Worldpay Merchant Services Review

If you’ve already done some research on merchant account providers and similar payment services firms, Worldpay’s offering of services will probably look very familiar. Unfortunately, the company’s website doesn’t do a very good job of categorising its services and making it clear exactly what’s available.

In fact, behind a relatively modern design, the Worldpay website is a bit of a mess in terms of navigation and getting any kind of useful information proves difficult. We’re going to do our best to clear things up throughout this review, starting with a clear breakdown of the services Worldpay provides.

Merchant account services

One of the biggest advantages of working with Worldpay is that it’s a direct processor, which means it handles all of your transaction in-house – nothing is outsourced. Most payment services companies work with third-party merchant account providers to authorise and/or process payment, but this isn’t the case with Worldpay.

In theory, this should make your contract situation more simple (more on this later), as you’re only dealing with the one company.

It also simplifies the technical side of your business accepting payments, as the company you deal with actually handles everything for you – especially important if you run into any technical problems. Another benefit of this is that you only need to have a single merchant ID for all of your card transactions.

Normally, to accept card payments for different types of transactions (face-to-face, by mail, cheque or phone and online) you will need a different merchant ID for each. With a WorldPay online merchant account, you will only need one merchant ID for all types of transaction payments.

Card Machines

Worldpay offers three different types of card machines for face-to-face transactions: countertop, portable and mobile. Essentially, the main difference between them is how portable they are and this decision mostly comes down to where you need to accept card payments.

• Countertop card terminals: Designed for over-the-counter and till payments, these card readers are connected via phone/broadband, which means you can only use them at fixed locations. The upside is they generally take payments and print receipts faster than any other type of card reader.

• Portable payment machines: More suitable for restaurants, pubs and cafes that need to accept payments at the till and customers’ tables. Bluetooth connectivity should give you enough mobility to accept payments within 50m from your base unit but you sacrifice a bit of speed and also need to keep the battery charged.
• Mobile card machines: Allow you to take payments anywhere in the UK with a mobile network connection – ideal for businesses with no fixed premises or professionals visiting customers on-site or at home.

Worldpay has a decent selection of card machines, including popular models like the Verifone VX 520 and Ingenico 200 while it also offers its own mobile card reader (even smaller than mobile card machines) for accepting payments anywhere with your smartphone or the device itself.

Worldpay’s range of card machines should be more than enough to meet your needs but there are better mobile card readers if you’re only processing a low volume of transactions every month. If this sounds like you, take a look at our iZettle and Square reviews for two of the best mobile card readers on the market right now.

One final thing we should mention is we highly recommend buying card machines up-front – if at all possible – rather than leasing them out. Contracts on card machines can be a messy affair without all kinds of cancellation fees and hidden costs. Companies like Worldpay don’t lease card machines out for the fun of it; they do it to make money and things can easily end up being more expensive for you in the long run.

This doesn’t only apply to Worldpay either, by the way.

Online Payments

Worldpay offers extensive online payment services for businesses of all sizes and you’re well-covered regardless of whether you’re an online-only venture or need to add online payments to your existing business.

Here’s what you get:

• Payment gateway: Take online card and PayPay payments with Worldpay’s secure payment gateway.
• Email payments: Save time chasing unpaid invoices with Pay By Link emails.
• International payments: Accept payments from countries all over the world – ideal for online retailers targeting a global customer base.
• Alternative payments: PayPal isn’t the only popular alternative payment choice and Worldpay supports a wide range of options to help you maximise sales.
• Fraud and risk management: One of Worldpay’s biggest strengths is its fraud and risk management capabilities, helping you and your customers do business securely.
• Data and analytics: You can also get detailed reports on how your business is performing online to help you spot opportunities for improvement.

Worldpay’s online payment services should cover all bases for most business types and the company is particularly strong when it comes to supporting payment types (international payments, alternative payments, etc.) and the security side of things.

Virtual terminal

Sometimes you need to accept payments over the phone or by mail and this is where Worldpay’s virtual terminal proves its worth. Essentially, it turns your computer into a secure payment point, allowing you to enter the card details your customer provides and process their payment in a matter of moments.

Keep in mind that you can also do this using a regular card machine and Worldpay’s virtual terminal will cost you an extra £9.95 per month. The advantage of having the terminal is that you can keep your card machine free for in-store customers to use and accept payments in other locations (you just need internet access).

You have to decide whether this adds value to your business or not.

POS System

Worldpay now offers a point of sale system, which it’s calling Worldpay Hub. This gives you a simple tablet-based checkout system designed for small businesses that only need a single or few points of sale. This is generally suited to pubs, restaurants, cafes and other small businesses such as small retailers and hairdressers.