Payment methods in United Kingdom
Between 2023 and 2027, the value of British e-commerce will grow from US$305 billion to US$400 billion.
Market takeaways
- Between 2023 and 2027, the value of British e-commerce will grow from US$305 billion to US$400 billion.
- The British spend more online than almost any other European country: US$4,679 per online shopper in 2023, rising to US$6,004 by 2027.
- Brits spend almost US$35 billion a year, more than 10% of the total national online spend, with overseas e-commerce merchants.
- Even in a market like the UK, that loves cards, consumers use digital payment methods in more than 50% of all online transactions.
- British online shoppers use mobile devices in almost 60% of their online purchases, so it pays to make sure your checkout is optimized for mobile.
Population
68.4M
Online population
65M
B2C e-commerce
$285B
Banked population
97%
Credit card population
66%
E-commerce of total retail
30%
Payment method breakdown
- Card46%
- Cash1%
- Bank Transfer9%
- E-Wallet35%
- Other9%
Card scheme breakdown
- Visa77%
- Mastercard22%
- American Express1%
- Local schemes0%
- Other0%
Cross-border e-commerce
Cross-border shoppers
47%
Share of e-commerce
12%
Cross-border value (est.)
$34.2B
Featured payment methods in United Kingdom
All payment methods available in this market, sorted by prominence.
PayPal
Global digital wallet and checkout provider with broad e-commerce coverage.
Apple Pay
Apple digital wallet for secure in-store, in-app, and web payments with tokenization.
Google Pay
Google wallet for quick checkout with encrypted credentials in app and web contexts.
Click to Pay
Click to Pay is the EMVCo industry-standard secure online checkout letting shoppers pay with enrolled Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, JCB and UnionPay cards without re-entering card details. Operator: EMVCo (global card networks). Est. users: hundreds of millions of enrolled cards (2024).
Revolut
Multi-currency neobank whose app, card and "Revolut Pay" checkout button let users pay and transfer money online. Operator: Revolut Ltd / Revolut Bank UAB. Est. users: 52.5M customers (2024).
Curve
UK wallet that consolidates multiple cards into one Curve card/app for online and in-store spending. Operator: Curve UK Ltd / Curve OS. Est. users: 4.3M+ users (2024).
Monzo
UK app-based bank whose account and card are used for online and in-store payments and P2P transfers. Operator: Monzo Bank Ltd. Est. users: 12.1M users (2024).
Clearpay (Afterpay)
UK arm of Afterpay offering interest-free pay-in-four instalments at online and in-store checkouts. Operator: Clearpay Finance Ltd (Block, Inc.). Est. users: 3.5M active UK customers (2024).
Starling Bank
UK digital bank offering a current account and debit card used for online and in-store payments. Operator: Starling Bank Ltd. Est. users: 4.2M customers (2024).
Zilch
UK ad-subsidised buy-now-pay-later wallet letting shoppers pay over time anywhere Mastercard is accepted. Operator: Zilch Technology Ltd. Est. users: 4.5M customers (2024).
Maestro
Maestro is Mastercard's international debit scheme; new issuance ended July 2023 and remaining cards are being replaced by Debit Mastercard, with only limited e-commerce support. Operator: Mastercard. Est. users: historically hundreds of millions (cards expire by 2027).
Neteller
Neteller is a global digital wallet for online payments and money transfers, popular in iGaming and forex, run alongside Skrill. Operator: Paysafe Limited. Est. users: millions of accounts (2024).
PayPal Pay Later
PayPal Pay Later (including PayPal Credit) is PayPal buy-now-pay-later, letting shoppers split into installments or defer payment at checkout wherever PayPal is accepted. Operator: PayPal. Est. users: tens of millions (2024).
Skrill
Skrill is a global digital wallet widely used for online payments, money transfers, iGaming and forex, accepted at e-commerce checkouts in 100+ countries. Operator: Paysafe Limited. Est. users: tens of millions of accounts (2024).
Splitit
Splitit is a card-based installment BNPL that lets shoppers split purchases using the existing limit on their credit card with no new loan or application. Operator: Splitit Payments Ltd. Est. users: deployed across thousands of merchants (2024).
Wise
Wise (formerly TransferWise) is a multi-currency account and debit card; consumers pay online via the Wise card or balance, and it is offered as a checkout option at some merchants. Operator: Wise plc. Est. users: ~12.8 million active customers (2024).
