Global Payments is one of the world’s largest payment processors – a Fortune 500 company processing 73 billion+ transactions per year across 4.6 million merchant accounts. In the UK, it serves tens of thousands of SMEs through direct relationships and its 2024 acquisition of takepayments (75,000 merchants).
We rate Global Payments 6.5 out of 10. This is a solid, bank-grade payment processor with good customer service (4.0 Trustpilot from 4,250+ reviews), next-day settlement, and free terminal rental for the first 3 months. The debit card rate from 1.80% is higher than pay-as-you-go providers, and the quote-based pricing makes it hard to compare costs upfront.
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This review covers Global Payments’ UK pricing, terminals, e-commerce gateway, and how it compares to alternatives – plus the pending Worldpay acquisition that could reshape the UK payments market.
- Global Payments processes 73 billion+ transactions annually - enterprise-scale infrastructure serving 4.6 million merchants worldwide
- Interchange-plus pricing from 0.5% + £0.10 - best for high-volume businesses processing over £50,000 monthly
- 36-month contracts standard with early termination fees - less suitable for small businesses needing flexibility
- 20-30% lower costs than PayPal for enterprise clients - but requires dedicated account management and technical integration
Who Global Payments Is
A Fortune 500 payment processor ($10.1B revenue) that serves UK SMEs with card machines, e-commerce gateways, and traditional merchant accounts. Currently acquiring Worldpay for $24.25B.
Global Payments Inc. (NYSE: GPN) generated $10.11 billion in revenue in 2024 and works with 4,000 technology partners and 1,500 financial institutions. In the UK, it’s grown through acquisitions: EVO Payments in 2023 (42% European revenue jump) and takepayments in 2024 (adding ~75,000 UK SMEs).
The biggest development: in April 2025, Global Payments agreed to acquire Worldpay for $24.25 billion. The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority is reviewing the deal, with a decision expected in H1 2026. If approved, the combined entity would serve 6+ million merchants globally.
This matters for UK businesses because it could reduce competition in the merchant acquiring market. Existing Global Payments and Worldpay customers should watch for any changes to terms or pricing post-merger.
Card Machines
Four terminal options: PAX A920Pro (portable with printer), PAX A77 (slim, digital receipts), Mobile Pay mPOS (Bluetooth reader), and cloud EPOS. Rental from £25/month with 3 months free.
| Terminal | Type | Key Feature | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| PAX A920Pro | Portable smart terminal | Built-in printer, Android OS | Hospitality, retail |
| PAX A77 | Slim smart terminal | No printer (email/SMS receipts) | Modern retail, pop-ups |
| Mobile Pay mPOS | Bluetooth card reader | Pairs with phone/tablet, PAYG | Low-volume, mobile businesses |
| Cloud EPOS | Full POS system | Inventory, staff, reporting | Multi-feature businesses |
All terminals accept Visa, Mastercard, American Express, contactless, Apple Pay, and Google Pay. Terminal rental starts from £25/month per device, with the first 3 months free. Delivery, maintenance, replacements, and paper receipts are all included at no extra charge.
Pricing and Fees
Debit cards from 1.80%, credit from 2.50%. No setup fees, no monthly service fees. Quote-based with blended or interchange-plus models depending on volume.
| Cost | Amount |
|---|---|
| Debit card (in-person) | From 1.80% |
| Credit card (in-person) | From 2.50% |
| Instalments (2-6 months) | From 2.87% |
| Instalments (7-12 months) | From 3.28% |
| Setup fee | £0 |
| Monthly service fee | £0 |
| Terminal rental | From £25/month (3 months free) |
| Declined payment fee | £0 |
| Settlement | Next working day |
| Contract | From 12 months |
The 1.80% debit card rate is higher than Square (1.75%), SumUp (1.69%), and significantly higher than Dojo’s Fix plan (effectively ~1% at volume). The no-setup-fee and no-monthly-fee structure is attractive, but the “from” qualifier means your actual rate depends on your quote.
Global Payments offers three pricing models: blended rates (single percentage per card type – simplest), interchange-aware (IC+/IC++ – better for high-volume merchants), and PAYG (flat fee per transaction via mPOS – for low-volume). Higher-volume merchants can negotiate below published rates.
E-Commerce and Online Payments
Full e-commerce gateway with hosted payment pages, Pay by Link, plugins for WooCommerce/Magento/Shopify, and 130+ currency support with Dynamic Currency Conversion.
