actual operating environment before comparing prices.

Software integration is critical for travel businesses. Your payment provider should connect cleanly with your property management system (PMS), channel manager, or tour booking platform. Providers such as Stripe and Square offer well-documented APIs that most modern booking platforms support. Others, like Worldpay, have dedicated integrations with major hospitality PMS systems including Opera and Mews. A broken integration costs you far more in staff time than you save on transaction fees.

Contract flexibility matters more in travel than in most sectors because of seasonality. A ski chalet operator processing £80,000 in winter and £8,000 in summer has very different needs from a beach hotel. Rolling monthly contracts are now widely available from Zettle, Square, and Stripe. Longer fixed terms from traditional acquirers sometimes come with lower rates, but the early exit fees, which can reach several thousand pounds, can trap you if your business model changes.

Fee Comparison Table

Rates above are indicative as of June 2026 and vary by monthly volume, card mix, and negotiated terms. Always request a written quote before committing.

Best Providers for Travel & Tourism

Stripe

Stripe charges 1.5% plus 25p per transaction for UK consumer cards and 2.5% plus 25p for European cards, with no monthly fee on its standard pay-as-you-go plan. That makes it one of the lowest-cost entry points for an online travel agent or a small operator taking bookings through a website. Its API documentation is thorough, and it connects directly with platforms including Checkfront, FareHarbor, and custom-built booking engines.

Stripe also handles multi-currency payments in over 135 currencies and settles in pounds sterling by default, typically within two business days of the transaction. For businesses that want faster access to funds, Stripe offers instant payouts at an additional 1% fee. One honest caveat: Stripe’s chargeback process can be slow, and travel businesses with high refund volumes sometimes find their accounts flagged. Keep your dispute rate below 0.8% to stay in good standing.

Stripe is better suited to tech-comfortable operators than to those who want telephone support. Phone support is available only on higher-tier paid plans. Read the full Stripe review on Compare Card Fees.

Worldpay

Worldpay is the UK’s largest acquirer by volume and processes payments for many of the country’s biggest hotel groups and travel companies. It offers interchange-plus pricing from around 0.75% for high-volume merchants, which can represent a meaningful saving over blended-rate providers for businesses turning over £100,000 or more per month. Worldpay also has established integrations with Opera, Mews, and several other hospitality PMS platforms.

Settlement is typically next business day for most UK merchants on standard contracts. Worldpay’s terminal range is wide, covering countertop, portable, and mobile devices, and it supports both chip-and-pin and contactless payments including Apple Pay and Google Pay. It is also one of the few UK providers with a dedicated travel and hospitality merchant support team.

The main drawback is contract length. Worldpay often pushes 18 to 24-month fixed terms, and early exit fees have historically been a source of complaints. Always negotiate the exit clause before signing. Read the full Worldpay review on Compare Card Fees.

Square

Square charges 1.75% per in-person transaction with no monthly fee, and its card reader costs a one-off £19 plus VAT. That makes it an attractive option for seasonal businesses, small B&Bs, and holiday parks that want to avoid monthly standing charges during quiet periods. There are no contracts and no cancellation fees.

Square’s POS software also includes basic booking and appointment management features, which some smaller guesthouses use to manage room availability without a separate PMS. Settlement takes one to two business days into a UK bank account. The online transaction rate is 2.5%, which is less competitive than Stripe for high-volume online bookers.

Square is not a strong fit for large hotels or operators taking significant numbers of corporate card payments, as its blended rate does not distinguish between card types and you may end up overpaying on premium cards. Read the full Square review on Compare Card Fees.

Elavon

Elavon is a subsidiary of US Bancorp and has a strong presence in the UK hospitality and travel sector. It offers interchange-plus pricing from around 0.85%, multi-currency dynamic currency conversion, and direct integrations with a range of travel booking and PMS platforms. Elavon is FCA-authorised as a payment institution under firm reference number 600002.

For travel businesses with international customers, Elavon’s DCC product allows overseas cardholders to pay in their home currency at the point of sale. This generates a small additional revenue stream for the merchant. Settlement is typically next business day for UK transactions.

Elavon’s pricing is not published online and requires a direct quote. Contracts are typically 12 to 18 months. Some smaller operators report that customer service response times can be slow. Read the full Elavon review on Compare Card Fees.

Pros and Cons by Provider Type

Card Machine Providers (Traditional Acquirers)

• Pros: Dedicated hardware for in-person payments; often faster settlement; support for DCC and multi-currency; better suited to high-volume businesses that can negotiate rates
• Pros: Direct relationships with Visa and Mastercard mean faster chargeback resolution in many cases
• Cons: Typically require 12 to 24-month contracts with early exit fees
• Cons: Monthly terminal rental adds to cost even in quiet seasons
• Cons: Setup can take one to two weeks, which is impractical for last-minute seasonal businesses

Payment Gateways (Online Only)

• Pros: Fast setup, often same day; no physical hardware needed; strong API support for booking platform integration
• Pros: Pay-as-you-go pricing suits seasonal or low-volume operators
• Cons: No in-person payment capability without adding a separate card machine
• Cons: Corporate and premium card surcharges can push effective rates well above the advertised headline rate
• Cons: Chargeback support is often handled via email or portal rather than a dedicated account manager

All-in-One Providers (e.g. Square, Zettle)

• Pros: Covers both in-person and online payments under one account; simple flat-rate pricing; no monthly fees on entry plans
• Pros: Built-in POS software reduces the need for separate booking or till systems
• Cons: Flat-rate pricing becomes expensive at high volumes compared to negotiated interchange-plus deals
• Cons: Limited integration with specialist travel PMS or channel management software
• Cons: Account holds and fund freezes are more common with aggregator-model providers; less suitable for businesses with large individual transaction values above £500

Which is Better For...?

Independent Hotels and Guesthouses

An independent hotel or guesthouse typically needs in-person payments at reception, a gateway for online bookings, and ideally a single provider that handles both. Dojo (formerly PaymentSense) and Elavon both offer this combination with next-day settlement. For smaller properties turning over less than £10,000 per month, Square’s flat 1.75% with no monthly fee will usually be cheaper than a contracted terminal rental. At £10,000 monthly volume, Square costs around £175 in transaction fees versus a contracted rate of perhaps £100 plus a £20 monthly fee from a traditional acquirer. Run the numbers for your own volume.

Online Travel Agents and Tour Operators

Businesses that take the majority of bookings online and rarely handle in-person payments should focus on gateway quality, API flexibility, and foreign card handling. Stripe is the most developer-friendly option and handles multi-currency well. At £50,000 monthly online volume of UK consumer cards, Stripe charges around £750 in transaction fees. If a significant share of your bookings come from EU or international customers, Elavon’s negotiated interchange-plus model may be cheaper once you factor in lower foreign card surcharges. Request quotes from both before deciding.

Coach, Ferry, and Activity Operators

Mobile and on-the-road businesses need card readers that work independently of fixed broadband. Zettle by PayPal and Square both offer 4G-connected portable readers. Zettle charges 1.75% per in-person transaction with no monthly fee, the same as Square, and its reader is similarly priced. For operators running ticketing or activity bookings online as well as at the point of experience, Stripe’s unified dashboard for online and in-person payments (via Stripe Terminal) can simplify reconciliation. Activity operators taking deposits months in advance should pay particular attention to chargeback exposure and ensure their provider has a clear policy on pre-authorisation holds.