If you’re selling services or products online, you need a payment processor. Stripe has become the default choice for UK businesses — and for good reason. Here’s everything you need to know about integrating Stripe into your website.
Why Stripe?
Stripe processes payments for millions of businesses worldwide, from startups to companies like Amazon and Google. For UK businesses, the key advantages are:
- Simple pricing: 1.5% + 20p per UK card transaction, 2.5% + 20p for European cards, 3.25% + 20p for international cards.
- No monthly fees: You only pay when you process a payment.
- PCI compliant: Stripe handles all sensitive card data, so you don’t have to worry about compliance.
- Multi-currency: Accept payments in 135+ currencies with automatic conversion.
- Instant payouts: Funds arrive in your bank account in 2–7 business days (or instantly for a fee).
Integration Options
Stripe Checkout (Hosted): The simplest option. Your customer clicks a buy button, gets redirected to a Stripe-hosted payment page, pays, and gets sent back. Takes minutes to set up. This is what we use at Hire The Creatives for our package payments.
Stripe Elements (Embedded): The payment form is embedded directly into your website so the customer never leaves. More work to implement but provides a smoother experience.
WooCommerce + Stripe: If your site runs on WordPress with WooCommerce, there’s an official free Stripe plugin that handles everything.
Shopify + Stripe: Shopify has Stripe built in as “Shopify Payments.” No additional setup needed.
What You Need to Get Started
- A Stripe account (free to create at stripe.com)
- A UK bank account for payouts
- Your business details for verification
- A website with SSL (HTTPS) — mandatory for processing payments
Common Questions
Is Stripe safe? Yes. Stripe is PCI DSS Level 1 certified — the highest level of security certification in the payments industry.
Can I use Stripe for subscriptions? Absolutely. Stripe Billing handles recurring payments, free trials, prorated upgrades, and invoice generation.
What about refunds? You can issue full or partial refunds through the Stripe Dashboard. The original transaction fee is not returned.
Need Stripe integrated into your website? We can have it set up within 48 hours.