Top 7 Worldpay alternatives for UK and global businesses in 2025

UK businesses used to have put up with complex fees, slow payouts, and limited currency options from their payment platforms. But things are changing. Newer providers offer simpler pricing, faster access to funds, and full control over how you collect and settle in multiple currencies. In this guide, we look at when it makes sense to move on from Worldpay, what to expect from a modern provider, and the top alternatives in 2025.

What is Worldpay?

Worldpay is a long-standing card processor, gateway, and acquirer for merchants online and in-store. It works at a global scale across many countries and currencies. It accepts cards, digital wallets, and bank payments, with POS (point of sale) hardware for retailers and online solutions for eCommerce.

Key things to know about Worldpay

Fees and contracts: Worldpay typically prices on interchange++ (that’s card-network fee + bank fee + provider fee). Contract terms vary by package. Third-party sources often refer to fixed-term agreements and potential early-termination fees¹.

Settlement speed: Many merchants see payouts in T+2 to T+3 working days depending on the product and rail.²

Pricing transparency: POS and gateway subscriptions are published, but international and FX fees are not always clear, which can make forecasting cross-border costs harder.

Focus: n-person retail (POS terminals, multi-channel setups). Online coverage is broad, but newer providers offer more flexibility on multi-currency settlement and local payment methods via a single integration.

Why more businesses are moving on from Worldpay

If cost predictability, multi-currency control, or faster access to local payment methods matter to you, another provider could reduce fees and simplify operations. Here’s why:

Clearer pricing and contracts. Many newer providers publish simple pay-as-you-go rates or transparent interchange++ pricing (card-network fee + bank fee + provider fee).

Stronger multi-currency control. If you sell in EUR/USD/etc., like-for-like settlement lets you keep the money in the currency you charged (so you’re not forced to convert immediately). Some providers also publish FX margins up front (e.g. 0.5% for major currencies, 1% for others) so costs are predictable.

More ways to pay, switched on faster. Other platforms give you 100-125+ local payment methods through one integration (e.g. iDEAL, Bancontact, Sofort). That helps customers pay the way they prefer and can boost checkout conversion in new markets.

What to check before you switch

The features that matter.

Transparent pricing

Look for clear card fees, FX margins, chargeback and payout fees, plus any plan or minimums. Published rates or true interchange++ with all components visible make planning accurate and avoid surprises.

Multi-currency and settlement

Check whether you can price and settle like-for-like to avoid forced FX. Confirm published FX margins and which currencies you can hold, bill, and pay out in. This protects margin and keeps accounting simpler.

Payment method coverage

See how many local payment methods you can switch on per market (e.g. iDEAL, Bancontact, Sofort, BLIK). Wider coverage usually lifts checkout conversion because customers can pay the way they expect.

Settlement speed and cash flow

Confirm payout timings, weekend and holiday behaviour, and instant payout options and fees.

Contracts and commitments

Review term length, notice periods, early-termination fees, monthly minimums, rolling reserves and volume commitments. Flexible, transparent terms lower switching risk and hidden costs.

Reconciliation and accounting

Look for like-for-like settlement, granular payout reports, fee line items, and native Xero/QuickBooks/NetSuite integrations. Clean data reduces the need for manual spreadsheets and speeds up month-end.

Scalability  

Check whether the provider can cover accounts, FX, payouts, cards, and spend so you don’t need to bolt on extra tools. Add up card fees + FX + method fees + payout/plan fees and the engineering time to maintain multiple vendors. One stack usually costs less over time.

The top Worldpay alternatives compared

How leading Worldpay alternatives in 2025 across pricing, supported currencies, settlement, and key features.

The top Worldpay alternatives compared

How leading Worldpay alternatives in 2025 across pricing, supported currencies, settlement, and key features.

1. Airwallex 

Airwallex (that’s us) is an all-in-one platform for accepting payments and managing funds, foreign exchange, and payouts. You can hold and convert multiple currencies at transparent FX margins, issue company cards, and pay suppliers via fast, cost-effective local rails or SWIFT. 

Airwallex’s checkout solution enables you to accept cards and more than 160 local payment methods. You can also take advantage of like-for-like settlement, so funds stay in the currency your customer paid and you avoid forced conversion, by paying local suppliers from the same currency accounts. On the payout side, Airwallex offers a comprehensive suite of spend management tools, including company and employee cards, approval flows, and native feeds to Xero, QuickBooks, and NetSuite. 

UK pricing: Plans: Explore £19/mo or £0 if you deposit/hold £10k+, Grow £49/mo, Accelerate £999/mo. First 5 employee card users included, then per-user fees by tier. Card acquiring (blended): 1.30% per UK card, 2.40% per EEA card, 3.15% per international card, Amex 2.40%. Gateway/3DS/fraud fee £0.20 per transaction. FX margin 0.5% for major currencies and 1% for others. Local transfer £0, SWIFT £10 (SHA) / £20 (OUR). 

Why it stands out: One hassle-free stack for collecting, converting, paying out, and reconciling. Predictable FX and like-for-like settlement protect margin as you expand.

2. Stripe 

Stripe is well-known for strong docs, subscriptions and billing options, invoicing and a large catalogue of local payment methods. It supports multi-currency settlement (fee applies) and Instant Payouts. It does support like-for-like settlement so long as external bank accounts are set up in that currency. Costs can climb with international cards, FX (+2% for conversion) and add-ons like Instant Payouts and Billing, so total fees may be higher than the headline rates.

UK pricing: 1.5% + 20p for standard UK cards; 2.5% + 20p for EEA cards; 3.25% + 20p for international cards; +2% when currency conversion is required. Multi-currency settlement 1% of payout volume (or a minimum fee). Instant Payouts +1% (min 40p). 100+ payment methods available.

