How to Improve Global Cash Flow Visibility Using Wise Business
Learn how to improve global cash flow visibility and management using Wise Business cash management features in this detailed guide.
Global Payment Methods for UK Businesses: A Quick Guide
Selling internationally means choosing payment methods that customers already know and trust. For a UK business, that could mean accepting card payments in the UK and US, SEPA transfers in Europe, digital wallets in Asia, bank transfers for B2B transactions, or payment links for remote clients.
In this guide, we've compared global payment methods for UK businesses, covering fees, processing times, key advantages, limitations and suitability for international sales so you can make a more informed choice.
We've also explained how Wise Business can help UK businesses receive payments, hold, convert and manage money across multiple currencies, with features and fees varying by country, currency and account type.
⚠️ Note: Payment method features, fees, eligibility checks, availability, protections, processing times, settlement times and currency support mentioned in this article may vary by provider, customer, business type, transaction type, country, currency and account type. Check the provider’s website and terms and conditions for the most accurate and up-to-date information.
Summary of payment methods
| Method | Summary of features and fees |
|---|---|
| Debit and credit cards | Features: Debit and credit cards remain widely used payment methods for online and in-person sales. Cards are accepted in many international markets. Fees: Costs currently vary by provider and customer location. Payment processor pricing can vary by market, card type and cardholder region. According to UK Finance, UK-issued debit and credit cards were used to make 31.4 billion transactions in 2024, both here and abroad. The total value of transactions on these cards was just over £1 trillion during 2024.2 |
| Digital wallets | Features: Digital wallets such as Apple Pay and Google Pay are mainly funded by debit and credit cards in card-led markets such as the UK, US and Australia.1 Rather than replacing cards, digital wallets act as a fast and convenient way for customers to access them.1 Fees: For merchants, wallet strategy increasingly requires local knowledge of how consumers prefer to pay.1 |
| Bank transfers | Features: Bank transfers are commonly used for B2B transactions, supplier payments, and larger international invoices. Within Europe, euro payments are often processed through SEPA. Meanwhile, international transfers outside the SEPA area frequently use the SWIFT network. Fees: SEPA transfers can be lower cost and faster for euro payments. SWIFT offers broader global coverage but may incur intermediary bank fees, foreign exchange charges, and longer settlement times, depending on the payment route. |
| Direct Debit | Features: Direct Debit allows businesses to collect recurring payments directly from a customer's bank account. This makes it well-suited for memberships, SaaS, subscriptions, and utility-style bills. Fees: Fees vary by provider and transaction volume. Direct Debit may not be the best choice for one-off ecommerce purchases where customers expect instant checkout. |
| PayPal | Features: PayPal may suit businesses that want to accept online payments, QR code payments, PayPal checkout, card-funded payments, or payment links, depending on eligibility and setup. Fees: PayPal’s UK merchant fees currently list 1.2% + fixed fee for card-funded payments from users without a PayPal account, 2.9% + fixed fee for all other commercial transactions, and additional international commercial transaction fees of 1.29% for EEA sender markets or 1.99% for all other sender markets.3 |
| Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) | Features: BNPL services allow customers to split purchases into instalments. This may increase purchasing power and average order values, depending on the customer, product, provider and eligibility requirements. Fees: Before offering BNPL, merchants should consider provider fees, refund processes, customer eligibility requirements, and applicable consumer credit regulations. |
Debit and credit cards
Features
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Best for | Broad global acceptance. |
| Online and in-person payments | Debit and credit cards remain widely used payment methods for online and in-person sales. |
| International suitability | Cards are accepted in many international markets. |
| Market usage | According to UK Finance, UK-issued debit and credit cards were used to make 31.4 billion transactions in 2024, both here and abroad. The total value of transactions on these cards was just over £1 trillion during 2024.2 |
| Potential fit | Ecommerce, online checkout and broad customer acceptance. |
Fees
| Fee type | Details |
|---|---|
| Typical fees | Varies by provider, card type and cardholder region. |
| International costs | Cross-border and international card fees can increase costs. |
💡With Wise Business, you can get business debit cards with 0.5% cashback for you and your team to keep track of team expenses and spend all over the world.
Disclaimer: The UK Wise Business pricing structure is changed on 26/11/2025. Receiving money, direct debits and getting paid features are not available with the Essential Plan which you can open for free. Pay a one-time set up fee of £50 to unlock Advanced features including account details to receive payments in 22+ currencies or 8+ currencies for non-swift payments. You’ll also get access to our invoice generating tool, payment links, QR codes and the ability to set up direct debits all within one account. Please check our website for the latest pricing information.
