A professional services payment gateway from eCom Pay turns an invoice into a secure payment link a client settles in a tap. Retainers renew automatically through recurring billing, phone payments run through a secure virtual terminal, and every transaction leaves the clean audit trail a practice needs, with money landing the next working day.
24 hrs
approval, once documents are in
150+
currencies processed
4.4
Trustpilot rating
2010
processing payments since
On this page Why this sector is different · The setup · How it works · What underwriters look for · Staying protected · FAQs
A practice bills for expertise, then too often collects like it is 1995. A proper professional services payment gateway closes the gap between invoice sent and invoice paid, and keeps the records pristine along the way.
Check your approval oddsWork is delivered, the invoice goes out, and then the waiting starts. Every week between billing and payment is working capital lent to clients interest free, and chasing it costs fee-earning hours that never come back.
Clients read card details down the phone, someone types them somewhere, and suddenly the practice is custodian of data it never wanted. Secure payment routes remove the risk and the awkwardness in one move.
Practices answer to clients, accountants and regulators, and payment records need to reconcile cleanly against ledgers and matters. A payment setup that reports vaguely makes everyone’s month-end longer.
Every application is reviewed by people who understand fee-based businesses. The account carries invoicing, retainers and phone payments, with records your bookkeeper will thank you for.
Pay by Link attaches a secure payment link to every invoice, by email or text. Clients settle in a tap instead of scheduling a bank transfer for later, and later becoming next month.
Recurring billing collects monthly retainers and payment plans automatically, with smart retries quietly rescuing failed payments before anyone has to send that awkward email.
The virtual terminal takes card payments securely from any browser, so a client who wants to pay while on the phone can, without their card number touching a notepad.
Tokenisation stores client cards as secure tokens, so settling the next invoice takes one tap and the real card number never enters your systems, which your risk register will appreciate.
Every payment lands with clear references in one report, exportable for your bookkeeping, so matching payments to invoices and matters takes minutes rather than a morning.
Hosted, tokenised card security keeps client card data off your systems entirely, and eCom Pay is ICO registered, which is exactly what a practice should expect of anyone handling its client payments.
Fair. So here is what UK merchants say after switching to eCom Pay, in their own words.
It was such a pleasure working with eCom Pay for my company, very straightforward to set up and the team were so helpful. No hidden fees, cost efficient, and from using other platforms before I can say this has been the best so far.
Verified merchantvia Trustpilot
We found eCom Pay to be a simple, efficient payment system to integrate, with a lot of support behind it. Would recommend them over competitors who charge far too much.
Verified merchantvia Trustpilot
Great customer service from eCom Pay. Needed a card reader for my business, they had me set up fast and gave me better rates than the last company. Highly recommend.
Verified merchantvia Trustpilot
Super impressed with eCom Pay. The transaction fees are competitive, and I love that my customers have multiple payment options, which has noticeably improved my sales.
Verified merchantvia Trustpilot
Good service from eCom Pay. The card machines are reliable and easy to use. I like that there are no hidden fees and everything is explained upfront.
Verified merchantvia Trustpilot
Would highly recommend. Easy, simple, and always answers when I need help. The best payment gateway I have come across, with a wide variety of packages available.
Verified merchantvia Trustpilot
Professional services applications are among the most straightforward we process. Three things cover most of it, and your specialist walks you through each one.
Start your applicationCompany or partnership details and any professional body membership, which reads as exactly the credibility it is. For an established practice this is paperwork already on file.
Typical invoice values, retainer volumes and how much currently arrives by card. Rates are agreed against your real numbers and reviewed as the practice grows.
Your practice bank details, so next working day settlement has somewhere to go. That is genuinely most of it, and approval takes 24 hours once your documents are in.
Faster payment is a process change more than a pricing change. This is the sequence we walk practices through.
An invoice with a secure payment link gets settled in the moment it is read, because the path of least resistance now points at paying. The bank transfer scheduled for later stops being the default.
Recurring billing turns monthly retainers from twelve small collection jobs into none, with smart retries handling the card that expired and the payment that bounced.
The virtual terminal means a client ready to pay during a call can, securely, immediately. Willing money should never have to wait for an invoice run.
Clean references and one exportable report mean payments match invoices and matters without detective work, so month-end shrinks and nothing falls between systems.
Pay by Link and recurring billing each have a full page, see Pay by Link and recurring payments.
The payment infrastructure behind a fee-based practice. With eCom Pay that means Pay by Link for invoices, recurring billing for retainers, a virtual terminal for phone payments and tokenised saved cards for ongoing clients, all on one account with next working day settlement and records that reconcile cleanly.
A secure payment link goes out with the invoice by email or text. The client opens it, pays by card in a tap on a professional branded page, and the payment lands with a clear reference against the invoice. It removes the gap between a client deciding to pay and actually paying.
Yes, through recurring billing. Retainers and payment plans renew on schedule, failed payments are retried intelligently, and clients can update their card without an awkward conversation. Twelve collection jobs a year become none.
Through the virtual terminal, yes. Card details go straight into secure hosted infrastructure from any browser rather than onto paper or into a spreadsheet, so the practice never becomes an accidental custodian of card data.
That is a design goal, not a side effect. Every payment carries clear references and lands in one exportable report, so matching payments to invoices, clients and matters is a quick, boring job, exactly as month-end tasks should be.
Rates are agreed against your actual billing rather than a rate card, with no setup fee to apply. Tell us your typical invoice values and volumes, and a specialist sets out the whole offer in plain terms, usually the same working day.
No. A payment link opens a secure branded page in their browser and they pay by card in a tap. Returning clients can use a saved card with just their CVV, which makes settling the next invoice even quicker.
Approval takes 24 hours once your documents are in, and for most practices the document list is short and already on file. Your specialist guides you through it step by step, and billing routes are configured around how you already work.
Written by the eCom Pay team. Reviewed August 2026. Last updated August 2026.
Invoice links, automatic retainers and clean records on one account, with money landing the next working day, approved in 24 hours once your documents are in.
Browse more industries on the industries hub, or see Pay by Link and the virtual terminal.