Global Payments Review & Fee Analysis

Overview

Global Payments processes over $2 trillion in annual card volume worldwide, serving more than 4.6 million merchant accounts, with 4k tech partners, 1.5k financial institutions in over 100 industries.

Today, Global Payments processes over 73 billion transactions every year across 4.6 million merchant accounts, making it particularly suited to UK SMEs seeking bank-backed stability with local support, and mid-market firms expanding into Europe.

In Europe, its presence grew significantly through the acquisitions of EVO payments (2023) and UK-based Takepayments (2024), which added around 75,000 SMEs and reinforced operations in Ireland, Spain, and Germany. It is now awaiting the approval of the acquisition of Worldpay, which could see the company in charge of 6 million merchants in total.

For face-to-face payments, Global Payments offers smart terminals such as the PAX A920Pro (with built-in printer), the compact A77 (digital receipts), mobile mPOS, and cloud-based EPOS systems. For online and MOTO transactions, its eCommerce Gateway provides hosted checkout pages, API integrations, Pay by Link, and a Virtual Terminal, with Apple Pay and Google Pay built in.

Reporting and analytics are available through the Global Payments Merchant Portal, offering insight into transactions, settlements, and account activity.

Global Payments Fees

Like many other acquirers, they have different pricing models which are offered based on potential clients’ annual turnover, average transaction value, sales channels, and merchant category code (MCC):

1. Blended rates: a single bundled % by card type (Visa debit, Mastercard credit, etc.)
2. Interchange-aware models (IC+/IC++): more suited to larger merchants, where fees can be broken into interchange, scheme, and acquirer margin.
3. Pay-as-you-go (mPOS): which instead uses a flat fee per transaction for low-volume merchants.

Note: To secure the best blended rates of IC+ rates for your business, you will need to negotiate prices with them or use a company like ours which will often be able to get preferential rates. We are usually offered better rates than going direct discounts due to our existing relationships and the volume of business we already do.

The rates above are indicative rates for “Miscellaneous and Speciality Retail” businesses with an annual card turnover between £25K-£2.5M (ATV of £25). They are taken from Global Payment’s merchant quotation tool required by the Payments Systems Regulator (PSR) and are accurate as of September 2025. As with nearly all providers, the higher the card turnover, the lower the rates.

Note: These rates are a guide, and we can get businesses bespoke rates that are often lower.

You will typically receive quotes in the format below. This is an example of an indicative quote for a ‘Miscellaneous and Speciality Retail’ business with an annual card turnover of £25,000 and an average transaction value of £25.

• Authorisation fee: 4p
• Chargeback fee: £25
• Card Machines: From £25 per terminal per month
• Payment Gateway: £19
• PCI DSS service fee: £25
• Minimum monthly service charge (MMSC): £30
• Cards Accepted: Visa, Mastercard, American Express
• Settlement speed: Transaction Day +1 Working Day

Here is a guide on other card processing fees that all businesses need to be aware of.

Global Payments Card Machines

Global Payments offers the following card machine options:

Although Global Payments does not publish detailed pricing of their card machines online, its their POS terminals typically start from £25 per month per device.

Aside from the cost, key features of its card machine offering include:

• Get paid the next working day
• Contracts starting from 12 months
• Bespoke pricing based on annual turnover, terminal type, and the mix of card payments accepted (e.g., debit or credit).

Global Payments Online Payment Solutions

The Global Payments eCommerce Gateway offers next-day settlement to benefit cash flow and also supports Apple Pay and Google Pay.

Hosted Payment Pages (Low Code Solution)

As a merchant, you can choose between hosted payment fields and full-redirect pages. These keep cardholder data off the merchant’s servers and reduce PCI scope.

• Lightbox/iFrame: This appears as a pop-up on the merchant’s website, keeping customers on the site.
• Redirect: Customers will be sent to a secure page hosted by Global Payments.

Virtual Terminal (MOTO): This is a secure, browser-based screen that accepts card payments by phone or by mail.

Pay by Link: As the merchant, you can generate a secure payment URL and send it by email, SMS, or social channels for invoice-style or one-off payments.

Plugins

Global Payments provides integrations for major shopping carts, including WooCommerce, Magento/Adobe Commerce, and Shopify (via partner connectors), with additional support available through its developer portal.

