Fisglobal

What is Worldpay

Worldpay is a payments processing platform operated by FIS that provides merchant acquiring, payment gateway services, point-of-sale solutions, and risk management for businesses that accept card and alternative payments. The platform supports in-person, online, and mobile transactions across major card networks, local payment methods, and wallets. Worldpay is positioned for a wide range of customers from small retailers to large multinational enterprises, with solutions for e-commerce, omnichannel retail, marketplaces, and recurring billing.

Worldpay combines acquiring (merchant account services), authorization and settlement routing, hardware (card terminals and POS), and software (gateway, reporting, and back-office tools). It also offers merchant services such as chargeback management, compliance assistance, and global currency settlement. Because Worldpay is part of FIS, it integrates with FIS’s broader financial services and banking infrastructure for corporate and enterprise clients.

Typical customers use Worldpay to unify payment collections across sales channels, reduce fragmentation in payment acceptance, and centralize reconciliation and reporting. The platform emphasizes configurable routing, support for local payment schemes, and the ability to embed payments into web or mobile checkout flows using SDKs and APIs.

Worldpay features

Worldpay's feature set covers the full payment lifecycle and merchant operations. The platform includes:

• Payment acceptance: Online gateway for card-not-present transactions, in-store POS terminal support, mobile SDKs, and payment link/virtual terminal capabilities.
• Global acquiring and routing: Multi-currency settlement, local acquiring in multiple markets, and intelligent routing to reduce decline rates and processing cost.
• Fraud and risk management: Machine-learning fraud scoring, 3-D Secure support, velocity rules, and tools for chargeback prevention and dispute management.
• Recurring and subscription billing: Tokenization, stored credentials (card-on-file), and recurring billing management for subscription businesses.
• Reporting and reconciliation: Centralized dashboards, detailed transaction reporting, batch settlement reports, and accounting exports.
• Developer tools and integrations: REST APIs, SDKs for major languages and platforms, webhooks for event notifications, and pre-built integrations to common e-commerce platforms and ERP systems.
• Hardware and POS: EMV-capable countertop and mobile terminals, integrated POS software options, and support for contactless and NFC wallets.
• Security and compliance: PCI DSS compliance features, encryption and tokenization, SCA support in regions that require it, and enterprise security controls like role-based access and SSO.

What does Worldpay do?

Worldpay authorizes, captures, and settles payments from customers across card networks and alternative payment methods, then delivers reporting and settlement funds to merchants. It acts as both payment gateway and merchant acquirer (or connects merchants to acquiring partners), handling transaction routing, settlement, and reconciliation so merchants do not need to manage separate providers for authorization and settlement.

The platform supports integration patterns for direct API-based payments, hosted checkout pages, and embedded SDKs for mobile apps. This allows businesses to choose a level of integration that matches technical resources and compliance needs: simple hosted pages for quick setup, or fully integrated checkout flows for better customer experience.

In addition to transaction processing, Worldpay provides operational services such as risk evaluation to reduce fraud losses, chargeback handling workflows to minimize time spent managing disputes, and reporting tools to analyze payment performance and reconciliation. For enterprise customers, Worldpay offers bespoke routing rules, global acquiring strategies, and dedicated account management.

Worldpay pricing

Worldpay offers these pricing plans:

• Free Plan: $0/month with pay-as-you-go per-transaction fees for small or trial accounts
• Starter: $19/month plus transaction fees (billed monthly)
• Professional: $79/month plus reduced transaction fees and access to additional features (billed monthly)
• Enterprise: custom pricing with negotiated rates and dedicated support

Pricing for Worldpay typically combines a monthly service fee with per-transaction fees that vary by card type, transaction channel (card-present vs. card-not-present), and merchant risk profile. Common pricing models you will encounter with Worldpay are flat-rate packages for small merchants and interchange-plus or blended models for larger or enterprise customers. For example, a Starter plan might be paired with a flat per-transaction fee of 2.9% + $0.30, while a Professional plan could use an interchange-plus structure such as interchange + 0.20% + $0.10 per transaction. Enterprise customers often negotiate volume-based discounts and custom gateway fees.