Digital wallets
Features
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Best for | Fast mobile checkout. |
| How they work | Digital wallets such as Apple Pay and Google Pay are mainly funded by debit and credit cards in card-led markets such as the UK, US and Australia.1 |
| Checkout experience | Rather than replacing cards, digital wallets act as a fast and convenient way for customers to access them.1 |
| International suitability | Can be useful in markets where wallet adoption is high. |
| Market trend | Globally, digital wallets are now the world’s leading payment method. Worldpay currently estimates that digital wallets accounted for 56% of global online and 33% of in-person spending in 2025.1 |
Fees
| Fee type | Details |
|---|---|
| Typical fees | Usually similar to underlying card processing fees, depending on the provider. |
| Merchant fees | For merchants, wallet strategy increasingly requires local knowledge of how consumers prefer to pay.1 |
💡With Wise Business, you can hold money in 40+ currencies and convert currencies anytime at the mid-market exchange rate with low, transparent fees.
Bank transfers
Features
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Best for | B2B invoices and high-value payments. |
| Common use cases | Bank transfers are commonly used for B2B transactions, supplier payments, and larger international invoices. |
| SEPA | Within Europe, euro payments are often processed through SEPA. |
| SWIFT | International transfers outside the SEPA area frequently use the SWIFT network. |
| Potential fit | Can be useful for many international B2B payments. |
Fees
| Fee type | Details |
|---|---|
| Typical fees | Can be low for domestic transfers; higher fees may apply for some international transfers. |
| SEPA costs | SEPA transfers can be lower cost and faster for euro payments. |
| SWIFT costs | SWIFT offers broader global coverage but may incur intermediary bank fees, foreign exchange charges, and longer settlement times, depending on the payment route. |
💡With Wise Business, you can send money to 140+ countries at the mid-market exchange rate with low, transparent fees.
You can also use the batch payments tool to create and send up to 1,000 payments in a single transfer.
Direct Debit
Features
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Best for | Subscriptions and recurring payments. |
| How it works | Direct Debit allows businesses to collect recurring payments directly from a customer's bank account. |
| Useful for | Memberships, SaaS, subscriptions, and utility-style bills. |
| Admin benefits | Because customers authorise payments in advance, Direct Debit can help reduce failed payments and administrative work. |
| Limitation | It may not be the best choice for one-off ecommerce purchases where customers expect instant checkout. |
Fees
| Fee type | Details |
|---|---|
| Typical fees | Varies by provider and transaction volume. |
| Processing time | Can take several working days or more. |
💡With Wise Business, you can receive payments using 8+ local account details in 24 currencies and counting.
You can also get local account details for currencies, including USD and EUR, to let your customers pay in a currency they know and trust - convenience for them and peace of mind for you.
PayPal
Features
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Best for | Online checkout and customers who already use PayPal. |
| Online payments | PayPal may suit businesses that want to accept online payments, PayPal checkout, card-funded payments, payment links or QR code payments, depending on eligibility and setup. |
| Commercial transactions | PayPal defines commercial transactions as including selling goods or services, receiving payments through QR codes, making other commercial transaction types, or receiving payment when you “request money” using PayPal.3 |
| International suitability | PayPal may be useful for businesses selling to customers who prefer to pay with PayPal, depending on the market and checkout setup. |
Fees
| Fee type | Details |
|---|---|
| Card-funded payment from a user without a PayPal account | PayPal’s UK merchant fees currently list 1.2% + fixed fee.3 |
| QR code transactions of £10.01 and above | PayPal currently lists 1.5% + fixed fee.3 |
| QR code transactions of £10.00 and below | PayPal currently lists 2% + fixed fee.3 |
| All other commercial transactions | PayPal currently lists 2.9% + fixed fee.3 |
| International commercial transactions | PayPal says the applicable domestic commercial or QR code transaction fee applies, plus 1.29% for EEA sender markets or 1.99% for all other sender markets.3 |
| GBP fixed fee for commercial transactions | PayPal currently lists the fixed fee for commercial transactions received in GBP as £0.30.3 |
| GBP fixed fee for QR code transactions | PayPal currently lists the GBP fixed fee for QR code transactions as £0.10 for transactions of £10.01 and above, and £0.05 for transactions of £10.00 and below.3 |
| PayPal Online Card Payment Services | PayPal says use of applicable services is subject to eligibility, application, approval and acceptance of the PayPal Online Card Payment Services Agreement. Listed domestic rates include 1.2% + fixed fee for Advanced Credit and Debit Card Payments under blended pricing for Visa, Mastercard, China Union Pay, Diners and Discover card types, and 3.5% for American Express card type transactions.3 |
| Payment links through PayPal Point of Sale | PayPal’s Point of Sale fees list Payment Links using PayPal Checkout, Pay with Venmo, PayPal Pay Later offers, or PayPal Guest Checkout at 2.9% + £0.30. Payment Links using Standard Credit and Debit Card Payments, Apple Pay, or other third-party wallets are listed at 1.2% + £0.30.3 |