API Integration

Businesses wanting more control over their payments should look towards the Global Payments gateway, which offers RESTful APIs and SDKs, enabling server-to-server connections that can fully customise the checkout flow.

Special Features

The following features are also available alongside the payment gateway:

• Recurring payments and subscriptions: Tokenisation enables stored cards and scheduled billing.
• Multi-Currency and DCC: Customers can pay in their home currency (over 50 supported), and as the merchant, you continue to settle in your trading currency.
• Next-day settlement: Online payments are funded the day after the transaction is made, so the next working day is standard. Global Payments offers two options:
  • Gross settlement: your daily card takings are deposited in full, and fees are billed separately (often monthly).
  • Net settlement: fees are deducted before the funds hit your account.

The merchant can choose which option suits them best.

Security & Compliance

Global Payments offers a full PCI DSS support programme, designed to help merchants meet compliance requirements, including guidance on PCI DSS v4.0. Its eCommerce Gateway incorporates 3-D Secure 2 (SCA/PSD2) to authenticate transactions, alongside AVS and CV2 checks for added protection.

Merchants also have configurable fraud-management tools at their disposal, a specially designed fraud management system for Global Payments customers that allows transactions to be passed, held, or blocked based on risk rules such as card country or value.

For recurring or one-click payments, Global Payments supports tokenisation and secure storage, reducing PCI scope. These features are available for both in-person and online channels.

Global Payments has a wide scope of security features, helping to minimise fraud and compliance risk for its customers.

International Payment Processing Capabilities

Global Payments sells and accepts in 130+ currencies. Dynamic Currency Conversion (DCC) supports 50+ currencies, allowing customers to pay in their home currency while merchants remain in their local trading currency.

Alternatives to Global Payments

Not every business will need the global scale and multi-currency that Global Payments provides. For micro-merchants and businesses that are new to cards, Square and Zettle are often simpler to maintain, with flat PAYG fees and minimal setup.

However, companies that rely more heavily on developer-led integrations may look to Stripe or Checkout.com instead, which focus more on APIs, plugins, and custom routing.

At the larger end of the market, those with complex international requirements might prefer Adyen or Nexi, both of which combine acquiring with advanced risk tools and strong European coverage.

Business Health & Future Prospects

Global Payments generated $10.11 billion in GAAP revenue for 2024, a 4.7% increase from its 2023 revenues. Expenses remained substantial, with the cost of sales at around $1.37 billion and Selling, General & Administrative (SG&A) at $688.8 million in Q4.

Global Payments reported a 59% YoY increase in net income in 2024, rising to around $1.57 billion from $986 million in 2023. This growth shows the company’s ability to integrate acquisitions while improving margins.

In April 2025, Global Payments agreed on a three-way deal with Fidelity National Information Service and private equity firm GTCR to acquire Worldpay for $24.25 billion. The acquisition, which is still subject to regulatory approval, would combine two of the largest merchant acquirers, creating a group serving more than six million merchants worldwide. The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has opened an investigation into the potential impact on competition in the domestic acquiring market.

Other recent acquisitions that have been of great importance to Global Payments include the 2023 acquisition of EVO Payments‘ merchant business across several European markets, which drove a 42% increase in European market revenue that year. This was followed in mid-2024 by the purchase of Takepayments, a UK payments provider with around 75,000 merchants, which significantly boosted its SME footprint and strengthened its position in the UK market.

In May 2025, Global Payments agreed to sell its Heartland Payroll Solutions business for $1.1 billion to Acrisure. The sale reflects a strategy to streamline operations and concentrate instead on core merchant acquiring and payment services.

Customer Service and Tech Support

Helpdesk available on 0345 702 3344 / +44 345 702 3344

Online Support

Latest News

In 2025, the company agreed to a $24.25 billion deal to acquire Worldpay, a move that, if approved, would mean Global Payments would be serving more than six million merchants worldwide.

• Global Payments to acquire Worldpay for $24.25 billion in a three-way deal with Fidelity National Information Service and private equity firm GTCR. (announced April 17^th, 2025; expected H1 2026).
• Global Payments sold its payroll division, Heartland Payroll Solutions, to financial technology company Acrisure for $1.1 billion in May 2025. (Reuters)