Worldpay vs Stripe UK: Fees, Features & Comparison 2026

Worldpay is a UK acquirer that quotes bespoke rates and suits established, higher-volume merchants; Stripe is a developer-first payments platform with published pay-as-you-go pricing and the broader toolset.

For standard UK consumer cards online, Worldpay's published pay-as-you-go rate is 1.3% + 20p (Full package) against Stripe's 1.5% + 20p.

Stripe's advantage is its published international pricing, 100+ payment methods, and a wider platform (billing, fraud, marketplaces).

Worldpay's advantage is a lower headline UK card rate, next-business-day settlement and negotiated interchange-plus pricing at scale.

If you sell mainly to UK customers and want the lowest published rate, Worldpay is cheaper. If you sell internationally, run subscriptions, or want to launch fast with minimal sales contact, Stripe is usually the easier fit. Rates change often, so confirm both on the providers' own pricing pages before you commit.

Worldpay vs Stripe UK at a glance

Stripe publishes more of its pricing; Worldpay publishes UK card rates but quotes international and high-volume pricing individually.

What is the difference between Worldpay and Stripe?

Worldpay is a merchant acquirer, gateway and processor; Stripe is a payment service provider (PSP) that bundles the account, gateway and processing into one self-serve platform.

With Worldpay payment processing, you typically get a direct acquiring relationship: pricing is tailored to your turnover, card mix and risk profile, and larger merchants can move to interchange-plus pricing. Worldpay also offers a simple pay-as-you-go eCommerce plan for smaller sellers.

With Stripe payment processing, you sign up online, pay published per-transaction rates and use one integration to take payments in 195 countries.

Stripe adds modules on top, such as Billing for subscriptions, Radar for fraud and Connect for marketplaces.

The practical difference between the two payment gateways is how you buy and how much you can negotiate.

Stripe is fast to start and transparent. Worldpay rewards merchants who can negotiate, but expect more paperwork and a contract.

Worldpay vs Stripe fees in the UK

On UK consumer cards, Worldpay's published full-package rate (1.3% + 20p) is 0.2 percentage points below Stripe's (1.5% + 20p), which is 20p less on a £100 sale.

Stripe becomes the clearer-priced option once cards or currencies cross borders, because Worldpay does not publish those rates.

Worldpay's Essential package (for sellers without a live website) is 1.5% + 20p, the same as Stripe. Commercial cards and American Express are 2.9% + 20p on Worldpay's pay-as-you-go plan; Stripe charges 2.8% + 20p on premium UK cards.

International and currency fees. Stripe charges 2.5% + 20p on EEA cards and 3.15% + 20p on other international cards, plus 2% when currency conversion is needed.

A £100 payment from a non-EEA card that needs conversion therefore costs £5.35 in Stripe fees (3.15% + 20p + 2%). Worldpay says it accepts 110+ currencies but does not publish its international rates on its eCommerce page, so you need a quote.

Chargeback fees. Stripe charges £20 for each dispute received and another £20 if you counter it manually, refunded if you win.

Its optional Smart Disputes service takes 30% of the disputed amount on each dispute you win. One independent review reports a £20 fee per dispute at Worldpay; confirm this in your own quote.

Watch the contract. Stripe has no setup fee, monthly fee or minimum contract on standard pricing.

Worldpay's pay-as-you-go eCommerce plan has no monthly or setup fee either, but its quotes are subject to contract, and independent reviews report longer terms, notice periods and exit fees on bespoke deals. Read the terms before you sign.

Features: payment methods, international and recurring payments

Stripe supports more payment methods out of the box; Worldpay's eCommerce plan focuses on cards and wallets. Stripe lists 100+ payment methods, 135+ currencies and cardholders in 195+ countries through one integration.

Its UK pricing includes Klarna (from 4.99% + 35p per transaction) and Bacs Direct Debit (1%, minimum 20p, capped at £4).

Worldpay eCommerce accepts Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Apple Pay and Google Pay, plus phone payments and payment links, with 110+ currencies.

Broader alternative payment methods are handled through its enterprise offering, which is quoted rather than published.

Recurring payments. Both support them. Worldpay offers a subscriptions API with tokenisation for recurring payments. Stripe offers Stripe Billing for subscriptions, charged separately at 0.7% of Billing volume on pay as you go, or from £450 a month on an annual plan.

If subscriptions are central to your model, Stripe's tooling is deeper; if you only need to charge a stored card on a schedule, Worldpay's API may be enough.

Fraud prevention. Worldpay eCommerce includes FraudSight and 3DS Flex at no extra cost. Stripe includes Radar Lite and 3D Secure on standard payments pricing, with the fuller Radar tools priced separately.

International payments. Both can take payments from overseas customers. Stripe publishes the cost; Worldpay quotes it.

For a business with a large share of non-UK customers, ask Worldpay for written international and currency-conversion rates before comparing.

Worldpay vs Stripe with WooCommerce and Shopify

Both work with WooCommerce at no platform surcharge; on Shopify, the extra platform fee decides the winner.

WooCommerce. Worldpay's Full package includes free plugins for WooCommerce, Shopify, Adobe Commerce and OpenCart.

Stripe also integrates with WooCommerce, and WooCommerce does not add a fee for third-party gateways. The choice comes down to the rates above, plus Stripe's wider payment methods and Worldpay's next-business-day settlement.

Shopify. Shopify's own gateway, Shopify Payments, is powered by Stripe. If you use any other gateway, including standalone Stripe or Worldpay, Shopify charges an additional transaction fee, which independent sources put between 0.5% and 2% depending on your plan. Check Shopify's pricing for the current figure.