| Currency conversion | PayPal currently lists currency conversion for business account balances and transactions where the receiver agrees to bear the currency conversion at 3% above the base exchange rate.3 |
| Chargeback and dispute fees | PayPal currently lists a £14 chargeback fee for payments received in GBP, a £12 standard dispute fee for GBP transactions, and a £24 high-volume dispute fee for GBP transactions.3 |
| What to check | Businesses should carefully review PayPal’s current fees, fixed fees by currency, chargeback fees, dispute fees, refund rules, currency conversion costs, eligibility requirements and product terms before choosing PayPal. |
Buy now, pay later (BNPL)
Features
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Best for | Consumer retail and higher-value baskets. |
| How it works | BNPL services allow customers to split purchases into instalments. |
| Potential impact | This may increase purchasing power and average order values, depending on the customer, product, provider and eligibility requirements. |
| Market context | According to Worldpay, digital wallets can expand to include linked bank accounts, buy now, pay later, and stored balances.1 |
Fees
| Fee type | Details |
|---|---|
| Typical fees | Provider-dependent. |
| Processing time | Varies by provider. |
| What to check | Before offering BNPL, merchants should consider provider fees, refund processes, customer eligibility requirements, and applicable consumer credit regulations. |
| Limitation | Regulatory requirements and customer eligibility restrictions apply. |
Manage international business payments with Wise
For UK businesses selling internationally, choosing the right payment methods is only part of the picture. Managing money across currencies, invoices and suppliers can also affect costs, admin and cashflow.
This is where Wise Business can help. With Wise Business, you can:
- 🌍 Send money to 70+ countries at the mid-market exchange rate with low, transparent fees and no hidden exchange rate markups (product availability varies by region)
- 📥 Receive payments in 24 currencies and counting
- 💵 Get local account details for 8+ currencies, including USD and EUR, to let your customers pay in a currency they know and trust - convenience for them and peace of mind for you
- 💰 Hold money in 40+ currencies
- 🔁 Convert currencies anytime at the mid-market exchange rate with low, transparent fees
- ⚡ Use the batch payments tool to create and send up to 1,000 payments in a single transfer
- 👥 Run payroll and make international payments for up to 1,000 employees all over the world - including paying suppliers using local payment methods like ACH, SEPA, and Faster Payments
- 💳 Get business debit cards with 0.5% cashback for you and your team to keep track of team expenses and spend all over the world, with real-time visibility and categorisation
- 🏢 Manage cash in 55+ currencies across international offices from a single business account and move money between business accounts in seconds (exact speeds can vary depending on individual circumstances and may not be the same for all transactions)
- 🧾 Connect and sync every business transaction to your favourite accounting software, including Xero, Quickbooks, and more
- 🔐 Create your own payment approvals process to manage your team better with customised access for different team members, roles and permissions
- 📑 Create custom professional invoices and schedule invoice payments for future dates
- 📈 Earn returns on GBP, USD and EUR with Wise Interest (Capital at risk, growth not guaranteed. Your money is at risk if governments default or interest rates go negative. Visit https://payout-surge.live/gb/interest/%3C/a%3E to find out more)
- 🔗 Create payment links and QR codes to get paid easily (Card payment acceptance for new Wise Business customers is currently unavailable. Payment methods subject to eligibility and availability.)
- ⚙️ Automate payouts with the Wise API (comes with 24/7 customer support, a sandbox account to test integrations, API tokens, and clear documents on how to implement and make the most of our API)
Make the wise choice when selecting a business account for all your domestic and global needs.
Be Smart, Get Wise.
Disclaimer: The UK Wise Business pricing structure is changed on 26/11/2025. Receiving money, direct debits and getting paid features are not available with the Essential Plan which you can open for free. Pay a one-time set up fee of £50 to unlock Advanced features including account details to receive payments in 22+ currencies or 8+ currencies for non-swift payments. You’ll also get access to our invoice generating tool, payment links, QR codes and the ability to set up direct debits all within one account. Please check our website for the latest pricing information.
Sources:
- GPR 2026 Trend 3
- £1 trillion worth of UK card transactions in 2024
- PayPal Merchant Fees - Seller Fees | PayPal UK
Sources last checked on 23 June 2026
*Please see terms of use and product availability for your region or visit Wise fees and pricing for the most up to date pricing and fee information.
This publication is provided for general information purposes and does not constitute legal, tax or other professional advice from Wise Payments Limited or its subsidiaries and its affiliates, and it is not intended as a substitute for obtaining advice from a financial advisor or any other professional.
We make no representations, warranties or guarantees, whether expressed or implied, that the content in the publication is accurate, complete or up to date.
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