Virtual Terminals UK: Take Card Payments Over the Phone
A virtual terminal turns any browser into a card machine, so you can key in a customer's card details while they read them out on the phone. No hardware, no integration. Here is who offers one, what it costs and why the rates run higher than in-person payments.
Compare Phone Payment ProvidersWhat a Virtual Terminal Is
A virtual terminal is a secure page inside your payment provider's dashboard where you type card details in manually: card number, expiry, CVV, and usually the billing postcode. The customer never touches a machine. You log in, key the payment, and the money settles into your account the same way an in-person transaction would.
Card schemes call these MOTO transactions, short for mail order, telephone order. They sit in a different risk category from chip and PIN or contactless because the card is not physically present, and that single fact drives almost everything about how virtual terminals are priced and secured.
For a step-by-step walkthrough of taking a phone payment compliantly, see our guide to taking card payments by phone in the UK.
Who Actually Needs One
Hotels & B&Bs
Booking deposits and no-show charges taken at reservation, not check-in
Tradespeople
Job deposits from customers before you buy materials or book the work in
Restaurants
Large-party deposits and pre-orders taken over the phone
Professional services
Solicitors, accountants and consultants invoicing clients who prefer to pay by phone
Wholesale & trade suppliers
Repeat telephone orders from account customers
Clinics & practices
Treatment deposits and outstanding balances settled without a visit
Why Phone Payments Cost More Than In-Person
Every provider charges more for keyed card-not-present payments than for tap or chip and PIN. Square's published UK rate is 1.75% in person but 2.5% through its virtual terminal. SumUp charges 1.69% in person and 2.95% + 25p by phone. That pattern holds across the market.
The reason is structural rather than opportunistic. When the card is not present, the fraud risk is higher, the chargeback rate is higher, and the interchange fee the card schemes set for the transaction is higher. The provider passes that risk premium on. We explain how interchange drives the underlying cost of every card payment in our guide to UK interchange fees.
The practical takeaway: if most of your takings are face to face and phone orders are occasional, judge providers on their in-person rate and treat the virtual terminal as an add-on. If phone orders are your core business, the MOTO rate is the number to negotiate on.
Which UK Providers Offer a Virtual Terminal
Verified against each provider's published documentation as of August 2026.
| Provider | Virtual terminal | Published pricing | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Square | Yes: Square Virtual Terminal | 2.5% per keyed transaction, no monthly fee | squareup.com, checked August 2026 |
| SumUp | Yes, after a separate application and approval | 2.95% + 25p per transaction | sumup.com, checked August 2026 |
| Dojo | Yes: virtual terminal with AVS checks | Set up with your Dojo merchant account; follows your account pricing (1.2% published under £100k/year card turnover) | dojo.tech, checked August 2026 |
| Worldpay | Yes | Standalone plan from £9.95/month; transaction rate quoted per business | worldpay.com, checked August 2026 |
| Barclaycard Payments | Yes: virtual terminal in the ePDQ back office, up to 5 users | Extra cost, quoted per business | support.epdq.co.uk, checked August 2026 |
| Lloyds Cardnet | Yes, with payment links by email, SMS or WhatsApp | £49 one-off joining fee, 1.75% pay-as-you-go | lloydsbank.com, checked August 2026 |
| Tyl by NatWest | Yes: browser-based, with payment links and pre-authorisations | Quoted per business | tylbynatwest.com, checked August 2026 |
| Elavon | Yes: Converge virtual terminal with MOTO fraud rules | Quoted per business | elavon.co.uk, checked August 2026 |
| Trust Payments | Supports telephone orders | Check current pricing with provider | Provider profile |
| Zettle by PayPal | No: reader and app are in-person only | Check with provider for PayPal remote payment options | Checked August 2026 |
Rates checked: August 2026. Where a provider prices bespoke or has not published a rate, confirm current pricing directly or through a quote. Providers not listed here: check with the provider.
Security: SCA, AVS and What You Must Never Do
How MOTO fits the rules
MOTO transactions sit outside Strong Customer Authentication (SCA), which is why the customer does not approve them in a banking app. That exemption is also why they carry more risk: providers lean on AVS postcode matching and CVV checks instead. Use both on every transaction; they materially cut fraud and chargebacks.
Handling card details
Type card details straight into the virtual terminal while the customer is on the line. Never write them down, never accept them by email or text, and never store them in a spreadsheet. PCI DSS puts the compliance burden on you the moment card data touches anything outside the provider's system.
Choosing the Right Route
Occasional phone payments, mostly in person
Square is the simplest add-on: the virtual terminal is included with no monthly fee, and you only pay the 2.5% keyed rate when you use it.
Phone-only, no card machine at all
Worldpay sells its virtual terminal standalone from £9.95 a month, and Square needs no hardware either. You do not have to buy a reader you will never use.
Regular phone volume alongside a busy counter
A merchant account provider such as Dojo, Elavon, Lloyds Cardnet or Tyl sets up the virtual terminal alongside negotiated in-person rates, so both channels are priced to your turnover rather than at flat PAYG rates.
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Virtual Terminal FAQs
What is a virtual terminal?▼
A virtual terminal is a secure web page where you type in a customer's card details yourself, usually while they read them out over the phone. It turns any browser on a laptop, tablet or phone into a card machine, with no hardware needed. It is the standard way UK businesses take MOTO (mail order, telephone order) payments.
Why do virtual terminal payments cost more than in-person payments?▼
Because the card is not present, the transaction carries more fraud risk and higher interchange, so providers price it higher. Square charges 1.75% in person but 2.5% for keyed virtual terminal payments; SumUp charges 1.69% in person but 2.95% + 25p through its virtual terminal. The gap reflects card scheme risk pricing, not provider margin alone.
Which UK providers offer a virtual terminal?▼
As of August 2026, Square, SumUp, Dojo, Worldpay, Barclaycard Payments, Elavon, Lloyds Cardnet and Tyl by NatWest all publish virtual terminal products for UK businesses. Zettle does not: its reader and app are in-person only. Trust Payments supports telephone orders as part of its omnichannel offering.
Do phone payments need Strong Customer Authentication (SCA)?▼
MOTO transactions are out of scope for SCA under UK payment regulations, which is partly why they carry higher fraud risk and higher fees. Providers compensate with checks such as AVS (address verification) and CVV matching. You should never write card details down or store them; type them straight into the terminal and let the provider handle the data.
Can I get a virtual terminal without a card machine?▼
Yes. Worldpay sells its virtual terminal as a standalone plan from £9.95 a month, and Square's virtual terminal has no monthly fee at all, so you can take phone payments without ever buying a reader. Acquirers such as Dojo set up the virtual terminal alongside your merchant account.
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