Payments
How to switch card payment provider: contracts, setup and handover
Changing provider involves more than replacing the terminal. Work through your notice period, fees, till connection and first payout so you know what needs to happen before the old service ends.
Written by Jessica Gardner, In-house Editor, Reeve Consult · 2 min read
Updated
How do you switch card payment provider while reducing the risk of an interruption?
Get your current notice period and exit costs in writing, compare the new agreement and confirm that the new provider supports your exact till setup. Arrange installation and a period of overlap, then check payments, refunds and settlement before ending the old service. Application approval, equipment delivery and contract terms determine the timetable, so there is no single handover date that suits every business.
- The terminal rental and payment processing agreement may have separate notice and return requirements.
- An EPOS brand name is not enough: the supported product, version and connection need confirming.
- A successful payment should be followed through to settlement before the old service is retired.
A provider change needs a sequence the business and both suppliers can follow. The seven steps below cover the current obligations, new arrangement and handover. Agree actual dates rather than assume every switch completes in a fixed number of days.
1. Establish your current costs and obligations
Gather recent statements, the fee schedule and the processing and equipment agreements. Identify the term, notice requirements, any renewal and what ending each arrangement would cost. Ask for an account-specific exit figure in writing.
2. Compare a written proposal
Ask the new provider to price the same transaction activity and identify equipment, recurring and event-related fees. Include payout timing, support and the till connection. A headline rate is only part of the comparison.
Use your own payment activity to compare transaction charges, terminal costs, contract terms and payout schedules.
3. Confirm any switching contribution
If the new provider offers to contribute towards exit costs, establish eligibility, evidence required, exclusions and how it is paid. An advertised maximum is not an amount every business receives. Compare any uncovered cost with the proposed benefit before agreeing.
4. Arrange the account and equipment
Application approval and equipment delivery can affect the timetable. Ask what the supplier needs from you, who confirms approval and how installation is arranged. Signing an application does not establish that the equipment is already ready for trading.
5. Confirm the exact till connection
Give both suppliers the till product, version and actions required. A connection may handle payments but not every refund, split bill or ordering feature. Agree who configures it and how support is handled across the two suppliers.
Schedule the work around trading. If a connection is planned but unavailable, assess the manual work before relying on that roadmap.
6. Check payments and settlement during an agreed overlap
Follow a payment through the terminal, receipt, till record and payout. Check the daily reconciliation and the required refund process. Agree a fallback if the new equipment or connection fails.
The overlap needs to fit the contract and trading arrangements. A fixed two-day or one-week rule is not appropriate for every business.
7. End the old arrangements and retain the evidence
Coordinate the notice date with the new service's readiness. Obtain confirmation of the end date and follow any equipment-return instructions. Keep serial details, dispatch records and return confirmation so a later question can be investigated.
Export the reports you need before old account access ends. Historical records, saved cards and recurring payments can need separate planning; replacing a physical terminal does not migrate every service automatically.
Where can Reeve Consult help?
As an authorised DOJO partner, we can discuss your statement, equipment needs and a written proposal. We can help identify the questions to resolve with the suppliers before handover. Any offer, setup date or fee contribution needs confirming for your own application.
Frequently asked questions
Straight answers
Does an exit-fee offer cover every switching cost?
What should be checked during the overlap?
Next step
Which part of your payment setup would you like to improve?
Tell us where customers pay, which till you use and which charges you want explained. We can discuss the options and arrange a statement review.
Request a payment reviewJessica Gardner is the in-house editor at Reeve Consult. She writes and edits every guide, blog post, and resource published on the site, making sure the writing is plain-English, the facts check out, and the advice is genuinely useful for the UK independent business owners we work with.