Best card machine for import-export and international trade

Independent import-export businesses, freight forwarders, international trade counters. Cross-border invoicing, multi-currency settlement, B2B-heavy with commercial cards common.

Our pick

Adyen or Stripe Reader S700

Acquirer: Adyen for above £30k monthly; Stripe for invoice-pay-by-card flows

Import-export sees high cross-border interchange exposure (subject of the current PSR cap appeal; see /learn/visa-mastercard-cross-border-update-2026/) and high commercial-card mix. Adyen IC+ exposes the cross-border rates transparently; Stripe handles invoice-pay-by-card plus optional in-person hardware on one stack. Below £30k monthly, Stripe usually wins for invoice-led businesses.

Why this trade matters

Cashflow shape: Invoice-led with monthly or quarterly settlement. Multi-currency exposure where international suppliers and customers settle in EUR, USD, INR or AED.
Average transaction: £200 to £5,000+
Contactless share: ~10% (most flow is card-not-present invoice payment)

Watch outs

Cross-border interchange is the biggest cost line; ensure pricing model exposes it (IC+ not blended).
Multi-currency settlement adds fx markup unless the acquirer supports native multi-currency accounts.
KYC requirements for international trade are stricter; expect deeper underwriting.
Sanctions-screening and OFSI compliance affect onboarding for some trade corridors.
High-value transactions trigger SCA more often; 3DS configuration matters for invoice-pay-by-card.
Some acquirers refuse import-export MCC at no-contract pricing.

Alternatives

Worldpay terminals (multi-currency tier-one)
Tap to Pay on iPhone (visiting trade representatives)

Sign through us, get all of this

Take your trade. We do the rest.

Named UK account team for the life of the agreement. Acquirer pays our commission on completed introductions, so it costs you nothing on top.

24/7 dedicated support
Direct line to a named UK account manager, not a generic acquirer helpline. When your terminal goes down on a Saturday night you call us.
Quarterly rate reviews
As your card volume grows your rate should drop. We renegotiate against the 80+ UK acquirer panel every quarter, so you never overpay because you forgot to ask.
Chargeback and dispute help
UK chargebacks cost £15 to £35 per case and 60-80% are friendly fraud you can win with the right evidence. We draft the response and escalate where the acquirer drags its feet.
Switching support when you outgrow
If a better acquirer fit emerges as you grow we manage the cutover. No exit-fee surprises, no dual-running gap. Same account team across acquirers.

How we work, end to end →

Related on our sister sites

Need finance for your import-export and international trade business?

Card flow is the security on which most import-export and international trade businesses borrow. See our sister site BestBusinessLoans by sector for editorial reviews of UK lenders that fund import-export and international trade.

Last reviewed: 2026-05-10.