Donation payments guide
Charity payment processing UK: cards, Direct Debit and platforms
UK charity payment processing is not one product category. Online card forms, recurring Direct Debit, contactless readers and fundraising platforms solve different donation jobs and create different fees, Gift Aid records, payout schedules and finance exports. This comparison uses current provider-controlled sources and separates UK-supported routes from Givebutter's US-operator requirement.
UK charity payment processors and platforms compared
These are different routes rather than interchangeable winners. Published fees are snapshots from official pages; calculate the full cost for the charity's payment mix, average donation and monthly volume before choosing.
| Route | Best fit | Published price or boundary | Check before choosing |
|---|---|---|---|
| StripeDirect online cards and custom checkout | Embedded forms, payment links, recurring cards and API-led journeys | Standard UK cards are 1.5% + 20p; eligible UK nonprofit accounts used mainly for donations can request discounted processing | The nonprofit route requires registered status and at least 80% donation-based payment volume; products, tickets, international cards, disputes and development add cost |
| PayPal charity accountWallet and card donations | Recognisable online donation buttons and PayPal checkout | Approved domestic charity transactions are 1.4% + 20p in GBP | The rate needs application and pre-approval; international, currency, refund and other product fees differ |
| GoCardlessDirect Debit and bank payments | Regular giving and account-to-account payments | Registered charities and nonprofits receive 25% off standard transaction fees for Direct Debit and Instant Bank Pay | Compare collection timing, failed payments, donor mandates, high-value fees, integrations and Gift Aid records |
| SumUpContactless and in-person collections | Events, shops, community fundraising, card readers and Tap to Pay | The current charity page advertises transaction fees as low as 0.99% | Hardware, account plan, connectivity, settlement, volunteer controls, refunds and separate Gift Aid capture affect total cost |
| JustGivingUK fundraising pages | Peer-to-peer, campaigns, events, regular giving and familiar supporter journeys | Start has no monthly subscription; payment processing applies and the optional Gift Aid reclaim service is 5% of the reclaim | Compare donor contribution prompts, membership, supporter data, payout timing, VAT and finance exports |
| EnthuseBranded fundraising and events | Owned-brand donation journeys, events and mass participation | Product-specific subscriptions plus payment-provider, Gift Aid, ticketing or other published fee components | Model VAT, contract term, supporter data, implementation, payouts and reconciliation from a current quote |
| DonorboxHosted and embedded donation forms | Recurring giving, crowdfunding, peer-to-peer and donor records with lower setup effort | Standard has no subscription and currently lists 2.95%-3.95% platform fees, plus payment gateway fees | Confirm UK payment methods, Gift Aid fit, add-ons, refunds, processor fees and CRM/accounting exports |
| GivebutterIntegrated US fundraising platform | US-based nonprofits needing campaigns, events, auctions and CRM | A campaign operator needs a US bank account, EIN or SSN and US phone; donations settle in USD | UK donors can contribute, but a UK-only charity should not treat Givebutter as a UK payment processor |
| PayPal Giving Fund UKPartner-platform giving | Eligibility for PayPal Giving Fund partner donation programmes | PayPal Giving Fund says it charges no processing fees for donations it receives; partners may charge fees | This is not the same as a charity's own PayPal checkout; confirm enrolment, receipt, donor data, payout and partner terms |
Choose by donation channel
- Use a direct Stripe or approved PayPal charity account when the charity owns its website checkout, payment settings, receipts, refunds and processor reconciliation
- Use GoCardless or another bank-payment route for regular Direct Debit giving when mandate handling, retries, collection timing and accounting integrations fit
- Use SumUp or a specialist contactless donation terminal for events, shops, street or venue giving after checking hardware, connectivity, volunteer access and Gift Aid capture
- Use JustGiving, Enthuse or Donorbox when hosted pages, peer-to-peer campaigns, events, supporter tools or lower setup effort justify platform fees
- Use PayPal Giving Fund for its partner-giving ecosystem rather than treating it as a substitute for a charity-owned checkout
- Confirm country/entity eligibility, GBP payouts, tax treatment and add-on fees before treating GoFundMe Pro or another international platform as a UK route
- Do not shortlist Givebutter for a UK-only operator unless the organisation has a genuine US bank account, EIN or SSN and US phone
Online card donation processing
- Compare standard domestic cards, international cards, wallets, recurring cards, refunds, disputes, failed-payment recovery and currency conversion separately
- Check whether a nonprofit rate applies to the whole account or only donation-heavy activity; Stripe currently requires at least 80% donation-based payment volume for its eligible nonprofit route
- PayPal's UK charity rate requires application and approval before it applies, so do not model the discount from account type alone
