If customers need a straightforward way to pay you online, Stripe may be useful to explore. It provides payment infrastructure ranging from no-code payment links and hosted checkout pages to invoicing, subscriptions and developer-built integrations, so the amount of technical setup can vary considerably with what you are selling.
What it can help with
Stripe may help you take payment for services, workshops, digital products, subscriptions or ecommerce purchases. A small business can start with a hosted payment link or invoice without building a checkout, while businesses with more complex requirements can connect Stripe to websites, apps or their own payment flows.
Who it may suit
It may suit consultants, online businesses and product teams that need payments to happen digitally and want room to add more sophisticated billing later. It is less relevant if your main requirement is a simple physical card reader and point-of-sale setup, unless you intend to use Stripe Terminal or a connected system.
How it works
You create a Stripe account, complete its verification requirements and connect a bank account for payouts. You can then use products such as Payment Links, Checkout, Invoicing or Billing, or integrate the payments APIs into another product. Standard Payment Links are included with Stripe Payments; subscriptions and invoicing have their own additional pricing structures.
Cost and access
Price checked 2 September 2026. Stripe's standard UK online rate is 1.5% + 20p for standard UK cards, with higher rates for premium and international cards. Basic Payments has no setup or monthly fee on standard pricing. Invoicing starts at an additional 0.4% per paid invoice and pay-as-you-go Billing at 0.7% of billing volume.
What to check before committing
Model the fees using the payment types, currencies and customer locations you actually expect rather than the headline domestic-card rate alone. Check dispute charges, refunds, currency conversion, payout arrangements and any additional Stripe products you intend to use. Confirm that your website or booking system integrates in the way you need, and check Stripe's current restricted-business rules before building it into an offer. You remain responsible for your own invoices, tax treatment, refunds and customer obligations.
Next action
Review the UK payment rates and the additional costs of any invoicing or subscription tools your business would need.
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