Card Saver
Card Saver Ltd is a UK-based payment processing ISO that introduces small merchants to FCA-authorised acquiring banks, offering card terminals, online payment gateway, virtual terminal, payment links, and business cash advances to thousands of UK SMBs.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersBlackpool, United Kingdom
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Card Saver does
Card Saver Ltd is a UK-based Independent Sales Organisation (ISO) and payment processing intermediary, founded in 2014 and headquartered in Blackpool, England. The company introduces small UK merchants to FCA-authorised acquiring banks and payment service providers — including AIB, First Data, Borgun, Evo Payments, Cashflows, Paynt, E-Merchant Pay, and Trust Payments — rather than directly providing regulated payment services itself. Card Saver supports "thousands" of UK merchants (per its own materials) across retail, hospitality, mobile trades, and online businesses.
The product portfolio spans three card terminal form factors (mobile, portable/Android-based, and countertop), an online payment gateway with WooCommerce Hosted Fields integration and Apple Pay Express Checkout, payment-by-link tools, a browser-based Virtual Terminal (eTerminal), and a Merchant Panel for real-time transaction monitoring and refunds. The stack is PCI Level-1 certified and the company holds ISO 9001 certification. An add-on Business Cash Advance product introduces merchants to partner funders for advances of £1,000–£1,000,000, repaid through card takings, with over £300M cumulatively advanced through the programme according to company materials.
The business model is a hybrid of transaction-based processing fees (via partner banks), recurring terminal rental (£3.33/month for online portal access), ancillary subscriptions (PCI compliance, till rolls), and affiliate-style referral fees on cash advance introductions. Go-to-market is sales-led via website quote requests and inside sales, supplemented by a referral scheme paying £100–£150 per converted lead. The company differentiates on a Price Challenge guarantee (£1,000 if it cannot beat a competitor's pricing), 3-day free-delivery onboarding, UK-based support, and a 4.5-star Trustpilot rating. Headcount is reported at 51–100 employees; ownership is privately held with no disclosed institutional backing.
Card Saver firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Card Saver
- Legal name
- Card Saver Ltd
- Website
- https://card-saver.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Card Saver Ltd is a UK-based payment processing ISO that introduces small merchants to FCA-authorised acquiring banks, offering card terminals, online payment gateway, virtual terminal, payment links, and business cash advances to thousands of UK SMBs.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Card Saver industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Payment Processing Services
- NAICS
- Financial Transactions Processing, Reserve, and Clearinghouse Activities (52232), Financial Transactions Processing, Reserve, and Clearinghouse Activities (522320), Sales Financing (52222)
- SIC
- Finance Services (6199), Short-Term Business Credit Institutions (6153)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Card-Present Acquirers (Retail & POS Focus) (FSAMABAC)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Merchant Acquiring & Card Processing (PSPs) (CRAFALAB)
Keywords
Where Card Saver is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Blackpool
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Card Saver business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Payment Processing Fees: Transaction fees charged on card payments processed through their terminals. Rates are competitive and backed by their price challenge guarantee.
- Terminal Rental: Monthly rental fees for card machines. Auto-enrollment for online portal access at £3.33 per month (exc VAT) and till roll subscription service.
- Cash Advance Introductions: Card Saver acts as an introducer to financial partners for business cash advances, ranging from £1,000 to £1,000,000 with fixed fees and flexible repayments.
- PCI Compliance Fees: Monthly non-compliance fees for merchants who fail to maintain PCI-DSS compliance status.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Price Challenge - Guaranteed Savings |
| Subscription | Monthly | Online Portal Access |
| Subscription | Monthly | Till Roll Subscription |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Termination Fees |
| Outcome Based/ Performance | Pay-as-you-go | Cash Advance |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
Card Saver product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Card Saver is a UK merchant services provider that supplies card payment terminals (mobile, portable and countertop), online payment gateway and virtual terminal services, pay-by-link solutions, a merchant management platform, and business cash advance introductions to small UK businesses. The company acts as an Independent Sales Organisation (ISO), introducing merchants to FCA-authorised acquiring banks including AIB, First Data, Borgun, Evo, Cashflows, Paynt, E-Merchant Pay and Trust Payments. Revenue is generated through payment processing transaction fees, terminal rental subscriptions, recurring portal/till-roll fees, PCI non-compliance charges and referral commissions on cash advances.
Product overview
Card Saver is a UK-based payment processing provider offering a unified portfolio of card payment solutions for small businesses. The core product suite consists of card machines across three form factors — Mobile Card Machines (portable/roaming), Portable Card Machines (in-store mobility), and Counter Top Card Machines (fixed retail) — supported by online payment acceptance via Online Payments, Payment Links, and a Virtual Terminal (eTerminal). All payment solutions are managed through the Merchant Panel platform, which provides real-time transaction monitoring, refunds processing, business reporting, and multi-user access. An add-on Business Cash Advance product delivers working capital funding (from £1,000 to £1,000,000) to existing card-processing merchants, repaid flexibly through card machine takings. Card Saver acts as an ISO (Independent Sales Organisation) introducing merchants to FCA-authorised acquiring banks including AIB, First Data, Borgun, Evo, Cashflows, Paynt, E-Merchant Pay, and Trust Payments.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Card Machines (Mobile Card Machines)
Quantifiable outcome
- Over £300M advanced to UK businesses through cash advance program
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Card Saver
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Card Saver technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration4 records
Feature4 records
Card Saver partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- Fleetwood Town Football ClubminorCard Saver transformed Fleetwood Town's Poolfoot Farm training complex into a completely cashless venue, installing contactless payment technology, handheld tablets for table service, and cloud-based back office software. The partnership enabled the venue to enhance customer experience and streamline operations.
