Global Payments review for UK card machines
Global Payments, the card processor behind HSBC's business card payments, publishes no transaction rate in the UK, so the only way to judge it is to cost the quote yourself. For a £5,000 a month shop, a Global Payments quote has to come in under 1.5% all in to match Dojo, and every pound of terminal rental lowers that line.
Verdict
The published terms are fairer than you might expect from a quote-only processor: a one-year initial term when no other term is set, one month's notice after that, and an early exit charge capped at £150 in the first six months. The price is the problem, because none of it is public. Get the quote, run it through the checker below, and stay put only if it clears the line.
HSBC business customers and larger merchants who want one processor across card machines, online and pre-authorisations
You want to see a price before you speak to sales, or your contract has rolled into another automatic one-year term without a review
Checked 1 November 2026 against Global Payments' card machines page, pricing FAQ, Terms of Service V2024 (© 2024 GPUK LLP) and HSBC's card payments page. No rating: we review published terms, not our own use.
Who is Global Payments UK?
Global Payments is a trading name of GPUK LLP, the contracting party in its UK Card Processing Agreement. HSBC UK calls Global Payments its "payment technology partner": if you take card payments through HSBC, the payment services agreement is with Global Payments or one of its group companies, while your banking stays with HSBC. Global Payments UK sells countertop machines, the portable A920Pro (Wi-Fi and battery), 4G contactless machines and Mobile Pay, an app that takes card payments on a compatible iOS or Android phone. If your paperwork says EVO Payments, the two are joining up: EVO's own site says it "officially" joined Global Payments and is "transitioning to the Global Payments brand"; EVO Payments UK Ltd lists Global Payments as a trading name.
What Global Payments publishes on pricing
Almost nothing. The card machines page answers "How much does a card machine cost?" by saying it depends on your turnover, the machine and the cards you accept. What the pricing FAQ does give you is the shape of a quote, line by line:
| Fee line | What it covers | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Headline Rate | the standard fee on every transaction, covering Global Payments’ processing cost plus the Secure Domestic Consumer interchange fee set by Mastercard and Visa | Not published |
| Additional Transaction Fee (ATF) | charged on top of the Headline Rate for any transaction that is not Secure Domestic Consumer, such as internationally issued or corporate cards | Not published |
| Electronic Authorisation Fee | charged each time Global Payments sends an authorisation request to check the card | Not published |
| Pre-Authorisation Fee (PAF) | only if you take pre-authorisations, for example hotel or car hire holds | 0.02% of the authorisation value, minimum 1p |
| Minimum Service Charge | if your monthly service charges fall short of the minimum in your Service Schedule, a Minimum Adjustment Fee tops them up | Not published |
| Terminal rental | terminals are rented under a separate Terminal Rental Agreement | Not published |
Source: Global Payments pricing FAQ and Terms of Service, checked 1 November 2026.
How to cost a Global Payments quote
Ask for every line in that table in writing, then price it on last month's takings. For the house example, a shop taking £5,000 a month in 250 sales of £20, with one pound in five on a business or international card (our assumptions):
- Headline Rate × £5,000.
- Additional Transaction Fee × the £1,000 taken on business and international cards.
- Electronic Authorisation Fee × 250 sales.
- Monthly terminal rental.
- If lines 1 to 3 come to less than your Minimum Service Charge, add the difference.
- Divide the total by £5,000 and compare the result with the table below.
The benchmarks for the same shop: SumUp pay as you go (1.69%), £5,000 × 1.69% = £84.50; Square (1.75%), £5,000 × 1.75% = £87.50; Dojo (1.2% blended), £5,000 × 1.2% = £60.00 on rate alone, or with a rented terminal £5,000 × 1.2% = £60.00, plus £15.00 for the Dojo Wired = £75.00.
| Terminal rental in your quote | Max all-in rate to match SumUp | To match Square | To match Dojo with a rented terminal |
|---|---|---|---|
| £0 a month | 1.69% | 1.75% | 1.5% |
| £10 a month | 1.49% | 1.55% | 1.3% |
| £20 a month | 1.29% | 1.35% | 1.1% |
Each cell is (benchmark − rental) ÷ £5,000. For example, (£75.00 − £20.00) ÷ £5,000 = 1.1%. The rentals are example inputs, not Global Payments prices, which are Not published. SumUp and Square checked 25 August 2026; Dojo checked November 2026.
A quote that shows only the Headline Rate tells you very little. On this shop the authorisation fee, whatever its amount, is applied 250 times a month, and the Additional Transaction Fee lands on £1,000 of takings. Insist on the full list before you compare.
