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Worldpay is a strong choice for retailers, businesses building customer loyalty programs and businesses dealing in multiple currencies.
Retail businesses conduct more transactions per day than most other companies. Along the way, things can go wrong, from credit card chargebacks to inventory errors that cause frustrating stockouts. But a lot can go right too, like building loyalty through rewards programs and boosting sales with gift cards.
Worldpay helps retailers manage these challenges with flexible payment options, strong omnichannel capabilities and support for a wide range of payment methods. It can also be paired with Global Payments’ Genius POS system for inventory tracking and other retail management tools. For these reasons, we’ve named Worldpay our top credit card processor for retail.
When we evaluated Worldpay, we found it well-suited for retailers managing both brick-and-mortar and e-commerce sales. Its ability to handle transactions across channels in one system stood out right away, helping businesses avoid juggling separate tools and keep operations running smoothly during busy sales periods.
We also liked the range of payment methods Worldpay supports, which goes beyond accepting credit cards to include digital payment options like mobile wallets, buy now/pay later services and region-specific payment types. For retailers with diverse or growing customer bases, offering familiar payment options can make it easier for customers to complete their purchases, whether they’re shopping in-store or online.
Notably, Worldpay can be paired with Global Payments’ Genius POS system, which adds inventory tracking and other retail management tools. It also offers 24/7 phone support, which can be especially helpful for retailers during peak hours or outside standard business times.
Pricing can be harder to pin down, since Worldpay doesn’t publish its rates. That said, it offers options like surcharging and cash discounting, which may help some retailers manage processing costs. For all these reasons and more, we selected Worldpay as the best credit card processor for retail stores.
When testing, we found Worldpay’s online dashboard intuitive and easy to navigate. Even less tech-savvy business owners should be able to get comfortable with it fairly quickly. When we logged in, we immediately saw an overview of transactions for the current day, past week and past month, along with billing and dispute data on the homepage. Everything else was accessible from the left-hand sidebar, which felt organized and easy to use.
Worldpay also makes it easier for retailers to understand and manage their transactions with detailed data insights. For example, when we wanted to look into a specific credit card sale, we could find it quickly under the Transactions section.
From there, we were able to view more detailed information about each transaction, including the payment method, channel type and authorization code. One feature that stood out was the reporting tool, which lets users generate reports on things like gift card activity, disputes and potential credit card fraud.
When we tested Worldpay, a few features stood out right away, especially for retail businesses.
Worldpay can be paired with Global Payments’ Genius POS system, which includes inventory management tools alongside its payment processing capabilities. We were impressed by how much visibility these tools provided into what was available to sell, helping us keep track of stock across locations.
The inventory suite lets users monitor stock levels in real time, making it easier to avoid stockouts and keep products available for customers.
Worldpay offers several ways to build customer loyalty and encourage repeat business, including gift and loyalty cards, reward point systems and stored value programs. We like that these tools can be introduced gradually and adjusted over time as your customer base grows.
The Genius POS reporting tools help you keep an eye on how these programs are performing. You can track how specific loyalty program campaigns are doing and get a clearer sense of what’s working, which can make it easier to refine your rewards strategy over time.
Worldpay offers a range of POS options through its partnership with Global Payments, including devices that run on the Genius POS system. These include countertop terminals for traditional checkout setups, handheld devices for taking payments around the sales floor and a virtual terminal if you want to accept credit card payments over the phone.
We like that these options make it easier to match your setup to how your business actually operates. For example, handheld Genius mobile POS systems can be useful for line-busting or assisting customers throughout a store, while countertop systems are better suited for fixed checkout areas.
Depending on your setup, you can use:
The virtual terminal adds flexibility, letting you take payments without a physical device or send a payment link when that’s easier for the customer.
Worldpay’s payout tools make it easy to send funds to customers, partners or vendors without adding extra steps to your workflow. You can issue payments to bank accounts, cards and digital wallets, including options like ACH transfers, international wires and mobile wallets, in multiple currencies. Depending on your setup, payouts can be delivered the same day, next day or even in real time, which can help guard against cash flow disruptions.
We like that you’re not limited to one method. Whether you’re processing refunds, paying suppliers or handling marketplace payouts, you can choose the option that makes the most sense for each situation. Worldpay also builds in safeguards like fraud monitoring, tokenization and payee verification checks, which help reduce errors and keep transactions secure.
For retailers with international operations, built-in foreign exchange tools and support for global payout routes make it easier to send money across borders without relying on separate providers.
Worldpay doesn’t publish its pricing online, so you’ll need to contact the company for a quote based on your business size, transaction volume, sales channels and hardware needs. This lack of transparency may be frustrating for some merchants, especially compared with competitors like Helcim that clearly list their rates.
Worldpay typically uses long-term contracts, often around three years, and early termination fees may apply, depending on your agreement. Fees can include transaction costs, monthly service charges and other line items that vary by business type and setup.
PCI compliance costs can also vary. In some cases, these fees are bundled into your pricing, while in others they may appear as a separate monthly charge or apply only if your business falls out of compliance.
We didn’t run into any major issues during the onboarding process, and getting started with Worldpay was more straightforward than we expected. When we contacted the sales team about opening an account, we were connected with a representative quickly and received a follow-up email shortly after our call.
After that, we were sent a link to complete registration, which only took a few minutes. While the overall process moved quickly, the exact timeline can vary depending on your business type and setup.
Overall, onboarding was fairly smooth, especially for a credit card processor, where approvals and setup can sometimes take longer.
Here’s what you need to know about Worldpay’s customer support.
While Worldpay has many strengths, we identified a few drawbacks you should keep in mind:
To determine the best credit card processors for small businesses, we viewed product demos, tested platforms when possible, read user reviews and contacted each vendor’s support team. We also evaluated how easy each platform’s hardware and software are to use and whether contract terms felt fair to merchants. Additionally, we compared rates and fees, paying close attention to whether vendors offered flexible or customizable pricing.
To identify the best credit card processor for retailers, we looked closely at features that support day-to-day operations, like inventory tracking, employee management, loyalty and gift card programs and reporting tools. We also considered how well each provider handles different payment methods, currencies and sales channels, along with whether its hardware makes sense for in-store use.
We recommend Worldpay for…
We don’t recommend Worldpay for…