5 Charity Payment Gateways Compared

With so many options to consider, cost implications and jargon to decipher, choosing the right payment provider for your charity’s website can be a daunting task.

In our experience, there's not always a one-size-fits-all solution for charities when choosing a payment gateway. It's important to review your payment provider if it's something you've been using for several years to ensure it's still providing the best solution for your organisation. In this article, we compare a mix of established and newer payment gateways, their benefits and technical considerations.

What is a payment gateway provider?

Before we get started, let’s clarify what we mean by ‘payment gateway provider’. A payment gateway is a service provider that facilitates online payments by acting as a bridge between a merchant’s website and the financial institutions that process payments. Think of your payment gateway provider as your website’s doorway to accepting online donations or e-commerce transactions.

In terms of user experience and cost implications, integrating a payment gateway into your existing website can have many benefits over directing users to off-site platforms like JustGiving or Virgin Money. You may also want to integrate it with your charity CRM system for donation tracking, donor management and financial reporting. 

With that in mind, let’s look at how the best payment gateways used by charities stack up.

The best payment gateways for charities

Stripe

Stripe has made real inroads in the UK and Europe as an excellent payment gateway. It’s highly regarded for its developer-friendly approach and its ability to integrate smoothly into various online donation platforms. The platform’s API-based integration allows charities to create customised donation forms, automate financial reporting and manage transactions with ease.

Standard UK cards incur a 1.5% + 20p charge, while EU cards are 2.5% + 20p; however, registered charities processing 80% or more of their donations via Stripe receive a 1.2% discounted fee. One of the best things about Stripe is the range of payment methods it supports, which include online card payments, Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal and recurring donations.

When tasked with creating a new website for SCIAF, we successfully integrated Stripe into their donation payment process. 

WorldPay

Having launched back in 1994, Worldpay is certainly one of the best-known payment providers on the market. Its platform allows charities to process card payments, direct debits and recurring donations.

Worldpay doesn't have fixed pricing options; instead, the rates depend on a companies’ annual transactions and turnover. This may prove more expensive than other providers for smaller charities and non-profits, but charities that handle a high number of transactions should find it competitively priced. 

PayPal

PayPal is a versatile gateway accepting credit and debit card payments, as well as payments made via a registered PayPal account. If you are a registered charity, PayPal offers discounted transaction rates of 1.4% +20p and no monthly fee or setup charge. 

PayPal is a globally recognised name, and displaying the PayPal icon on your site’s donation page can help add social proof and legitimacy. Given the widespread use of PayPal as an existing ecommerce solution, many donors may already have a PayPal account, allowing you to cut down on the number of steps to donation. When we designed the responsive website for Gasgow Clyde College, we integrated PayPal into the donation process, enabling existing PayPal customers to donate more easily.

When we designed the responsive website for Glasgow Clyde College, we integrated PayPal into the payment methods for enrolling in a course.

Opayo (formerly Sage Pay)

Opayo, previously Sage Pay, is another well-established payment gateway that offers a reliable solution for charities. It supports multiple payment types and integrates well with a range of fundraising platforms.

The platform works on a tiered cost structure, which allows charities to negotiate rates that align with their transaction volume. Opayo offers a choice of three pricing options: Flex (from £25 p/m for 350 monthly transactions), Plus (from £45 p/m for 500 monthly transactions) and Corporate (bespoke pricing - 3,000+ monthly transactions). 

Customers benefit from 24/7 telephone support, fraud prevention tools and a fairly intuitive real-time administration function. 

Access Paysuite

Direct debit is the most commonly used method of payment for charities and non-profit organisations. Access Paysuite, formerly known as SmartDebit, specialises in direct debit processing.

One of the major advantages of Access Paysuite is its reliability in managing regular donations. It offers both paperless and online direct debit sign-up options, making it easy for donors to commit to ongoing contributions. Charities can integrate the platform through an API or use the provider’s online portal to manage payments. 

Transaction fees vary based on the flexible pricing model you choose. There are three models to select from depending on the monthly transactions you process and any additional options you need: Gateway Standard (350 transactions), Gateway advanced (850 transactions) and Gateway Enterprise. 

When building the responsive website for Age Scotland, we integrated Access PaySuite (as well as Stripe) into the client’s donation process.

Making your decision

When choosing a payment gateway for your charity, think carefully about what matters most to your organisation and your users. Weigh up the pros and cons of each platform carefully, and be sure to think beyond costs and towards what is going to provide the most benefit for your organisation.

We hope you've found this comparison useful. If it's left you pondering your own charity payment solution, get in touch to discuss questions you have.