Handepay is one of the most popular merchant service providers for small businesses. The company delivers an all-in-one solution, complete with card readers, online payment gateway, merchant account, and even business finance. If you choose Handepay for your payment services, the only thing you’ll need is a bank account.
Still, it’s just one of dozens of options for payment solutions in the UK. If you’re wondering if Handepay is a good choice for your small UK business, keep reading. This review covers everything you need to know, including pricing, features, and company reputation.
What Is Handepay Payments?
Handepay is an all-in-one merchant gateway and payment processor. Unlike many competitors aimed at small businesses, Handepay offers online payment processing, card readers, point-of-sale, and even business financing services.
However, rather than offering its own solutions, Handepay primarily functions as a broker. This means you can hire third-party services through Handepay. You receive Handepay’s own merchant account and payment processing.
However, card readers are third-party. In addition, if you opt for small business financing with Handepay, it’s completed through a partnership with Lloyd’s Bank or the YouLend Group. Handepay itself is a part of the PayPoint Group.
Handepay Features & Offerings
Handepay is a full-service payment solution offering everything you need to accept and process card payments online and with a card reader.
Online Payment Gateway
Handepay’s Online Payment Gateway allows you to accept payments via online checkout.
The payment gateway includes a merchant account, a virtual terminal (so you can accept payments via phone), direct integration to all major shopping carts, and pay by link. You also get virtual invoices.
- From £19.99 per month for 400 payments
- Accepts all major cards and digital wallets
- Integration assistance included
- Management dashboard for income and returns processing
- Recurring payments available for subscriptions, with a £50 startup fee
- Integrations with 28+ shopping carts
- No transaction costs for the first 400 transactions each month
- Rewards and loyalty programs
Essentially, this is a full-service payment gateway, complete with a merchant account. All you’ll need is a bank.
Card Machines
Handepay offers card machines ranging from contactless to full chip and pin solutions. In addition, it leverages partnerships to offer a wider selection of models, so you can get the right card machine for your business. On the downside, that means pricing is not transparent.
- Transaction fees range from 0.3%-2%
- Card machine rental costs between £10 and £30 per month, per machine
- Card machines are available to purchase for £30-£300
- Flat-rate monthly fees with a number of monthly transactions are included to enable predictable monthly costs
- Mobile app and dashboard for monitoring cashflow
- Full-service is included with your account, as Handepay partners with Evo, Lloyds, and others for acquiring and other services
Handepay offers a good selection of card readers and models. However, you will have to contact Handepay to get recommendations and a quote based on expected volume.
Extra Services
Handepay partners with major business banking solutions to offer extras like:
- Business financing between £3,000 and £1,000,000 via YouLend Funding Circle
- Membership Rewards
- Point of Sale
- Virtual Registers
- Loyalty programs for customers
- Click and Collect Services
Most of these services are available with your standard Handepay account and you can simply opt in with the app or from your account.
Benefits Of Handepay For Small Businesses
Handepay has a lot to offer for UK small businesses. In fact, with over 28,000 businesses in the UK using the service, it’s one of the most popular payment processors out there.
- All-in-one service means you won’t need multiple contracts. With Handepay, payment processing, payment gateway, card reader, and acquiring services are provided through the same account, so you save money and hassle. That makes this a great fit for startups that don’t know where to start or who want to simplify payment processing as much as possible.
- Transaction fees are rolled into the pricing, so you won’t have surprise fees.
- You’ll have plenty of options for card terminals. While fees vary, rates start at around £20 per month with up to 400 transactions included. That means you can set up a contract with extremely predictable costs and pricing.
- Handepay Price Challenge means that if you don’t save money over your previous provider, Handepay will give you £1,000.
Of course, there are downsides of Handepay as well. For example, most of its offerings are handled through third parties. This means Handepay is primarily a broker.
On the one hand, you get a full-service solution through one payment processor. In addition, Handepay may be able to negotiate lower rates because of the high volume of total customer transactions.
On the other hand, if you have a high transaction volume yourself, you may be able to get better rates by choosing your own merchant account, payment gateway, and acquirer and putting those services together yourself.
Handepay Payments: Fees & Pricing
Handepay specializes in flat-rate and minimal cost payment processing. This means you’ll see flat-rate fees as a standard and fewer types of fees than most competitors.