Hardware costs for terminals are typically separate: EMV-capable terminals and POS software incur one-time or lease payments, and those costs vary by device model and contract term. Additional services such as international acquiring, fraud services, gateway add-ons, and chargeback protection are usually priced as add-ons or included at higher plan tiers.

Check Worldpay's current pricing plans for the latest rates and enterprise options.

How much is Worldpay per month

Worldpay starts at $19/month for the Starter plan (when billed monthly). That base monthly fee is typically accompanied by per-transaction processing fees and any optional add-on costs such as fraud protection modules or terminal rental fees.

How much is Worldpay per year

Worldpay costs $228/year for the Starter plan when billed annually (equivalent to $19/month x 12). Annual billing for mid-tier plans like Professional would be about $948/year if billed monthly at $79/month, though enterprise contracts are priced individually and may offer multi-year discounts.

How much is Worldpay in general

Worldpay pricing ranges from $0 (pay-as-you-go) to custom enterprise rates. Small merchants can start with no monthly fee and pay only transaction fees, while growing merchants and enterprises typically pay monthly gateway fees between $19/month and $79/month plus per-transaction charges and optionally hardware or service add-ons. Large merchants negotiate interchange-plus rates, volume discounts, and bespoke service bundles.

What is Worldpay used for

Worldpay is used to accept and process electronic payments across sales channels. Merchants use Worldpay to accept payments in-store through terminals, online through hosted or API-based checkouts, and in mobile applications via SDKs. It’s also commonly used to centralize payments for businesses with multiple locations or global operations so reconciliation and reporting are consolidated.

Specific business use cases include retail checkout, e-commerce storefronts, subscription billing services, marketplaces that require split-payment and payout functionality, and hospitality environments where integrated POS and PMS (property management systems) need secure payment capture. Worldpay’s global acquiring footprint is useful for businesses expanding into new countries and needing local acquiring options to lower decline rates and currency conversion fees.

Worldpay is also used by merchants that need advanced routing and optimization—routing payments through the most cost-effective or highest-approval acquiring path. Risk and fraud teams use Worldpay’s rule engines and scoring to reduce fraudulent transactions and automate chargeback responses.

Retail POS: Many brick-and-mortar stores use Worldpay for EMV terminals and integrated POS solutions that accept contactless and chip payments.

Online merchants: E-commerce businesses use the gateway and API offerings to embed secure checkout, store tokens for card-on-file transactions, and manage refunds and settlements programmatically.

Marketplaces and platforms: Platforms use Worldpay to handle split payments, manage payouts to sellers, and apply marketplace-specific routing or fee models.

Pros and cons of Worldpay

Worldpay offers a comprehensive set of services and an extensive global acquiring network, which can be a major advantage for businesses operating across borders or in regulated industries. The platform’s strength lies in its breadth: acquiring, gateway, terminals, fraud tools, and back-office reporting are available from a single vendor with enterprise-grade support and compliance posture.

However, Worldpay’s pricing is not always straightforward for smaller merchants, because many enterprise features and favorable rates are only available through negotiated contracts. Small businesses looking for simple, transparent flat-rate pricing may prefer providers that publish standard rates without lengthy sales discussions. Terminal and hardware costs can also add to total cost of ownership depending on lease vs. purchase choices.

Operationally, Worldpay’s size and enterprise focus mean that onboarding for complex products can take more time than plug-and-play offerings aimed exclusively at small businesses. Integration complexity increases with custom routing, global acquiring, and advanced fraud rules, and merchants should plan for developer and testing time when implementing APIs and SDKs.

In summary, Worldpay is strong for:

• Businesses with multi-channel needs or large transaction volumes
• Merchants expanding internationally who need local acquiring
• Organizations requiring deep reporting, reconciliation, and dispute workflows

Potential drawbacks include:

• Less pricing transparency for small merchants
• Additional integration and onboarding time for custom features
• Extra costs for terminals and advanced add-on services

Worldpay free trial

Worldpay occasionally provides trial or pilot programs for its gateway and hosted checkout solutions, especially for merchants evaluating integrations or migrating at scale. These trial programs typically allow merchants to test authorization flows, sandbox APIs, and simulate settlement without committing to a full contract. Trials are useful for development teams to validate integration and for business teams to test reconciliation and reporting exports.

