Which payment methods should your website list?

Key takeaways

List every way customers can pay, such as card, bank transfer, Direct Debit, Apple Pay or finance, and when payment is taken. Buyers check before committing, and an unexpected method or timing is a common reason to abandon. Surcharges on most consumer card payments have been banned in the UK since January 2018.

• List every accepted method and when payment is taken.
• Consumer card surcharges are banned in the UK.
• Show payment logos only for methods you really accept.
• Never ask for card details by email or an unsecured form.

Which payment methods should a website list?

A website should list every payment method you accept, and when each is used: deposit, staged payments or on completion. Typical methods are debit and credit cards, digital wallets, bank transfer, Direct Debit, cash and finance. Global Bridge Labs (GBL) treats payment methods and timing as item 20 of the 30-item inventory.

• What information should every business website have?
• The website information inventory: 30 items to check

Why do payment methods matter to buyers?

Payment methods matter because a buyer who cannot pay the way they want, or only finds out at checkout, often leaves. Baymard Institute's research on checkout abandonment lists extra costs, trust in payment security and complicated checkouts among the leading reasons. Stating methods early removes one more uncertainty.

• Checkout trust seals: do payment badges reassure buyers?
• Apple Pay and Google Pay on your website: worth adding?

Can you charge extra for card payments?

Not for most consumer payments. The Consumer Rights (Payment Surcharges) Regulations 2012, as amended, ban surcharges on consumer payments by most card types and many other electronic methods. Business-to-business surcharges are more restricted than they were. Build card costs into your prices rather than adding a fee.

• Prices with or without VAT: what your website shows

How should you describe bank transfer and Direct Debit?

For bank transfer, say when you will send bank details and warn that you will never change them by email, which helps protect customers from invoice fraud. For Direct Debit, mention the Direct Debit Guarantee and the payment dates. Never ask for card details by email or through an unsecured form.

• Tell clients how you protect their data

Should you show payment logos?

Show logos only for methods you accept, near the price or checkout, not as decoration in every footer. Card and wallet logos can reassure buyers, but a logo for a method you have stopped taking is misleading and frustrating. Text works as well as logos for service businesses.

• Inaccurate information on your website: the legal risk

When should payment details stay off the website?

Keep bank account details off the public website, and send them only in a verified invoice or portal. Also keep detailed credit terms for trade accounts off public pages if they differ by customer. Publish the general rule and give account-specific terms in writing.

• Deposits and payment terms: say them on your website

What does this look like in practice?

A pattern we see: a firm takes card payments over the phone but its website never says so, and customers assume bank transfer only. A single 'how to pay' line on the contact page and in the FAQs, listing methods and timing, removes a common pre-booking question.

• See client work
• Website Design & Development for UK businesses

Payment methods checklist

• List every method you accept.
• Say when each payment is taken.
• Remove card surcharges for consumers.
• Warn that bank details never change by email.
• Show logos only for accepted methods.
• Keep account numbers off public pages.

• Holiday and seasonal opening hours on your website

Next step

Write one 'how to pay' paragraph listing your methods and timing. Put it in your FAQs and on the contact page this week.