Processing limit breached: UK volume-cap runbook

Acquirer cap patterns (2026)

First action: confirm the cap in writing

Many SMB acquirers will not state the cap on the dashboard or in the contract. They will state it on request. Email format:

Subject: Monthly processing limit, account [your-account-id]

Hello [acquirer] underwriting team,

Please confirm the current monthly card-volume cap on my account. I am reviewing capacity for the coming quarter and want to ensure I do not breach. If the cap is volume-tiered (e.g. transaction count, average ticket), please confirm the relevant tiers.

Thanks,
[Your name]
[Business name and registration]

Build the volume-increase case

The acquirer wants underwriting confidence. Send all of this in one batch:

• Last 3 months of business bank statements showing settled card receipts
• Invoices, orders or pipeline showing the volume that needs the uplift
• Customer mix (B2B contracts, retail seasonality, expected event volume)
• Supplier invoices or stock evidence (for retail)
• Chargeback rate from the acquirer dashboard (lower is better)
• Refund rate (lower is better)
• Average ticket and transaction count (consistency reassures the underwriter)

Submit the uplift request

Per acquirer:

• Stripe: Dashboard > Risk > Volume increase request. Or email risk-uk@stripe.com.
• SumUp: Dashboard > Account > Limits. Or email merchant.support@sumup.com.
• Square: Dashboard > Account > Processing limits.
• PayPal Zettle: PayPal Resolution Center plus separate Zettle support ticket.
• Dojo: Account manager call. They underwrite per case.
• Adyen / Worldpay / tier-one: Account manager. Quarterly review process.

Typical response time: 5-10 business days. Faster for established merchants with low chargebacks.

Set up backup processing while you wait

The most reliable answer is to run two acquirers in parallel and split overflow. Common UK pairings:

• Below £15k monthly: SumUp + Square (no contracts both sides; switch in seconds)
• £15k-£40k monthly: Dojo + Stripe (Dojo handles in-person; Stripe handles online)
• £40k+ monthly: Adyen + Stripe (Adyen primary in-person and international; Stripe online and integrations)
• £80k+ monthly: Worldpay + Adyen (one tier-one as primary; one as failover)

Counter-offer routes if declined

If the uplift is refused, do not just accept. Three counter-offers:

1. Time-limited uplift. Ask for a 30-day uplift to cover a specific event (Christmas, summer surge, marketing campaign). Acquirers approve time-limited uplifts more readily than permanent ones.
2. Per-transaction increase rather than monthly. Ask for a higher single-transaction cap rather than a higher monthly total. Useful if the issue is a few large invoices, not steady growth.
3. Rolling reserve in exchange for the uplift. Offer to hold a 5-10% rolling reserve against future chargebacks in exchange for the cap increase. Common in higher-risk verticals.

When to switch acquirers entirely

If the cap pattern is recurring (multiple uplift requests per year), the acquirer is a poor fit for the business. Switch to one with a higher base cap:

• Adyen: underwrites at onboarding for the volume you state; rarely caps post-launch.
• Worldpay: traditional acquirer; per-merchant cap set in contract.
• Barclaycard, Lloyds Cardnet: tier-one acquirers; bank-relationship led.
• Dojo: middle ground; underwrites firmly but caps higher than SumUp or Stripe SMB.

Use our TCA calculator to compare the new acquirer's all-in cost. The cap is the trigger; the cost still has to fit.

If the cap is reduced (not just hit)

Some acquirers reduce caps after a chargeback breach, MCC change, or risk-flag event. This is harder to appeal because the reduction is rules-driven. Steps:

1. Get the reduction reason in writing.
2. If chargeback-driven: address the chargeback root cause first. See our chargeback runbook. Acquirer may restore the cap once chargebacks fall below scheme thresholds.
3. If MCC-change-driven: confirm your MCC is correct. MCC changes often trigger underwriter review.
4. If risk-flag-driven: send the evidence pack as if it were a freeze. See our funds-frozen runbook.
5. Escalate via formal complaint after 14 days unresolved; FOS after 8 weeks.