BACS Direct Debit
One of the most common payment methods in the UK, used to make direct debits from a customer's bank account.
Featured banks in United Kingdom
All banks operating in this market, sorted by prominence.
Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC)
Beijing, China
ICBC is the world's largest bank by total assets and the largest of China's 'Big Four' state-owned banks. It offers retail, corporate, and investment banking globally.
HSBC Hong Kong
Hong Kong
HSBC is Hong Kong's largest bank and the note-issuing bank of the territory, offering retail, commercial, private, and investment banking.
JPMorgan Chase
New York, United States
JPMorgan Chase is the largest US bank and one of the world's largest financial institutions, offering consumer banking, investment banking, commercial banking, and asset management globally.
HSBC Holdings
London, United Kingdom
HSBC is one of the world's largest banks by assets, headquartered in London with a dominant presence in Asia. It offers retail, commercial, and investment banking in over 60 countries.
Royal Bank of Canada (RBC)
Toronto, Canada
Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) is Canada's largest bank by market cap and assets, providing personal, commercial, corporate, and investment banking in 36 countries.
UBS Group
Zurich, Switzerland
UBS Group is Switzerland's largest bank and one of the world's premier wealth managers. Following its acquisition of Credit Suisse in 2023, UBS now manages over $5 trillion in invested assets globally.
Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA)
Sydney, Australia
CBA is Australia's largest bank by market capitalisation and retail deposits, offering retail, SME, corporate, and institutional banking.
China Construction Bank (CCB)
Beijing, China
China Construction Bank is China's second-largest bank, specialising in infrastructure lending, housing finance, and corporate banking. It is one of the four largest banks in the world.
Bank of China (BOC)
Beijing, China
Bank of China is China's most internationally active bank, specialising in foreign exchange and cross-border trade finance. It is one of the Big Four state-owned banks.
MUFG (Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group)
Tokyo, Japan
MUFG is Japan's largest bank and one of the world's largest financial groups, offering retail, corporate, investment, and trust banking globally.
Banco Santander
Santander, Spain
Banco Santander is Spain's largest bank and one of the world's top 10 financial institutions by market cap. It serves 160 million customers in Europe, North America, and Latin America.
Citigroup (Citi)
New York, United States
Citigroup (Citi) is a global diversified financial services holding company, operating in 160+ countries. It is known for its institutional banking, treasury services, and consumer banking across emerging markets.
Bank of America
Charlotte, United States
Bank of America is the second-largest US bank by assets, providing consumer banking, wealth management (Merrill Lynch), and global banking and markets services worldwide.
Goldman Sachs
New York, United States
Goldman Sachs is a leading global investment bank, providing investment banking, securities, asset management, and consumer banking (Marcus). It is a premier advisory firm for corporations and governments.
Toronto-Dominion Bank (TD)
Toronto, Canada
TD Bank Group is Canada's second-largest bank with a major US retail banking franchise and strong domestic operations.
NAB (National Australia Bank)
Melbourne, Australia
NAB is Australia's fourth-largest bank, focusing on SME and corporate banking, with retail operations and a strong agribusiness franchise.
Emirates NBD
Dubai, UAE
Emirates NBD is Dubai's largest bank, offering retail, SME, corporate, and private banking with a strong regional and global presence.
First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB)
Abu Dhabi, UAE
FAB (First Abu Dhabi Bank) is the UAE's largest bank and one of the largest in the Middle East, formed from the 2017 merger of FGB and NBAD.
ICICI Bank
Mumbai, India
ICICI Bank is India's second-largest private sector bank, offering retail, SME, corporate, and investment banking services.
ANZ Banking Group
Melbourne, Australia
ANZ is Australia's third-largest bank, with a strong institutional banking franchise and significant presence across Asia-Pacific and New Zealand.
State Bank of India (SBI)
Mumbai, India
State Bank of India is India's largest bank by assets, deposits, and branches, a state-owned institution offering retail, SME, corporate, and international banking.
Westpac Banking Corporation
Sydney, Australia
Westpac is Australia's oldest bank, offering retail, SME, corporate, and institutional banking with a strong presence in New Zealand.
SMFG (Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group)
Tokyo, Japan
SMFG is Japan's second-largest banking group, with operations in retail, corporate, investment, and consumer finance.
