Advice and Ideas for UK Small Businesses and SMEs
How you take payments is crucial for any small business. And the Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated the shift away from cash to contactless. According to UK Finance, the total value of contactless transactions in 2021 hit £165.9bn, more than double the amount recorded in 2019 pre pandemic.
However, whereas before taking card payments was just a matter of renting a card reader, today’s payment systems are truly sophisitacted, connecting your till, your inventory and even direct to your bank account – which means you can even borrow money against your cashless payments. Today’s payment systems are seamlessly connected.
But where do you start when it comes to contactless payments? What’s the best electronic payment system to use? How do they compare?
On this page, you can discover 11 of the best payment processors, which card payment machines are idea for your small business, optimising cash flow with cashless payments, the best payment systems for outdoor festivals, pop-ups and street food markets, and even which is the best payment system for accepting US dollars.
This Small Business guide looks at all the ways you can take payments, the best handheld devices for the self-employed, payment apps and finds the cheapest card readers out there.
Taking payments as a small business
Accounting
If you have a lot of customers Stateside, you'll want them to be able to pay in US dollars. We look at the best payment systems for USD.
Taking payments as a small business
Taking payments as a small business
Taking payments as a small business
Payment devices you carry around with you have revolutionised how customers pay. We look at six of the best mobile card readers
Taking payments as a small business
What exactly is a merchant account? How much do they cost? And do you need one to take card payments? We answer these questions and more
Taking payments as a small business
If you’re a new business, you have a bad credit rating, or your industry is considered risky, you may need a high risk merchant account in order to take card payments.
Taking payments as a small business
Global ambition doesn’t have to come at a high price - here are three international payment solutions that can help to cut the costs of doing business overseas.
Taking payments as a small business
There are countless ways for an ecommerce business to accept online payments. We explain your best options.
Taking payments as a small business
A PDQ machine is just another name for a card machine - find out out everything you need to know about how they work, how much they cost, and where you can buy them.
Taking payments as a small business
The phrase ‘cash is king’ has never been truer, but how can small businesses like yours ensure a healthy inflow of money to cover costs and make profits?
Taking payments as a small business
This summer, three quarters of payments to Square’s small business customers did not involve cash. It’s a growing trend that’s not going away
Taking payments as a small business
How should small business owners who rely on coin-operated vending machines respond as we move to cashless payments? Upgrading to tap-and-go is easier than you think
Taking payments as a small business
New EU SCA legislation that risked knocking €150 billion off the EU internet economy on its proposed introduction in September has been given a 'phasing in' extension of 18 months.
Taking payments as a small business
This is despite digital payments being the preferred way to pay for 47pc of shoppers
Taking payments as a small business
Guy Moreve, chief marketing officer at Paymentsense, explains how small business owners can cope when their card payment system goes down.
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To run an optimal business, you must have optimal tech. We explain why you must upgrade your business technology on a regular basis
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Partner content
Read here for 16 tried and tested tips and tricks to improve potential cash flow problems