- Decide whether the charity can maintain an embedded form or should use a hosted payment link or fundraising platform
- Test mobile checkout, accessibility, Strong Customer Authentication, receipt wording, privacy, recurring-gift updates and campaign attribution
- Reconcile gross gifts, fees, refunds, chargebacks, payouts, Gift Aid and accounting codes rather than posting only net bank deposits
Recurring donations by Direct Debit
- Bank payments can suit regular giving where predictable collection, donor mandates and lower card-expiry risk matter more than instant card authorisation
- GoCardless publishes a charity pricing plan with 25% off standard Direct Debit and Instant Bank Pay transaction fees
- Compare setup and collection timing, failed-payment handling, mandate changes, cancellation notifications and retry controls
- Check whether the chosen fundraising or CRM system creates and updates mandates directly or requires manual exports
- Keep Gift Aid declarations and donor contact records linked to each payment schedule, including pauses, cancellations and refunds
- Model high-value, international, add-on and integration fees from the current quote rather than applying one percentage to every payment
Contactless and in-person donations
- Choose between portable readers, Tap to Pay on a phone, fixed terminals and charity-specific donation stations based on venue, connectivity and volunteer supervision
- SumUp's current UK charity page advertises transaction fees as low as 0.99%, but plan and hardware choices affect the real total
- Check preset donation amounts, custom amounts, offline behaviour, receipts, refunds, battery life, device loss, staff accounts and settlement timing
- Gift Aid is not automatically solved by accepting a card; test any declaration capture, donor identity and export workflow separately
- Separate donations from sales, tickets and shop income so accounting, tax, refunds and nonprofit-rate eligibility remain clear
- Reconcile each device or campaign to bank payouts and event records, with named owners for terminals and login recovery
Givebutter, Stripe and PayPal
- Givebutter says most supported payment methods are enabled automatically, including PayPal, Venmo, and Tap to Pay, subject to account, country, and payment-method availability
- A nonprofit does not need to create separate PayPal or Venmo accounts for donations processed inside Givebutter; Givebutter says those funds are paid out to the organisation's connected bank account
- Givebutter says organisations cannot connect an existing Stripe account, merchant account, or external payment gateway; onboarding creates a dedicated Stripe Express account inside Givebutter
- Choose direct Stripe or PayPal when the charity needs ownership of its checkout or processor relationship; choose an integrated platform only after confirming payout control, data exports, refunds, disputes, fees, and UK entity support
Model the real cost
- Payment processing fees, platform fees, donation tips or voluntary contributions, Gift Aid service fees, refunds, chargebacks, disputes, and VAT where relevant
- Developer time, website maintenance, fraud monitoring, receipt wording, accessibility, and payment form testing
- Payout timing, bank reconciliation, restricted-fund coding, campaign attribution, and monthly reporting
- Supporter support workload for failed payments, duplicate donations, refunds, and address or Gift Aid corrections
Controls before launch
- Test mobile donation flow, confirmation email, receipt, failed payment, refund, and finance export
- Decide who owns fraud alerts, disputes, chargebacks, and suspicious donation review
- Map Gift Aid declarations, consent, CRM exports, and email follow-up rules
- Do not publish a provider fee claim unless the current official source has been reviewed
Official sources
Official source
Givebutter nonprofit payment processing
Official Givebutter page covering enabled payment methods, PayPal and Venmo account handling, its Stripe Express setup, payouts, and processor-account limitations.
Official source
Givebutter supported countries and currencies
Official source for the US bank, tax ID, phone and USD requirements that affect UK campaign operators.
Official source
PayPal Giving Fund UK
Official UK charity enrolment and partner-giving source for PayPal Giving Fund.
Official source
PayPal for charities
Official UK page for charity confirmation and the current domestic donation rate.
Official source
PayPal UK business fees
Official fee table and pre-approval condition for UK charity transactions.
Official source
Stripe nonprofit fee discount support
Official Stripe support route for checking current nonprofit fee-discount eligibility without assuming an unverified rate.
Official source
Stripe UK pricing
Official standard UK card, Direct Debit, dispute, refund and product pricing source.
Official source
GoCardless charity pricing
Official support source for the charity discount on standard Direct Debit and Instant Bank Pay transaction fees.
Official source
SumUp charity card readers
Official UK charity page for card readers, Tap to Pay, transaction pricing and partner Gift Aid tools.
Official source
JustGiving for charities
Official UK charity route for fundraising pages, campaign tools, regular giving, reporting, processing fees, and Gift Aid options.
