Payment Links UK: How to Take a Card Payment Without a Machine (2026)

In short: a payment link is a secure web link you send by text, email or WhatsApp so a customer can pay you by card without a machine or a website. It suits deposits, remote jobs and phone orders. Because the card is not physically present, it counts as a card-not-present payment, so it usually […]
Card Machine Statement Explained: What Every Fee Means

Written by Zoe Bordiuk, Independent Payment Consultant Honest, independent guidance for UK small businesses • Last updated: 17/07/2026 You opened your card machine statement, looked at the total, winced, and closed it again. Most of the business owners I speak to do exactly that every month. Not because the numbers are beyond them, but because […]
Best card machine for tradespeople UK (2026): what actually matters on the job

Best card machine for tradespeople UK (2026): what actually matters on the job Written by Zoe Bordiuk Independent Payment Consultant Honest, independent card payment advice for UK small businesses In short: Most guides tell tradespeople to pick the card machine with the lowest advertised rate. That is the wrong question. The right one is which […]
Card machine fees explained: what UK businesses actually pay

Card machine fees explained: what UK businesses actually pay Written by Zoe Bordiuk Independent Payment Consultant Honest, independent card payment advice for UK small businesses ♚ In short Card machine fees are made up of three layers: the interchange fee (paid to the customer’s bank and capped by regulation for consumer cards), the scheme fee […]
How to Tell if Your Card Machine Is Costing You More Than It Should

Is your card machine costing you more than it should? Written by Zoe Bordiuk Independent Payment Consultant Honest, independent card payment advice for UK small businesses ♚ In short The signs that a card machine setup is not working in your favour are usually hiding in plain sight: a statement you cannot read, a contract […]