Five Card Payment Trends UK SMEs Can’t Ignore in Q4 2025

If you run a business in the UK, chances are you’ve already noticed the checkout counter isn’t what it used to be. Customers whip out phones instead of wallets, tap-and-go faster than you can say ‘chip and PIN’, and occasionally look horrified if you mutter the words cash only. Payment habits are shifting, and if you don’t keep up, you risk being the shop that feels like it’s still stuck in 2005.

So, what’s hot in card payment acceptance as we round off 2025? Here are five trends every SME should keep an eye on, with real numbers to show what’s happening.

1. Tap is king (and queen)

Contactless payments aren’t just popular, they’re dominant. According to UK Finance, 76% of all debit-card transactions and 66% of all credit-card transactions in April 2025 were contactless. Mobile wallets are also soaring: more than half of UK adults (57%) now use mobile wallets.

Lesson: If your terminal isn’t lightning-fast at processing taps, you’re basically queue-sabotage in human form. Invest in a slick terminal, ditch minimum-spend rules, and embrace the fact that most of your customers want to pay in under three seconds flat.

2. Omnichannel isn’t jargon anymore

Consumers don’t see online and in-store as separate worlds anymore. From UK Finance: card payments accounted for 64% of all UK transactions in 2024. Meanwhile, mobile banking (used by 75% of UK adults) became the most common way to access accounts in 2024.

For you, that means making sure the same card (or wallet) works smoothly everywhere: in-shop, on the website, in the mobile app. Bonus points if loyalty points, discounts or receipts all tie neatly together. In short: stop thinking of your checkout as a till, and start thinking of it as part of your customer experience.

3. The cards have company

Cards are still the star of the show – but they’ve got competition. For instance: open banking payments — while still smaller in scale — are growing. According to Open Banking Limited, the number of open-banking payments reached a record high with a 69% year-on-year increase in January 2024. Some merchants are nudging customers towards ‘pay-by-bank’ because fees can be 30-50% lower than traditional card interchange costs.

Cards aren’t going anywhere, but your customers increasingly expect choice. Visa/Mastercard logos are no longer enough.

4. Fraudsters are getting cleverer (and creepier)

Where money flows, fraud follows. UK Finance’s Annual Fraud Report 2025 shows that total losses from unauthorised transactions hit £722 million in 2024, up 2% year-on-year, with 3.13 million confirmed cases (up 14%). Remote purchase (i.e. online card) fraud is the main driver.

For you, it means making sure your kit is up to date (software, terminal firmware), and your team know how to spot something dodgy, without alienating any legitimate customers.

5. Limits, fees and the rule-book shuffle

Remember when contactless had a £30 limit? Quaint times (especially in this cost-of-living era). As of April 2020 the limit rose to £100, and now the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is consulting on scrapping the cap altogether, letting banks set their own limits. With card payments accounting for around 64% of all UK transactions in 2024 any change to limits or costs will ripple through SMEs quickly.

Action for you: Keep an eye on what your acquirer tells you — and don’t ignore those dull-looking emails about ‘terminal firmware updates’ or ‘limit changes’. They might just save you grief when a customer wants to tap £500 on their Amex.

Bottom line for SMEs

Payment isn’t just about taking money anymore. It’s about speed, choice, trust, and fitting neatly into how customers shop. The tech may feel like it’s racing ahead, but the real question is simple: is your checkout keeping up?

Because in 2025, nothing says “we care about your business” quite like letting someone tap their phone, grab their flat white, and be on their way before the oat milk’s gone cold.

Looking to address your card payment gaps?

If you were wondering how your checkout experience can keep up with the trends highlighted above, let Stable level the playing field for you. With a range of physical card terminal solutions from multiple providers, e-commerce, virtual terminal, pay-by-link and pay-by-bank options, and omnichannel & experiential e-commerce technologies to monetise engagement across buyer communities, the Stable team offer a free-of-charge no-obligation consultation to identify opportunities to improve your current setup. Use the link here to book a call today with the team.