- Bleep UK PLCcoreEPOS technology partnership for stadium and entertainment environments. Bleep provides award-winning point of sale systems integrated with Card Saver's payment processing for Fleetwood Town's Highbury Stadium and hospitality areas.
- AIB (Allied Irish Bank)coreAcquiring bank partner providing card payment processing services through Card Saver.
- First DatacoreAcquiring bank partner providing card payment processing services through Card Saver.
- BorguncoreAcquiring bank partner providing card payment processing services through Card Saver.
- Evo PaymentscoreAcquiring bank partner providing card payment processing services through Card Saver.
- CashflowscoreAcquiring bank partner providing card payment processing services through Card Saver.
- PayntcoreAcquiring bank partner providing card payment processing services through Card Saver.
- E-Merchant PaycoreAcquiring bank partner providing card payment processing services through Card Saver.
- Trust PaymentscoreAcquiring bank partner providing card payment processing services through Card Saver.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Card Saver competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Worldpay (FIS): One of the largest global merchant acquirers and payment processors, with deep UK SMB and enterprise coverage. Competes broadly across the same payments value chain as Card Saver, including through the acquiring partners Card Saver routes to.
- Barclaycard Payments: Major UK bank-owned card acquirer serving SMBs and enterprises with terminals, online payments and business lending. Comparable end-product offering but with bank-scale balance sheet and broader portfolio.
Direct peers
- SumUp: European-headquartered mobile card-reader and payment processing provider focused on micro and small businesses. Directly competes with Card Saver across mobile terminals, in-store acceptance, and online gateway for the same UK SMB customer base.
- Dojo: UK-based card payment provider focused on small and mid-sized merchants, offering card machines, online payments and a Merchant Dashboard. Highly comparable business model, target segment, and geographic focus to Card Saver.
- Square (Block): Global SMB payments platform offering card readers, POS software, online checkout and business financing. Card Saver's mobile/portable terminals, Merchant Panel and cash advance mirror Square's bundled SMB stack, making it a near-direct competitor.
- takepayments: UK merchant services provider offering card machines, online payments and business funding to SMBs. Competes on similar terminal hardware, multi-bank acquiring aggregation, and cash advance add-ons.
- Handepay: UK card payment and merchant services provider serving small businesses with card terminals, online payments and cash advance products. Closely comparable in product breadth, customer profile, and UK-only footprint.
- Zettle by PayPal: PayPal-owned card reader and POS provider targeting small merchants in Europe including the UK. Competes head-to-head with Card Saver on mobile/portable terminals, transparent pricing, and omnichannel SMB acceptance.
Others
- Bleep UK PLC: UK EPOS/POS technology partner that already integrates with Card Saver's payment processing for stadium and hospitality clients. Comparable as an ecosystem participant and POS software vendor rather than direct payments competitor.
Emerging players
- Stripe: Global online-first payment processor with growing in-person and SMB tooling. Overlaps with Card Saver on online gateway, virtual terminal and hosted checkout, but Card Saver is more card-present-led while Stripe leads online.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Card Saver social profiles
Digital presenceCard Saver compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Card Saver financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Card Saver leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Card Saver funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Card Saver M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Card Saver
What does Card Saver do?
Card Saver is a UK merchant services provider that supplies card payment terminals (mobile, portable and countertop), online payment gateway and virtual terminal services, pay-by-link solutions, a merchant management platform, and business cash advance introductions to small UK businesses. The company acts as an Independent Sales Organisation (ISO), introducing merchants to FCA-authorised acquiring banks including AIB, First Data, Borgun, Evo, Cashflows, Paynt, E-Merchant Pay and Trust Payments. Revenue is generated through payment processing transaction fees, terminal rental subscriptions, recurring portal/till-roll fees, PCI non-compliance charges and referral commissions on cash advances.
Is Card Saver a public or private company?
Card Saver is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Card Saver founded?
Card Saver was founded in 2014. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Card Saver based?
Card Saver is headquartered in Blackpool, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Card Saver make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Payment Processing Fees are the primary driver. The others are terminal Rental, cash Advance Introductions and PCI Compliance Fees.
Who are Card Saver's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Worldpay (FIS) and Barclaycard Payments. Direct peers are SumUp, Dojo, Square (Block), takepayments, Handepay and Zettle by PayPal. Bleep UK PLC is listed as an others. Stripe is listed as an emerging player.
Does Card Saver have an API?
No public API is recorded for Card Saver.
What industry is Card Saver in?
Card Saver's product category is Payment Processing Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAMABAC, Card-Present Acquirers (Retail & POS Focus), with a secondary code of CRAFALAB, Merchant Acquiring & Card Processing (PSPs). Its NAICS code is 52232 and its SIC code is 6199.