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Merchant Accounts & Payment Provider Advice for UK Businesses

The Payments Directory®

Choose the type of payment provider your business needs

Go directly to a provider category or browse the full directory.

01
Merchant Account Providers Acquirers & card processing
→ 02
Payment Gateway Providers Ecommerce & integrations
→ 03
Card Machine & EPOS Providers Terminals & integrated payments
→ 04
High-Risk Payment Specialists Specialist acquiring & matching
→ 05
Merchant Cash Advance Providers Payment-linked business funding
→ 06
Direct Debit Providers Recurring payment collections
→
The Payments Directory® Browse all payment providers Explore the full MAS provider directory
→ Need help choosing? Explore Payment Advice →
Independent payment advice & provider matching

Understand what your business needs, then find payment providers that may be suitable.

Merchant Advice Service helps UK businesses navigate merchant accounts, payment gateways, card machines, EPOS, high-risk payments and payment-linked business funding.

01
Tell us what you need

Start with your business and payment requirements.

02
Understand your options

Use our independent guidance to make sense of the market.

03
Find suitable providers

Explore The Payments Directory® and our provider-matching journeys.

✓ Free to businesses
✓ Independent guidance
✓ No obligation
Start here Find Payment Providers Tell us about your business and payment requirements
→ Still researching? Explore Payment Advice →
Independent UK payment advice Payment expertise before the provider sales pitch.

Merchant Advice Service helps UK businesses understand merchant accounts, payment gateways, card machines, EPOS, high-risk payments and complex payment integrations before choosing a provider.

Free payment advice Free to UK businesses

Independent payment guidance and provider matching with no charge to the business.

Specialist payment expertise Merchant accounts to complex integrations

Guidance across acquiring, gateways, card machines, EPOS, high-risk payments and more complex payment requirements.

Provider matching Find providers that fit your requirements

We help identify payment providers and specialist partners that may be suitable for your business.

Payment Advice

Explore your payment options

Advice for UK businesses across payments, acquiring, technology and specialist payment requirements.

Card processing

Merchant Accounts

Acquiring, processing & switching
→
Specialist payments

High-Risk & Complex Payments

Specialist acquiring & underwriting
→
Online payments

Payment Gateways

Ecommerce, APIs & integrations
→
Connected commerce

EPOS & POS

Systems, software & integrated payments
→
Face-to-face payments

Card Machines

Terminals, pricing & connectivity
→
Business funding

Merchant Finance

Merchant cash advance & payment-linked funding
→
Ready to find a provider? Explore The Payments Directory®
Browse payment providers →
Trusted by UK businesses Independent payment guidance backed by business feedback

Merchant Advice Service helps businesses navigate merchant accounts, payment gateways, card machines, EPOS and specialist payment requirements.

✓
Independent Payment guidance
£
Free To businesses
★
Business reviews Feedback from businesses we've helped

What Our Customers Say...

Libby was fantastic in coming to the rescue to help me sort card machine for my business without any charge, would highly recommend.
I had a brief phone call with Libby to outline our needs and within an hour I was being called by a processing bank to get things moving. Our new provider has been set up within 48 hours and we are overjoyed and stress free. Thank you Libby, what a…
Great service 👍🏻
Great service, thank you
1st class service, nothing but good things to say about this business. From first contact nothing has been to much trouble.
Using merchant services has helped my business no end. Great service, really professional and nothing was ever too much trouble when asking questions. Thank you!
Great service from the team. Would highly recommend using them!
Great thanks to Merchant Advise Service and Libby James. We encountered a problem with our existing merchant that led us unable to process customer payments which as a small business was a disaster. Libby quickly matched us with a new merchant and…
I contacted Merchant Advice Service when our company received notice from a previous provider. We’re classed as “travel” due to the nature of our UK holiday business. At the time we reached out to a few providers - however the advice we received fr…
    Ready to take the next step?

    Find payment providers for your business

    Tell us what your business needs and explore payment providers that may be suitable.

    Find Payment Providers → Already know what you need? Browse The Payments Directory® →
    How Merchant Advice Service works

    A clearer route to suitable payment providers

    Understand your payment requirements, explore your options and find providers that may suit your business.

    01
    Your business Tell us what you need

    Share your business, payment setup and what you’re trying to solve.

    02
    Your options Understand the market

    Make sense of providers, acquiring, integrations and payment requirements.

    03
    Your provider Explore suitable providers

    Use our matching service or The Payments Directory® to find relevant providers.

