Paymentsense Review & Fee Analysis

Overview

Positioned as a leading provider for UK SMEs, Paymentsense is one of the country’s biggest ISOs, partnering with First Data/Fiserv. The company aims to simplify the process of accepting card payments for businesses by offering a comprehensive suite of user-friendly, cost-effective products and services.

The company positions itself as an alternative to traditional banking services, emphasising quicker set-up times, dedicated customer support, and technology-driven solutions.

While the primary customer-facing brand is now Dojo, the company continues to use and trade under the namePaymentsense in a legal and corporate capacity.

Paymentsense Fees

The company uses a blended pricing model for businesses with card turnover below £150k. Bespoke prices are available for larger enterprises with a card turnover of over £150k.

All plans include the Paymentsense gateway, featuring hosted checkout pages, Pay by Link, and a virtual terminal (MOTO) for phone payments. Plugins for major e-commerce platforms and API integrations are also available.

We generated the fee example shown below using Paymentsense’s merchant quotation tool, which is accurate as of September 2025. These are indicative rates for a beauty salon business with an annual card turnover of up to £150k and an average transaction value of £25.

Note: These rates are a guide; we can obtain bespoke rates for businesses with a card turnover over £150k, which are often lower.

Businesses also need to be aware of the other card processing fees they will be liable for.

Paymentsense publishes some of their additional card processing fees as follows:

• Authorisation fee: 5p
• Chargeback fee: £28
• Refund fee: 50p
• Point of sale terminal (per terminal per month): £20 (+VAT)
• Payment Gateway: £9.95 per month or £99.45 per annum
• PCI DSS service fee: £4.95 (+VAT)
• Minimum monthly service charge (MMSC): £24.95
• Account on File Fee: £3.99 per month
• PCI Non-Compliance: £35 (+VAT) per month
• Reporting Fee: £12.95 per month (with 3 months free)
• Cards Accepted: Visa, Mastercard, American Express
• Settlement speed: 24 working hours

Paymentsense Card Machines

Paymentsense offers three types of card machines for in-person payments, all of which support chip & PIN and contactless transactions. They provide a quick setup service, delivering terminals within three working days and offering next-day settlement as standard, all without a setup fee.

Countertop card machines

These are fixed devices that connect via Ethernet or WiFI, designed for retail counters, cafes, and other till-based set-ups. They feature fast receipt printing, sharp displays, and simple menus for ease of use.

Portable card machines

These are wireless handheld devices that utilise WiFi or Bluetooth, featuring a 100m range and a battery life of up to 10 hours. They are ideal for restaurants, pubs, salons, and other hospitality-related businesses.

Mobile card machines

The mobile card machines come as lightweight terminals with built-in SIM cards that work over 3G/4G and WiFi. They are best suited to tradespeople, delivery drivers, and mobile businesses who need to accept payments on the go.

Paymentsense’s 24/7 technical support team supports all of these devices, which come with free till integration through the company’s Connect software, allowing transactions to sync with EPOS systems. There is also the Paymentsense Dashboard, which provides real-time transaction tracking and reporting.

Paymentsense Online Payment Solutions

Payments by Phone (Virtual Terminal)

Merchants can take card payments securely over the phone using a virtual terminal. Staff log in using the web browser, enter customer details, and process payments in real time. The setup can be completed within 24 hours.

Payments by Email (Pay by Link)

A secure payment link can be generated and sent directly to customers using their email. Links are branded, trackable, and can be sent internationally, making them perfect for invoices, bookings, or one-off payments. Customers pay through a hosted Paymentsense checkout page.

Payments Online (Website Checkout)

Businesses can also integrate card payments directly on their website through hosted checkout pages, where customers are redirected to a Paymentsense-hosted page to complete the transaction. Branding options are available, and merchants can customise the experience to fit their site.

Payment Gateway (Integrations and APIs)

Paymentsense also has its own payment gateway (see other payment gateway providers here), where merchants can quickly integrate via plugins for leading e-commerce platforms or via APIs for fully customised websites. Built-in reporting tools enable real-time monitoring of transactions, refunds, and declined payments.

Pricing

Online payments are priced in three tiers:

• Starter: £8.29/month (annual transactions up to £50k)
• Regular: £12.45/month (annual transactions up to £250k)
• Advanced: £16.62/month (annual transactions up to £1.2m)

Security & Compliance

Paymentsense’s online and remote payment services are PCI DSS compliant, helping businesses meet industry security standards without handling sensitive card data themselves.

Transactions are protected with end-to-end encryption, and tools such as Address Verification Service (AVS) can be used to check billing details against customer records. The payment gateway also supports tokenisation, which securely stores card details for recurring payments.

For extra peace of mind, merchants benefit from 24/7 technical support, ensuring that any device or security issues can be resolved quickly.

International Payment Processing Capabilities

Paymentsense, which is rebranding its core offering as Dojo, supports a single settlement currency for its primary services (funds received into the merchant’s bank account). However, it can accept payments in many international currenciesvia Dojo’s Dynamic Currency Conversion (DCC), which supports 40 different currencies.

Paymentsense is predominantly a UK-focused SME provider, so international features are less prominent in its offering than those of global acquirers like Worldpay or Elavon.

For most merchants, Paymentsense is best suited to domestic payment needs, with international capabilities available but not its main selling point.

Alternatives to Paymentsense

As a UK-focused ISO, Paymentsense targets SMEs that need easy-to-get-started card machines and online gateways.

Its closest competitors in this space include:

Square, Zettle, and SumUp: Popular with sole traders, offering simple flat-rate pricing and app-based card readers.

Worldpay, Barclaycard, Elavon, and Lloyds Bank Cardnet: Larger acquirers that also serve the UK SME market with multi-channel solutions, often competing on scale and brand recognition.

Stripe and Checkout.com: API-led providers that compete for e-commerce businesses needing flexible integrations and developer-first payment gateways.

Business Health & Future Prospects

Paymentsense Limited – financials for year ending March 31^st 2025

Title	2025	2024
Turnover by class
Settlement and processing fees	£361.5m	£332.2m
Terminal leasing fees	£38.1m	£35.1m
Other services	£44.1m	£34.4m
	£443.8m	£401.8m
Profit Before Tax (PBT)	£18.6m	£38.3m

The company continues to expand its reach through integrated payment partnerships, now working with over 400 EPOS providers. This strategy helps reduce merchant churn and provides access to higher-value sectors within retail and hospitality.

Customer Service and Tech Support

• Customer Service Line: 0800 103 2959 available 24/7
• Address: The Brunel Building, 2 Canalside Walk, London W2 1DG.
• Online support page

Latest News

The creation of the Dojo brand in 2020 marked a major strategic shift, bringing the processing and acquiring functions in-house. This move has given them greater control, enabled faster settlement (with next-day payouts), and led to the development of their own technology platform. This has helped them to compete with other fintech giants (like Square and SumUp).

While Paymentsense remains the legal and regulatory entity, the company continues to evolve, with Dojo becoming the primary customer-facing brand, especially for SME card machines.

In May 2025, Dojo announced a $190 million investment from Vitruvian Partners, providing fresh capital to accelerate growth in the UK.