Good for: Teams prioritising billing and subscriptions and broad payment-method coverage.

3. Adyen 

A platform for online, in-app, and POS with enterprise-grade risk and optimisation, with flexible payouts and like-for-like settlement. Enterprise-grade setup and custom IC++ pricing can mean heavier onboarding and contract complexity for SMEs.

UK pricing: Transparent interchange++ (fixed processing fee ~£0.11 + method fee + interchange/scheme). No setup/monthly fees on standard agreements but exact rates are contract-specific.

Good for: Larger or fast-growing businesses standardising online and POS on one enterprise platform.

4. Checkout.com 

An acquirer focused on data, routing, and authorisation uplift, with broad local method coverage and a unified API. Custom-only pricing and enterprise contracts reduce out-of-the-box transparency and can slow down procurement.

UK pricing: Interchange++ with itemised scheme/interchange/processor fees. Pricing is custom.

Good for: Digital brands wanting granular cost visibility and optimiser tools at scale.

5. Square (UK)

Card acceptance plus POS hardware and software that’s quick to set up for shops, cafés, and services. It also offers online checkout links or pages, and invoices. No multi-currency pricing/settlement for UK merchants limits cross-border eCommerce, with overseas cardholders bearing conversion.

UK pricing: In-person 1.75% per card payment. Online 1.4% + 25p (UK cards) and 2.5% + 25p (non-UK cards). Manually keyed/Virtual Terminal 2.5%. Charges and settles in GBP for UK merchants (no multi-currency settlement for UK).

Good for: Small retailers and services prioritising fast setup and integrated POS over advanced multi-currency.

6. Wise Business 

A business account to hold or send money in many currencies with low transfer fees. Card acceptance is via payment links only, so it’s not a full checkout/acquiring solution and lacks advanced eCommerce features.

UK pricing: Payment links typically ~1% for domestic consumer cards and ~2.9% for international or business cards; FX fees vary by pair. £45 set up fee.

Good for: Invoicing and payment links with low-cost cross-border banking, rather than full-stack acquiring.

7. Revolut Business

A business account with built-in online payments, cards, FX, and optional POS (sold on tiered plans). Merchant features are tied to paid account plans and hardware, which can add costs and feel less flexible at scale.

UK pricing: Business account plans £10, £30, £90, or custom per month. In-person rates and hardware have separate fees.

Good for: SMEs already on Revolut wanting simple, bundled banking and acceptance.

How to find the right fit for your business

Here are some questions to ask yourself.

• What payments do you take: online, in-person, or subscriptions?

• Where are your customers: mainly UK, or abroad too?

• How price-sensitive are you to FX costs: Do you prefer published spreads or are you fine with variable ones?

• Do you want everything in one platform: accounts, FX, cards, payouts, and reconciliation?

• What payout speed do you need: standard settlement or instant access?

Once you’ve answered these questions, look at how each provider stacks up in our comparison table. Match your priorities, whether it’s faster payouts, FX transparency, or multi-currency control, against what each provider offers.

Why business owners are making the move to Airwallex

Expanding internationally or even just managing a few currencies can feel complex and expensive with traditional providers. Business owners are switching to Airwallex because it brings payments, FX, cards, expenses, and payouts into a single platform. Instead of juggling different systems or negotiating opaque fees, you get predictable pricing, faster settlement and tools that scale with you as you grow.

Global checkout with local rails

You can accept cards and more than 160 local payment methods through one integration. You can price in local currencies and route payouts over local bank networks.

Transparent FX you can plan around

FX margins are 0.5% for major currencies and 1% for others. You don’t need tiers or negotiations to know your true conversion cost. With FX forwarding, you can also lock in the present FX rate and schedule a future payment.

Like-for-like settlement

You can settle funds in the same currency your customer paid. You avoid forced FX and protect margin, and you choose when to convert.

Multi-currency accounts and payouts

You can collect and hold funds in 20+ currencies. You can pay suppliers via local rails at £0 or via SWIFT when needed.

Cards, expenses, and Bill Pay in one place

You can issue company cards, set limits and approvals, capture receipts, and manage reimbursements. You can pay bills from the same platform that takes your sales.

Faster reconciliation

You get native feeds for Xero, QuickBooks, and NetSuite. Fees, FX, and payouts arrive with proper line items so month-end is quicker.

Built for developers and speed

You can launch with prebuilt checkout, payment links, and plugins. You can automate with modern APIs as you scale.

Scale internationally

You can add payment methods and currencies without re-architecting, and expand into new countries using the same workflows.

Open an account to streamline how you collect, hold, convert and pay worldwide.

The bottom line

If you’re UK-focused with straightforward needs, Worldpay can still work well, especially when you’ve negotiated terms. But if you’re expanding internationally or want fewer moving parts, Airwallex combines checkout, 160+ local methods, like-for-like settlement, predictable FX, and integrated treasury in one place, helping finance teams scale with confidence. 

Disclaimer, references, and sources: We wrote this article in Q3 2025. The information was based on our own online research and we were not able to manually test each tool or provider. The information is provided for educational purposes only and a reader should consider the specific requirements of their business when evaluating providers. This research is reviewed every six months. If you would like to request an update, feel free to contact us at [email protected].

1. Worldpay: worldpay.com/en/insights/articles/how-to-understand-payment-processing-fees

2.  support.worldpay.com/support/kb/gg/paypal/content/paymenttimetable.htm

• Airwallex: https://www.airwallex.com/uk/pricing

• Square: squareup.com/gb/en/online-store/plans

• Wise: wise.com/gb/pricing/business

• Revolut: revolut.com/business/business-account-plans/

• Stripe: stripe.com/pricing

• Adyen: adyen.com/en_GB/pricing

• Checkout.com: checkout.com/pricing