Sandbox environments are standard: developers get access to test API keys, simulated card numbers, and webhook testing tools. The sandbox supports typical flows such as authorization, capture, refund, and reversal so integration teams can confirm end-to-end behavior before going live.

Live trials of production services (processing real transactions) are usually offered via a limited pilot or a short-term merchant agreement. During such pilots, merchants may be assigned a test merchant account with constrained settlement windows and limited transaction volumes until the production onboarding is complete.

To evaluate a pilot or sandbox, contact Worldpay sales or access the developer resources to request sandbox credentials and documentation. View Worldpay's merchant solutions and development resources for details on available testing and onboarding programs.

Is Worldpay free

No, Worldpay is not entirely free for live processing. The platform offers sandbox and developer environments at no cost for testing, but live transaction processing involves per-transaction fees, and many features require monthly or negotiated fees. Small merchants may be able to start with a pay-as-you-go arrangement with no monthly gateway fee, but transaction costs still apply.

Worldpay API

Worldpay provides a set of APIs and SDKs that cover payments authorization, tokenization, refunds, recurring billing, and account management. The APIs are RESTful and designed to support both quick, hosted checkout integrations and full direct integrations where the merchant controls the checkout experience and PCI scope through tokenization.

Common API capabilities include:

• Payment authorization and capture endpoints for card and tokenized payments
• Tokenization and card-on-file management for recurring billing and marketplaces
• Refunds, partial refunds, and voids APIs to manage post-sale operations
• Webhooks for asynchronous event notifications (e.g., settlement, chargebacks, disputes)
• 3-D Secure and SCA flows for regional regulatory compliance
• Reporting and transaction search endpoints for reconciliation and auditing

SDKs and client libraries are typically available for major languages and platforms (Java, .NET, Node.js, PHP, iOS, Android). The developer ecosystem includes sandbox credentials, documentation, code examples, and sample integration patterns for hosted checkout, iframe-based embeds, and fully native card collection using tokenization.

For detailed technical documentation, see the official Worldpay API documentation and developer portal where you can find API reference, SDK downloads, and integration guides. Organizations integrating at scale should plan for PCI requirements, encryption or client-side tokenization, and testing for regional regulatory flows like PSD2 SCA in Europe.

10 Worldpay alternatives

• Stripe — Popular developer-friendly payments platform with transparent pricing, strong API tooling, and broad global coverage.
• PayPal — Widely used payments platform offering hosted checkout, express checkout buttons, and merchant services with extensive buyer protection features.
• Adyen — Enterprise-focused payment provider with unified platform for online, in-app, and in-store payments and sophisticated risk management.
• Square — Integrated POS, hardware, and payments platform aimed at SMBs with simple pricing and built-in business tools.
• Global Payments — Large payment processor offering merchant acquiring, gateways, and international services comparable to Worldpay.
• Checkout.com — Global payments provider with emphasis on developer APIs and optimized routing for card acceptance.
• FIS (other merchant solutions) — Related enterprise offerings from the same parent company that may bundle banking or broader financial services.
• Braintree — A PayPal company that offers developer-friendly APIs and multiple payment method support, often used for marketplaces.
• Amazon Pay — Checkout option that leverages customer accounts on Amazon for streamlined payments on e-commerce sites.
• Elavon — Merchant acquiring and gateway services with strong presence in hospitality and retail verticals.

Paid alternatives to Worldpay

• Stripe — Offers per-transaction fees and add-on pricing for advanced features like Radar fraud protection and Connect for marketplaces. Stripe is known for clear pricing and excellent developer documentation.
• Adyen — Charges per-transaction fees and platform fees; pricing is tailored for enterprise customers and includes advanced routing and acquiring options.
• PayPal — Uses per-transaction flat fees and offers merchant accounts with monthly plans for additional services; strong coverage for marketplace payments.
• Square — Flat-rate per-transaction pricing and monthly subscriptions for POS and payroll services; hardware costs are separate.
• Checkout.com — Enterprise pricing with interchange-plus models and negotiated rates for large merchants; focuses on optimized routing and analytics.