Global Payments contract and exit terms
Global Payments' Terms of Service V2024 (© 2024 GPUK LLP) are public, and they set out the exit rules in plain numbers:
- You can end the agreement with immediate effect in the first 14 days after signing, by written notice, provided you have not yet accepted a card transaction (clause 14.1).
- The agreement runs for the fixed term shown on your Service Schedule; if there is none, for an initial term of one year (clause 14.2). After that it renews automatically for successive one-year terms (clause 14.2).
- Once the fixed or initial term is over, you can end it with not less than one month’s written notice (clause 14.2).
- Leave in the first six months and Global Payments may charge £25 a month, up to £150 in total (clause 14.4). Leave early after six months and an early termination charge may apply "at our sole discretion"; the terms do not state the amount.
- You bear the cost of collecting a rented terminal; if Global Payments cannot collect it, you pay its full replacement value (clause 6.6).
- Sending a rented terminal back does not end the processing agreement: the Minimum Adjustment Fee keeps running until the agreement terminates (clause 6.5).
The renewal clause is the one to diarise. If you miss the month's notice before your term ends, the agreement rolls into another full year. A notified price change opens a second exit: Global Payments charges no additional fee to close your facility "apart from any outstanding fees up to the date of closure", and you have two months from the notice of a price change to tell Global Payments you want to cancel; after that you are deemed to accept it. Note that a terminal agreement with another company may carry its own fees to end. Global Payments takes these cancellations on 0345 600 0642 (9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday, excluding public holidays) or at renewals@globalpay.com. The full leaving process is in our guide to cancelling Global Payments.
Global Payments card machines and settlement
The range covers countertop machines, the portable A920Pro (Wi-Fi and battery), 4G contactless machines and Mobile Pay, an app that takes card payments on a compatible iOS or Android phone. Settlement is advertised as next working day settlement; payments into your bank account are made Monday to Friday, excluding public holidays (Terms of Service, clause 9.2), so weekend takings arrive on Monday at the earliest. Terminal rental prices are not published.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Full Terms of Service published
- Early exit charge capped at £150 in the first six months
- One month's notice after the initial term
- Next working day settlement
Cons
- No published transaction rate or terminal price
- Automatic one-year renewals
- Early exit after six months left to its discretion
- Minimum Service Charge can top up quiet months
Global Payments or Dojo?
Dojo publishes one blended rate, 1.2%, for businesses with annual card turnover below £100,000; Global Payments publishes none. If its quote clears the line in the checker and you value the HSBC link, staying is reasonable. If not, the side-by-side is in Global Payments vs Dojo, and the short profile is at /providers/global-payments. See our card machines guide for the wider field.
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Global Payments questions
What does Global Payments charge in the UK?
Quote only. Global Payments says the price depends on your turnover, the type of card machine and the type of card payments you accept, and tailors a package after the quote form. Its pricing FAQ lists the lines a quote is built from: a Headline Rate, an Additional Transaction Fee on cards that are not Secure Domestic Consumer, an Electronic Authorisation Fee, a Minimum Service Charge and terminal rental. The only amount it publishes is the pre-authorisation fee: 0.02% of the authorisation value, minimum 1p.
How long is a Global Payments contract?
The agreement runs for the fixed term shown on your Service Schedule; if there is none, for an initial term of one year (clause 14.2). After that it renews automatically for successive one-year terms (clause 14.2). Once the fixed or initial term is over, you can end it with not less than one month’s written notice (clause 14.2). The card machines page advertises contracts from 12 months.
Is there a fee to leave Global Payments early?
Leave in the first six months and Global Payments may charge £25 a month, up to £150 in total (clause 14.4). Leave early after six months and an early termination charge may apply "at our sole discretion"; the terms do not state the amount. Leaving after a notified price change is different: Global Payments charges no additional fee to close your facility "apart from any outstanding fees up to the date of closure", and you have two months from the notice of a price change to tell Global Payments you want to cancel; after that you are deemed to accept it.
Is Global Payments the same as HSBC merchant services?
HSBC UK calls Global Payments its "payment technology partner": if you take card payments through HSBC, the payment services agreement is with Global Payments or one of its group companies, while your banking stays with HSBC. Global Payments is a trading name of GPUK LLP, the contracting party in its UK Card Processing Agreement.
When does Global Payments pay out?
Global Payments advertises next working day settlement, and its terms say payments into your bank account are made Monday to Friday, excluding public holidays (Terms of Service, clause 9.2). Your exact crediting timescale is in your Service Schedule.
What rate should I accept from Global Payments?
At £5,000 a month with no separate terminal rental, an all-in rate of 1.69% matches SumUp and 1.5% matches Dojo (1.2% blended, Dojo Wired rented). Every £10 a month of terminal rental lowers both ceilings by 0.2 percentage points.