Blink Payments review
Blink Payment is a platform for businesses that take payments several ways at once (terminals, payment links, Direct Debit, open banking) and want them reconciled in one place. It costs from £25/month before any card fees, its card rates are quote-only, and terminals come on an 18-month contract.
Verdict
Worth a quote if you take a lot of remote payments (charities and funeral directors, for example) and the reconciliation saves you real admin time. For a shop that only needs a card machine, the platform fee is a cost a plain terminal provider does not charge.
Businesses mixing terminals, payment links and Direct Debit
You only take cards at a counter
Checked 1 November 2026 against Blink’s pricing page, merchant page and card machine FAQs. No rating: we review published terms, not our own use.
Who Blink Payment is
Fidelity Payment Processing Limited (company number 08004359), trading as Blink Payment. Blink describes itself as a technology provider: the card acquiring is done by Elavon, AIB Merchant Services and Cashflows (the FAQ also names OBN). Acquiring is provided by these FCA-regulated partners, so your card processing contract sits with one of them, which matters when you read the small print, because some terms (settlement, reserves) are the acquirer’s rather than Blink’s.
Blink Payments pricing
| Cost | What Blink publishes |
|---|---|
| Platform access | From £25/month |
| Card rates | Not published; Blended (one rate for every card) or Interchange++ (interchange, scheme and acquiring fees shown separately) |
| Card terminals | PAX and Verifone card machines; price not published |
| Direct Debit | 1% + 20p per Direct Debit, capped at £4 |
| Set-up fee | Blink says there are no set-up or hidden fees and the quoted price is the monthly price paid |
Source: blinkpayment.co.uk/pricing, checked 1 November 2026.
Interchange++ pricing shows you each layer of the fee, which makes a Blink quote easier to audit than a single blended number. Ask for both and compare them on your last statement. Discounted rates for buying groups are available if you belong to one.
Blink contract and cancellation
- Software: 12 months. Card terminals: 18 months.
- In the first 90 days you can end your merchant ID and software costs by giving Blink notice.
- If you see no measurable improvement after three months you can end the contract without penalty, provided it is your first time with Blink, you meet the agreement and give notice under its terms.
- Notice period after that: Not published. Exit fee after 90 days: Not published.
An 18-month terminal term sits at the PSR’s ceiling: terminal lease and rental contracts must have an initial minimum term of no more than 18 months, then move to rolling renewal terms of no more than 31 calendar days for customers of the 14 largest acquirers, Elavon among them. Use the first 90 days: if the quote has not delivered by then, that is the cheapest moment to leave.
Settlement: two answers
Card payments settle the next working day; open banking payments settle the same day. Most businesses receive card funds within 1 to 3 business days, depending on the merchant account provider. Blink’s own pages give two answers, so get the settlement time for your acquirer in writing.
Worked example: the £5,000 a month shop
Blink will not publish a card rate, so work out the most you should accept. For the house example, a shop taking £5,000 a month, with the £25/month platform fee:
- SumUp pay as you go (1.69%): £5,000 × 1.69% = £84.50
- Dojo (1.2% blended, Dojo Wired rented): £5,000 × 1.2% = £60.00, plus £15.00 for the Dojo Wired = £75.00
- To match SumUp: (£84.50 − £25.00) ÷ £5,000 = 1.19% all-in card rate, maximum
- To match Dojo with a rented terminal: (£75.00 − £25.00) ÷ £5,000 = 1% maximum, and that is before Blink’s terminal charge
Blink’s terminal price is not published, so subtract it from those ceilings too. At this size Blink rarely wins on cost alone; the case for it is the time saved reconciling several payment types.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Terminals, links, Direct Debit and open banking in one dashboard
- Interchange++ pricing on request
- Exit window in the first 90 days, and a three-month guarantee for first-time customers
- Published Direct Debit price
Cons
- Platform fee from £25/month on top of card fees
- Card rates and terminal prices not published
- 18-month terminal contracts
- Conflicting settlement times on Blink’s own pages
Blink alternatives
If you mostly need payment links, see our virtual terminals guide. For a terminal with a published rate, read the Dojo review or browse the card machine rates table. Blink uses Elavon among others; if Elavon is your acquirer now, our Dojo vs Elavon page covers its terms.
Got a Blink quote? Our free statement review will check it against your current costs.
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Platform fee or plain terminal?
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Blink Payment questions
What does Blink Payment cost?
Platform access fees start at £25 a month; the final fee depends on the products you use, your turnover and how you trade. Card rates are not published: Blink quotes either way: Blended (one rate for every card) or Interchange++ (interchange, scheme and acquiring fees shown separately). Direct Debits cost 1% + 20p per Direct Debit, capped at £4.
How long is a Blink Payment contract?
Blink’s standard terms run 12 months for software and 18 months for card terminals. In the first 90 days you can end your merchant ID and software costs by giving Blink notice.
Who processes Blink card payments?
Elavon, AIB Merchant Services and Cashflows (the FAQ also names OBN). Fidelity Payment Processing Limited (company number 08004359), trading as Blink Payment. Blink describes itself as a technology provider.
How quickly does Blink pay out?
Card payments settle the next working day; open banking payments settle the same day. The card machine FAQ says something different: most businesses receive card funds within 1 to 3 business days, depending on the merchant account provider.
What rate should I accept from Blink?
At £5,000 a month with the £25/month platform fee, an all-in card rate above 1.19% costs more than SumUp’s 1.69%, before any terminal charge.