The eCommerce Gateway supports hosted payment pages (lightbox overlay on your site or full redirect), keeping card data off your servers for simpler PCI compliance. Pay by Link creates secure payment URLs for invoices and one-off payments via email, SMS, or social media.
Pre-built plugins for WooCommerce, Magento, and Shopify make integration straightforward. For custom builds, RESTful APIs and SDKs provide server-to-server connections. Multi-currency support covers 130+ currencies, with Dynamic Currency Conversion available in 50+ currencies – useful for businesses with international customers.
A Virtual Terminal handles phone and mail orders through any browser. Tokenisation stores card details securely for recurring payments and subscriptions.
Security and Compliance
3D Secure 2 for SCA compliance under PSD2, PCI DSS v4.0 support, AVS/CV2 checks, and customisable fraud rules that can auto-block suspicious transactions.
Strong Customer Authentication (SCA) compliance via 3D Secure 2 is built in, meeting PSD2 requirements. The fraud management system lets merchants set custom rules – transactions can be automatically passed, held for review, or blocked based on card country, value, or risk indicators.
PCI DSS v4.0 compliance support and guidance is included. Tokenisation for stored cards keeps sensitive data off your systems, reducing PCI scope. Address Verification Service (AVS) and CV2 checks run on every transaction.
Customer Experience
4.0/5 on Trustpilot from 4,250+ reviews. Strong marks for individual reps and onboarding. Main complaint: support only Mon-Fri 8am-8pm, no weekends.
Global Payments scores well for customer service quality. Trustpilot reviews consistently praise individual account managers by name, and the onboarding process is described as smooth and professional. Account managers proactively check in on merchants and offer rate reviews.
The main criticism: support runs Monday to Friday, 8:00-20:00 only. Weekend businesses can’t get help until Monday, which is a real limitation for hospitality and retail merchants who are busiest on Saturdays and Sundays.
Approval takes 5-10 business days with KYC/AML checks – significantly slower than Square (same-day) or SumUp (minutes). Larger clients get dedicated account managers; smaller merchants use standard support channels.
Pros and Cons
Bank-grade stability and good customer service, but higher rates than PAYG providers and quote-based pricing makes comparison difficult. Best for established businesses wanting a traditional merchant account.
Global Payments vs Alternatives
Global Payments competes with Worldpay on the traditional merchant account side. For simpler needs, Square and SumUp offer transparent pricing with instant setup.
| Provider | Best For | Debit Rate | Monthly Fee | Key Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Global Payments | Established SMEs | From 1.80% | £0 (terminal from £25/mo) | Free 3-month rental, e-commerce gateway |
| Worldpay | High-volume merchants | Custom quoted | From £9.95 | Widest payment methods, soon merging with GP |
| Square | Simple all-in-one | 1.75% | £0 | Transparent pricing, free reader, instant setup |
| SumUp | Low-volume / startups | 1.69% | £0 | Lowest PAYG rate, no contracts |
| takepayments | Custom-rate SMEs | Custom quoted | From £12.50 | Now owned by Global Payments |
If you want transparent, instant-start pricing, Square or SumUp are simpler choices. If you need a traditional merchant account with e-commerce capability, Global Payments offers strong infrastructure – but so does Worldpay, and the two may soon be the same company.
Our Verdict
We rate Global Payments 6.5/10 – solid infrastructure and good customer service for established businesses, but higher rates and quote-based pricing make it less competitive for most SMEs.
Solid Fortune 500 infrastructure and good customer service, but higher rates than PAYG providers. Best for established businesses that value account management over self-service.
FREE QUOTE COMPARISON
Compare Merchant Account Quotes from Trusted Suppliers
✓ Save up to 40% on card processing fees
100% free • No obligation • Takes under 2 minutes
Global Payments is a safe, institutional-grade choice. The Fortune 500 backing, next-day settlement, free terminal rental period, and consistently praised account managers give confidence. If you need multi-currency support, an e-commerce gateway, or a traditional merchant account for a complex business, it delivers.
But for most UK small businesses, the 1.80%+ debit rate, quote-based pricing, and 5-10 day approval process don’t compete with modern alternatives that offer lower rates, transparent pricing, and instant setup. The pending Worldpay merger adds another layer of uncertainty.
Best suited to established businesses that value account management, need multi-currency capability, or process enough volume to negotiate below published rates. For simpler needs, see our best card machines guide or compare payment processing costs.