Morgan Stanley
New York, United States
Morgan Stanley is a global investment bank and wealth management firm, providing institutional securities, investment management, and wealth management services worldwide.
Danske Bank
Copenhagen, Denmark
Danske Bank is the largest bank in Denmark and one of the leading universal banks in the Nordic region, serving 3 million retail and 500,000 business customers.
Mizuho Financial Group
Tokyo, Japan
Mizuho is Japan's third-largest banking group, offering corporate, investment, and retail banking, with strong trade finance and capital markets operations.
Barclays
London, United Kingdom
Barclays is a British multinational investment bank and financial services company, operating retail banking in the UK and Ireland, and investment banking globally through Barclays Bank.
Standard Chartered
London, United Kingdom
Standard Chartered is a British multinational bank focused on Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. Headquartered in London, it operates in over 50 markets providing corporate and retail banking.
Wells Fargo
San Francisco, United States
Wells Fargo is the third-largest US bank by assets, focused on retail banking, commercial banking, and wealth management with a coast-to-coast US branch network.
DNB Bank
Oslo, Norway
DNB is Norway's largest financial group and one of the largest in the Nordic region, offering retail, corporate, and investment banking, plus insurance and real estate services.
Firstrand (FNB / RMB / WesBank)
Johannesburg, South Africa
FirstRand is South Africa's second-largest banking group, comprising FNB (retail/SME), RMB (investment banking), and WesBank (vehicle finance).
KB Kookmin Bank
Seoul, South Korea
KB Kookmin Bank is South Korea's largest bank, part of KB Financial Group, offering retail, corporate, and investment banking.
Lloyds Banking Group
London, United Kingdom
Lloyds Banking Group is the UK's largest retail bank, operating under brands including Lloyds Bank, Halifax, and Bank of Scotland. It focuses on UK retail, SME, and commercial banking.
Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank (ADCB)
Abu Dhabi, UAE
ADCB is Abu Dhabi's second-largest bank, offering retail, SME, corporate, and private banking. It absorbed Union National Bank and Al Hilal Bank in 2020.
Bank of Communications (BoCom)
Shanghai, China
Bank of Communications is China's fifth-largest state-owned bank, offering retail, corporate, and investment banking services.
Qatar National Bank (QNB)
Doha, Qatar
QNB is Qatar's largest bank and the largest bank in the Middle East and Africa by total assets, operating across 31 countries.
Deutsche Bank
Frankfurt, Germany
Deutsche Bank is Germany's largest bank and a leading global investment bank, offering corporate finance, capital markets, transaction banking, and wealth management.
NatWest Group
Edinburgh, United Kingdom
NatWest Group (formerly Royal Bank of Scotland Group) is one of the UK's biggest banks, operating NatWest, Royal Bank of Scotland, and Ulster Bank brands across the UK and Ireland.
ABN AMRO
Amsterdam, Netherlands
ABN AMRO is the Netherlands' third-largest bank, focusing on retail, private, and corporate banking primarily in the Netherlands and Northwest Europe.
Handelsbanken
Stockholm, Sweden
Handelsbanken is a Swedish universal bank known for its decentralised branch model, operating across the Nordic countries and UK.
Capital One Financial
McLean, United States
Capital One Financial is a major US bank known for its credit card business, retail banking, and auto financing. It completed its acquisition of Discover Financial in 2025.
BNI (Bank Negara Indonesia)
Jakarta, Indonesia
BNI is Indonesia's third-largest state-owned bank, offering retail, commercial, and international banking services.
Riyad Bank
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Riyad Bank is Saudi Arabia's third-largest bank, offering retail, corporate, investment, and Shariah-compliant banking.
Bank Hapoalim Israel
Tel Aviv, Israel
Bank Hapoalim is Israel's largest bank by assets and deposits, offering retail, SME, corporate, and investment banking.
National Bank of Kuwait (NBK)
Kuwait City, Kuwait
NBK is Kuwait's largest bank and a major financial institution in the Middle East, offering retail, corporate, investment, and private banking.
Banco Sabadell
Sabadell, Spain
Banco Sabadell is Spain's fourth-largest bank, focused on SME and corporate banking, and owner of TSB Bank in the UK.
AIB Group (Allied Irish Banks)
Dublin, Ireland
AIB Group is Ireland's largest bank, providing retail, commercial, and corporate banking across the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, with a presence in the UK and Europe.