Official source
Enthuse pricing
Official pricing source for branded charity fundraising products, subscription costs, payment-provider fees, Gift Aid fees, and VAT caveats.
Related tools
Interactive tool
Charity donation platform fee calculator
Model the real cost of donation platforms by entering the fees currently shown by JustGiving, Enthuse, Donorbox, Givebutter, GoFundMe Pro, PayPal Giving Fund, Stripe, or another route. The calculator does not assume provider rates; it turns your current fee inputs into net income, effective fee rate, and reconciliation checks.
Interactive tool
Charity donation page conversion checker
Check whether a charity donation page is ready before sending supporters, email traffic, social traffic, paid search, or Google Ad Grants visitors to it. The checker focuses on source-backed claims, donor trust, practical payment flow, consent, analytics, and follow-up ownership.
Interactive tool
Charity accounting software requirements checker
Check whether a charity is ready to shortlist Xero, QuickBooks, Zoho, Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, fundraising-platform exports, or a more specialist finance setup. The checker turns finance software buying intent into requirements, reconciliation risks, and source-checked software routes.
Common questions
FAQ
Does Givebutter use Stripe and PayPal for nonprofit donations?
Givebutter supports PayPal and other payment methods inside its fundraising flow, while its official payment-processing page says each organisation creates a dedicated Stripe Express account within Givebutter. It does not let a charity connect an existing Stripe account or external payment gateway.
FAQ
Does a charity need its own PayPal account to use Givebutter?
Givebutter says a nonprofit does not need to create or manage a separate PayPal or Venmo account for those payment methods. Givebutter manages the payment route and pays funds from supported methods to the organisation's connected bank account.
FAQ
Should a UK charity use direct Stripe, PayPal, or a fundraising platform?
Use a direct processor when the charity can own the checkout, technical maintenance, fraud controls, receipts, refunds, and reconciliation. Use a fundraising platform when hosted campaigns, Gift Aid workflows, supporter tools, or lower setup effort justify its fees and data model. Confirm UK eligibility and payouts before switching.
FAQ
Which charity payment processing fees should be compared?
Compare processor and platform fees, donor-tip settings, Gift Aid service fees, subscription costs, VAT, refunds, disputes, chargebacks, failed-payment recovery, payout timing, implementation work, and monthly finance reconciliation rather than relying on one headline percentage.
FAQ
What is the best charity payment processor in the UK?
There is no single best processor for every donation channel. Stripe or PayPal can suit charity-owned online checkout, GoCardless can suit regular Direct Debit giving, SumUp can suit in-person contactless collections, and JustGiving or Enthuse can suit hosted campaigns. Compare the charity's actual payment mix and operating capacity.
FAQ
How much does PayPal charge UK charities?
PayPal's current UK charity page and fee table list 1.4% plus a 20p fixed fee for approved domestic charity transactions in pounds sterling. The rate requires application and pre-approval; international, currency-conversion and other product fees can differ.
FAQ
Does Stripe offer charity payment processing rates in the UK?
Stripe lists the United Kingdom among eligible regions for its nonprofit pricing route. The account must be a registered nonprofit, used primarily for donations, and at least 80% of Stripe payment volume must be donation based. Ask Stripe to confirm the actual approved rate before budgeting.
FAQ
Can a UK charity collect donations by Direct Debit?
Yes. A charity can use a Direct Debit provider or an integrated fundraising platform. GoCardless currently publishes a charity plan with 25% off its standard Direct Debit and Instant Bank Pay transaction fees. Check mandates, collection timing, failures, cancellations, Gift Aid and finance integration.
FAQ
How can a charity take contactless donations?
A charity can use a portable card reader, Tap to Pay on a compatible phone, a fixed terminal or a specialist donation station. Compare hardware, connectivity, transaction pricing, Gift Aid capture, volunteer access, refunds, device security, receipts and payout reconciliation before rollout.
Decision notes
- PayPal Giving Fund UK is listed because its official page describes charity enrolment, profile updates, partner reach, secure fund receipt, and donation management benefits.
- Stripe is listed as a status tracker because an official fee-discount support page exists, but exact nonprofit processing rates were not quoted from a visible current source.
- Donorbox, Givebutter, and GoFundMe Pro are listed because their official pricing pages give public nonprofit fundraising, Essentials or custom pricing, platform-fee, donor-tip, CRM, and payment-processing details, but charities still need to model payment gateway fees, add-ons, and regional payment support.
- Meta Facebook and Instagram fundraising is listed as a platform route, not a fee claim, because Facebook Help identifies the Meta and PPGF donation partnership and supported countries.