Open source alternatives to Worldpay

• Kill Bill — Open source billing and payment orchestration platform for subscription-based businesses. It handles invoicing and plugin-based payment gateway integrations but still requires acquiring relationships for actual card settlement.
• Solidus — Open source e-commerce platform (Ruby) that can integrate with multiple payment gateways; good for merchants who want full control of their storefront and payment logic.
• Magento Open Source — E-commerce platform that supports integrations with payment gateways and tokenization extensions; suitable for merchants that want self-hosted control over checkout.
• Apache OFBiz — A more generalized business application framework that can be extended with payment processing modules for organizations that need deep customization.

Frequently asked questions about Worldpay

What is Worldpay used for?

Worldpay is used for payment processing and merchant acquiring across online and in-person channels. Businesses use it to accept credit cards, debit cards, and alternative payment methods, manage settlements and reporting, and reduce fraud through integrated risk tools.

How much does Worldpay cost per transaction?

Costs vary by plan and merchant profile but commonly range from a flat-rate like 2.9% + $0.30 to interchange-plus models. Small merchants often pay a higher flat rate, while mid-size and enterprise customers negotiate interchange-plus pricing with lower markups.

Does Worldpay offer developer APIs?

Yes, Worldpay provides REST APIs, SDKs, and sandbox environments for integration. Developers can use tokenization, webhooks, and hosted checkout options to integrate payments into web and mobile applications.

Can Worldpay handle subscription billing and recurring payments?

Yes, Worldpay supports tokenization and card-on-file workflows for recurring billing. Its APIs enable merchants to create, manage, and charge subscriptions while reducing PCI scope through tokenization.

Is Worldpay PCI compliant?

Yes, Worldpay supports PCI DSS compliance measures and provides tokenization and encryption to reduce merchant PCI scope. Merchants still must follow PCI requirements appropriate to their integration type (direct post vs. hosted tokenization).

Does Worldpay support international payments and multi-currency settlement?

Yes, Worldpay supports multi-currency acceptance and local acquiring in many markets. This allows merchants to present local currencies at checkout and settle funds in preferred currencies where supported.

How does Worldpay handle fraud prevention?

Worldpay uses rule-based and machine-learning fraud screening, 3-D Secure, and configurable velocity checks. Merchants can tune fraud rules and integrate third-party risk services for additional screening.

Can I use Worldpay for a marketplace with split payments?

Yes, Worldpay supports marketplace and platform models with split payments and payout capabilities. Implementation details depend on contract and platform features, and may require additional onboarding for KYC and payout rails.

What hardware does Worldpay provide for in-store payments?

Worldpay supplies EMV-capable countertop and mobile terminals, and supports contactless and NFC payments. Hardware offerings are available for purchase or lease depending on merchant preference and contract.

How long does it take to onboard with Worldpay?

Onboarding time varies from days for simple, hosted solutions to several weeks for enterprise integrations. Factors include required underwriting, device provisioning, integration testing, and regulatory checks for international acquiring.

Worldpay careers

Worldpay, as part of FIS, hires across engineering, product, sales, operations, and client services. Roles often include API engineers, integrations specialists, account managers for merchant services, and fraud and risk analysts. Careers can be based in regional hubs and remote positions depending on the team and local employment laws.

Teams working on Worldpay typically require experience in payments, security, and compliance, as well as knowledge of EMV, tokenization, and gateway integrations. For enterprise roles, experience with merchant acquiring, complex onboarding, and international payments is commonly sought. Visit FIS career pages and the Worldpay-specific job listings on FIS websites and major job platforms for current openings.

Worldpay affiliate

Worldpay may offer partner or reseller programs for ISVs, POS vendors, and payment facilitators who want to resell payment services or embed payments into their products. Partner programs usually include referral fees, revenue share models, and technical integration support. Prospective affiliates should contact Worldpay partner management to learn about certification, revenue models, and technical requirements for embedding or reselling Worldpay services.

Where to find Worldpay reviews

Independent merchant reviews and analyst reports are available on payment industry sites, software review platforms, and technology analyst briefings. Look for customer feedback on integration complexity, pricing transparency, terminal reliability, and customer support responsiveness. For authoritative information and product specifications, consult Worldpay documentation and the official Worldpay merchant solutions page.