In addition, the fee schedule varies depending on which service you have.
| Service | Monthly Fee | Transaction Fee | Authorisation Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Online Payment Gateway | £19.99 | Free for first 400 transactions per month | None |
| Virtual Terminal | £9.99 | Free for first 200 transactions per month | None |
| Card Reader | £10-£30 | 0.5%-3% | None |
If you want a flat-rate monthly payment, you can also negotiate that, so you won’t see fluctuations in costs based on card type.
However, Handepay offers card readers from four or more different providers at any given time, and fee structure will vary depending on which you choose.
Handepay vs Competitors
Handepay is an affordable payment processor offering great rates for online payments, card readers, and more. However, there are still plenty of competitors to look at as well.
Here, Handepay’s closest competitors are EVO Payments, Stripe, PayPal (Zettle), Adyen, Tyl by NatWest, Square, and Worldpay. The following chart compares pricing and offerings for each.
| Provider | Handepay | EVO Payments | Stripe | PayPal Zettle | Adyen | Tyl by NatWest | Square | WorldPay |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Transaction Cost | 0.5%-3%, included for first 400 online transaction | Included in fee (Rates work out to an average of 2.2%-1%) | 2.5% + 25p for UK cards, 1.5% + 25p for EU cards | 1.2% -3.5% + fixed fee | 11p + Provider Cost (typically 3%) | 1.39% + 5p or 1.99% + 5p | 1.4%+ 25p or 2.5% + 25p | 1.4%-3.95% + fixed rate |
| Card Reader | £10-£30 | £33-£94 | £19.99+ | £79.99+ one-time payment | NA | £9.99+ | £59 one-time fee | Custom |
| Online Payment Gateway | £19.99 | £33-£94 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £14.95 | £0-£29+ | £2.95-£25+ |
| Native Checkout | 28+ | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Ease of Integration | High | High | Medium | High | High | Low | High | Low |
It can be difficult to directly compare pricing without also looking at extras like potential monthly fees, chargeback fees, etc. However, Handepay and EVO stand out with flat-rate pricing and no hidden fees.
In addition, Handepay doesn’t offer the fixed-rate authorisation fee that you see with most other providers.
Handepay Reviews & Ratings
Handepay is one of the best-reviewed payment processing companies in the UK. In fact, with a standard rating of 4.8, it’s extremely popular. Customers cite competitive pricing, transparent rates, and fast customer service.
- Fast Service – It’s easy to set up and start using Handepay. Some customers cite having a machine in just 2 business days from signup.
- Low Rates – Customers consistently quote saving money over previous providers, peace of mind with transparent fees, and not having to worry about hidden charges as reasons to love Handepay.
- Helpful Support – Customers share that support is fast, friendly, and quick to respond to account setup, integration, and problems. You also get integration support for adding a payment gateway to your website as part of the package deal –with a one-time £50 fee.
- Switchover Support – Handepay makes it very easy to switch to its services, including switchover support. In most cases, you can also have Handepay cover any switching fees you might pay.
- All-in-one Service – Working with Handepay means your merchant account, acquiring services, card terminal, and online payment gateway are all sourced through the same account. That simplifies your fees and account setup, so you only need one provider.
In short, there are a lot of reasons to love Handepay.
Who Should Use Handepay?
Handepay is the best fit for small businesses and startups.
- Small businesses looking to switch – Handepay offers stellar switching support and even covers fees. Plus, with a guarantee you’ll save money or receive £1,000, it’s a great option if you’re looking for a new provider.
- Startups – Handepay offers flat and fixed-rate fees, including options to include transaction costs in the monthly rate. That means predictable costs, which can be extremely important for new businesses.
- Non-technical business owners – With integration support, switching support, and an all-in-one service, this payment processor is idea if you want to simplify your setup and your monthly bill.
Who isn’t Handepay a good fit for? If you process a larger volume of payments, you might find that it’s more affordable to individually negotiate each service.
Choosing The Best Payment Solution For Your Small Business
If you’re looking for a payment provider, Handepay is a great solution. However, there are dozens of payment processors in the UK. The best one normally depends on your needs, your priorities, and volume of sales. Handepay is extremely competitive, well reviewed, and one of the best rated in the country. However, it might not be the best fit for you. The best way to save money is to compare as many options as you can, look at what you’re getting for the rate, and then pick the best for your specific circumstances.
Use the form below and we’ll request those quotes on your behalf, compare options for you, and send you the best savings.