In practice that means a Shopify store usually pays less with Shopify Payments than with Worldpay, even though Worldpay's headline rate is lower.

A 2% surcharge on the Basic plan would wipe out Worldpay's 0.2-point advantage ten times over. Worldpay makes sense on Shopify mainly when you have negotiated rates and a plan where the surcharge is small.

Shopify Payments is only available in supported countries, and it ties your processing to Shopify. If you may leave the platform later, a standalone provider keeps your payment relationship portable.

Which is better for UK businesses: Worldpay or Stripe?

Stripe is better for online-first and international businesses; Worldpay is better for UK-focused merchants with enough volume to negotiate.

Neither is automatically cheaper over time. Stripe offers custom and interchange-plus pricing for large volumes, and Worldpay's best rates depend on negotiation.

Once you process significant volume, get quotes from both and compare the all-in cost, not the headline rate.

When neither fits: high-risk and fast-scaling merchants

If your business is high-risk, a single provider's rate card is the wrong comparison; the real question is which acquirer or PSP will underwrite you at all.

Stripe publishes a list of prohibited and restricted businesses, and Worldpay prices according to your turnover, card mix and risk profile.

Merchants in sectors such as iGaming, crypto, FX/CFD, adult, travel, pharma and CBD often face declined applications, rolling reserves or sudden account reviews with mainstream providers.

Monepik is a payments introducer and consultancy founded in 2018 and headquartered in Hong Kong. It connects high-risk and fast-scaling merchants with a network of 350+ banks, acquirers and payment service providers across global regions, and has supported 2,700+ merchants. Its solutions cover card acquiring, banking infrastructure, alternative payment methods, fiat and crypto flows, and cross-border payments.

Use Monepik when:

• A Worldpay or Stripe application has been declined or limited

• Your chargeback ratio or sector means standard pricing does not apply

• You need local acquiring, multi-currency settlement or backup providers in several regions

• You want to compare several acquirers through one introducer rather than applying to each separately

Worldpay vs Stripe FAQs

What is the difference between Worldpay and Stripe?

Worldpay is a merchant acquirer and gateway that quotes bespoke pricing, while Stripe is a self-serve payments platform with published pay-as-you-go rates. Worldpay suits negotiated, higher-volume deals; Stripe suits fast launches and international selling.

How much does Worldpay charge per transaction in the UK?

Worldpay's published online pay-as-you-go rate is 1.3% + 20p for UK consumer Visa and Mastercard cards on the Full package, or 1.5% + 20p on Essential. Commercial cards and American Express are 2.9% + 20p. Higher-volume merchants get custom rates.

How much does Stripe charge per transaction in the UK?

Stripe charges 1.5% + 20p for standard UK cards and 2.8% + 20p for premium UK cards. EEA cards are 2.5% + 20p and other international cards 3.15% + 20p, plus 2% if currency conversion is needed.

Which accepts more payment methods, Worldpay or Stripe?

Stripe. It supports 100+ payment methods, including Klarna and Bacs Direct Debit. Worldpay eCommerce accepts Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Apple Pay and Google Pay, with wider options available through bespoke enterprise setups.

Which is better for online payments, Worldpay or Stripe?

For UK-only card sales, Worldpay's published rate is lower. For international sales, subscriptions, marketplaces or developer-led builds, Stripe is usually better. Both offer hosted checkout, payment links and built-in fraud tools.

Can Worldpay and Stripe accept international payments?

Yes. Stripe supports cardholders in 195+ countries and 135+ currencies with published international fees. Worldpay accepts 110+ currencies, but you need a quote for international card and conversion fees.

Does Worldpay support recurring payments?

Yes. Worldpay eCommerce offers a subscriptions API and tokenisation for recurring payments. Stripe offers Stripe Billing, which has more built-in subscription features but is priced separately.

Which has better payment integrations, Worldpay or Stripe?

Stripe has the larger ecosystem, with an app marketplace, extensive documentation and SDKs. Worldpay provides plugins for Shopify, WooCommerce, Adobe Commerce and OpenCart. Both cover the main UK platforms.

What is the difference between Worldpay and Stripe payment gateways?

Worldpay's gateway sits on top of its own acquiring, so you work with one company for the merchant account and gateway. Stripe's gateway is part of an all-in-one platform that also handles acquiring, payouts and add-on products.

Which is better for small businesses in the UK, Worldpay or Stripe?

A small business selling mainly to UK customers saves a little with Worldpay's Full package; one that wants simple setup, no contract and international reach often prefers Stripe. On a £50 sale the fee gap is 10p, so features and contract terms often matter more than the rate.

What are the Worldpay and Stripe chargeback fees?

Stripe charges £20 for each dispute received and another £20 if you counter it manually, refunded when you win. One independent review reports a £20 dispute fee at Worldpay; confirm the figure in your own agreement.

Rates were checked on 1 October 2026 and can change. Always confirm on Worldpay and Stripe before you decide.

Worldpay vs Stripe: our verdict

Choose Worldpay if you are UK-focused and want the lowest published card rate or negotiated pricing at scale; choose Stripe if you want transparent pricing, international reach and a fast, developer-friendly setup.

Compare the all-in cost, including currency conversion, chargebacks, contract length and platform fees such as Shopify's third-party gateway surcharge, rather than the headline percentage.

If you run a high-risk or fast-scaling business and mainstream providers have declined, limited or repriced you, talk to Monepik about matching your business with the right acquirer or PSP.