Santander UK
London, United Kingdom
Santander UK is the British subsidiary of Banco Santander, offering retail, business, and corporate banking including mortgages, savings, and credit cards to millions of UK customers.
Commerzbank
Frankfurt, Germany
Commerzbank is Germany's second-largest listed bank, serving 10 million private customers and 60,000 corporate clients with retail, SME, and corporate banking.
Caixa Geral de Depósitos (CGD)
Lisbon, Portugal
Caixa Geral de Depósitos (CGD) is Portugal's largest bank and a state-owned institution, offering retail, commercial, and investment banking across Portugal and internationally.
Nationwide Building Society
Swindon, United Kingdom
Nationwide is the world's largest building society and the UK's second-largest mortgage lender. It is a mutual organisation owned by its members, not shareholders, offering retail banking.
Bank of Ireland
Dublin, Ireland
Bank of Ireland is one of Ireland's oldest and largest banks, offering retail, commercial, and corporate banking in Ireland and the UK.
Arab Bank Jordan
Amman, Jordan
Arab Bank is Jordan's largest bank and one of the oldest private sector banks in the Arab world, with operations in 30+ countries.
Access Bank Nigeria
Lagos, Nigeria
Access Bank is Nigeria's largest bank by customer base, following its merger with Diamond Bank, offering retail, SME, and corporate banking across Africa.
Natixis
Paris, France
Natixis is the corporate, investment, insurance, and financial services arm of Groupe BPCE. It provides capital markets, investment banking, and asset management globally.
Eurobank
Athens, Greece
Eurobank is one of Greece's four systemic banks, with operations in Bulgaria, Serbia, Cyprus, Luxembourg, and London, offering retail and corporate banking.
Habib Bank Limited (HBL)
Karachi, Pakistan
HBL is Pakistan's largest bank by assets, offering retail, SME, corporate, and international banking in 25+ countries.
Mediobanca
Milan, Italy
Mediobanca is Italy's leading investment bank and a significant financial services group, providing corporate finance, private banking, and consumer credit.
LHV Group
Tallinn, Estonia
LHV Group is Estonia's largest domestically-owned financial group, offering banking and investment services with a leading fintech presence in Europe.
Virgin Money UK (Clydesdale Bank)
Glasgow, United Kingdom
Virgin Money UK (formerly CYBG / Clydesdale Bank) is a UK challenger bank offering retail and business banking products. It merged with Virgin Money in 2018 and was acquired by Nationwide in 2025.
Pictet Group
Geneva, Switzerland
Pictet is a Swiss independent private bank founded in Geneva, operating as a partnership. It specialises in wealth and asset management with a global presence.
National Bank of Pakistan (NBP)
Karachi, Pakistan
NBP is Pakistan's state-owned bank and the country's second-largest bank, offering retail, corporate, and government banking.
Bank of Cyprus
Nicosia, Cyprus
Bank of Cyprus is the largest bank in Cyprus, offering retail, SME, and corporate banking in Cyprus, the UK, and internationally.
Lombard Odier
Geneva, Switzerland
Lombard Odier is a Swiss private bank and asset manager founded in Geneva in 1796, one of the oldest private banking partnerships in the world.
TSB Bank
Edinburgh, United Kingdom
TSB Bank is a British retail bank spun off from Lloyds Banking Group and now owned by Banco Sabadell, serving 5 million customers across England, Scotland, and Wales.
Triodos Bank
Zeist, Netherlands
Triodos Bank is a Dutch ethical bank that exclusively finances sustainable and social enterprises. It operates in the Netherlands, Belgium, UK, Germany, Spain, and France.
Ahli United Bank (AUB) Bahrain
Manama, Bahrain
Ahli United Bank is Bahrain's largest bank, now part of Kuwait Finance House, offering retail, corporate, and Islamic banking across the GCC and UK.
Metro Bank
London, United Kingdom
Metro Bank is a UK challenger bank founded in 2010, notable as the first new high street bank to open in over 100 years. It focuses on retail and SME banking with seven-day-a-week branches.
Bank Audi Lebanon
Beirut, Lebanon
Bank Audi was Lebanon's largest bank before the 2019 financial crisis. It continues to operate under severe restrictions alongside the deeply distressed banking system.
Other Banks — United Kingdom
London, United Kingdom
Aggregate of all remaining banks in United Kingdom not individually listed, collectively representing ~25.8% of domestic banking assets.