For High-Volume Merchants
Processing serious volume? This page is for you.
Once you're doing meaningful monthly turnover, pricing stops being a published rate and starts being a conversation. Here's what to expect from that conversation, and who's worth having it with.
Why the calculator doesn't cover this
Every rate on Zahl's main comparison tool is a provider's standard, publicly advertised price. Enterprise and high-volume merchants — generally anyone processing upwards of £50,000 a month, though there's no fixed line — rarely pay the standard rate. Providers negotiate a bespoke deal based on your actual volume, sector, and risk profile, so there's no single number we could put in a table that would be honest.
What to expect from a negotiation
- Interchange++ pricing often becomes available — interchange and scheme fees passed through at cost, with the provider's margin quoted separately and transparently, usually cheaper overall than a flat blended rate at this volume.
- A dedicated account manager rather than general support, common across the providers below once you're a high-volume merchant.
- Custom settlement and reporting — tailored payout schedules and reconciliation tools built for higher transaction volumes.
- Real leverage to negotiate — at this volume, providers are competing for your business, not the other way around. Get quotes from more than one before committing.
Providers worth getting a quote from
Worldpay Gateway
Custom interchange++ or blended online pricing; indicative rates from ~0.75% at high volume. One of the UK's largest and most established acquirers.
Elavon / Opayo
Plans advertised from 0.99%; final rate depends on sector and monthly volume.
Adyen
Enterprise interchange++ pricing, strong for omnichannel and multi-country selling.
Checkout.com
Enterprise gateway with custom pricing, built for high-volume, high-growth merchants.
Before you get on a call
Have your real numbers ready — average monthly turnover, average transaction value, card mix (UK/EU/international, Amex share), and roughly how many transactions you process. The more precisely you can describe your actual volume, the more precisely a provider can quote, and the harder it is for a sales conversation to steer you toward a worse deal than you'd get elsewhere.