    Ready to get started? Find payment providers for your business Free to businesses. No obligation.
    Find Payment Providers →
    Find a payment provider

    Tell us about your business

    Answer a few questions about your business and payment requirements. We’ll use the information to help identify providers that may be suitable.

    ✓ Free to businesses ✓ No obligation ✓ Independent guidance
    Merchant Account Matching

    Find merchant account providers for your business

    Tell us a little about your business and how you want to take payments. We’ll use the information to understand which merchant account and acquiring providers may be suitable.

    1 Business
    2 Payment setup
    3 About you
    Step 1 of 3

    Tell us about your business

    This helps us understand the type of merchant account and payment setup you may need.

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    A short description of what your business sells or provides is enough.
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    Your business location can affect which acquiring providers are available.
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    Where are your customers based?




    Select all that apply.
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    ✓ We only ask for information that helps us understand your payment requirements.
    Merchant Account Matching

    Your payment setup

    Tell us how you take payments now and what you need from your next provider.

    ✓ Business
    2 Payment setup
    3 About you
    Step 2 of 3

    Your payment requirements

    Approximate figures are absolutely fine.

    Do you currently accept card payments?
    This helps us understand whether you are switching provider or setting up card payments for the first time.
    Please tell us whether you currently accept card payments.
    Your current provider
    If you use more than one provider, please include the main provider or providers you currently use.
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    Tell us anything relevant about your current provider, previous declines, account termination, held funds or why you are considering alternatives.
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    Which payment methods do you need?
    Select all that apply.
    Please select at least one payment method.
    Approximate monthly debit and credit card turnover.
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    What is your average online transaction value?



    Choose the range closest to your typical customer payment.
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    ✓ Your payment methods and transaction profile help us understand which merchant account arrangements may be appropriate.
    Merchant Account Matching

    Where should we send your results?

    Add your details and we’ll review your merchant account requirements.

    ✓ Business
    ✓ Payment setup
    3 About you
    Your payment profile
    Business —
    Current setup —
    Monthly card sales —
    Payment methods —
    Step 3 of 3

    About you

    We’ll use these details to discuss merchant account providers that may be suitable for your business.

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    Optional: tell us anything else about your payment requirements that may help us.
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    Partner contact consent
    Please confirm that you agree to your enquiry being shared with selected merchant account and acquiring partners.
    Free to businesses · No obligation
    Your information is used to assess your requirements and, where you consent, may be shared with selected merchant account and acquiring partners.
    More complex payment requirements

    Not every business fits a standard payment setup

    MAS also helps businesses navigate high-risk payments, specialist acquiring and complex payment integrations.

    !
    High-risk merchant accounts Specialist acquiring & underwriting
    →     ↔
    Complex payment integrations Gateways, APIs, software & platforms
    →     ✓
    Specialist payment providers Requirements outside standard processing
    →
    Need specialist support? Find payment providers
    →
    MAS Your payment
    requirements
    High risk
    Integrations
    Acquiring
    Gateways
    Business → Requirements → Suitable providers
    More complex payment requirements?

    Find specialist payment support

    High-risk acquiring, payment gateways, software integrations or more complex processing requirements.

    High-risk payments Complex integrations Specialist acquiring
    Tell us what you need Find a Suitable Provider
    →     Free to businesses. No obligation.
    Payment Advice & Resources

    Practical payment advice for UK businesses

    Guides covering merchant accounts, payment gateways, card machines, EPOS, high-risk payments, acquiring and payment integrations.

    Explore our guides View all Payment Advice
    →
    About our service How MAS Works
    →

    Blog & Resources

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    07 September 2026

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    Second Merchant Cash Advance: Top-Ups, Renewals & Additional Funding

    03 September 2026

    eBay, Amazon, Uber Eats, Deliveroo & Shopify Funding: Should You Take the Platform Offer?

    03 September 2026

    Merchant Cash Advance for Restaurants, Pubs & Hospitality Businesses

    03 September 2026

    Merchant Cash Advance Declined: Why Applications Fail & What to Do Next

    03 September 2026

    Merchant Cash Advance With Bad Credit: Can You Still Qualify?

    03 September 2026

    Merchant Account Underwriting: What Payment Providers Check Before Approval

    01 September 2026

    Payment Provider Risk Appetite: Why Acquirers Accept Different Businesses UK

    01 September 2026
      View all Advice
      Prefer to speak to us?

      Talk through your payment requirements

      If you’re unsure where to start, tell us what your business needs and we’ll help you understand the next step.

      Contact Merchant Advice Service → Independent guidance · Free to businesses