A virtual terminal lets you take card payments over the phone by typing the card details into a secure web page, with no hardware needed. The eCom Pay virtual terminal runs in any browser on any device, settles the next working day, and sits on the same account as your online and in person payments.
24 hrs
approval, once documents are in
150+
currencies processed
4.4
Trustpilot rating
2010
processing payments since
On this page Choosing a provider · The integration · Going live · See it working · Once you are live · FAQs
Every provider offers phone payments in some form. Three things separate a proper virtual terminal from a workaround, and they are worth checking anywhere, including here.
Check your approval oddsCard details taken by phone deserve the same protection as a checkout. Ours are entered into a secure hosted page and tokenised, so numbers are never written down, stored on your machine or read back from a notepad.
A good virtual terminal handles the follow up too. Ours takes repeat and scheduled payments from a stored token, sends payment links when a customer would rather pay themselves, and processes refunds for up to 360 days.
Phone orders are still revenue, and they deserve the same settlement speed. Ours arrive the next working day, in the same settlement as the rest of your account.
Log in from any browser, take the payment, and move on with your day. The virtual terminal is built for the businesses that still do real business by phone.
The terminal is a secure web page. It works on the office desktop, a laptop at home or a tablet at the counter, with nothing to buy and nothing to maintain.
Type the amount and card details while the customer is on the line, and the payment is authorised in seconds with a receipt sent by email or text.
Store a card as a secure token and set the schedule, weekly, monthly or your own interval, with a set number of payments or an open arrangement you control.
If the customer would rather pay in their own time, generate a secure payment link from the same screen and send it by email or text.
Search every payment by date, status or customer, export what you need, and process voids and refunds, with refunds available for up to 360 days after the transaction.
Card not present payments carry more risk, so risk screening runs behind every transaction and a dedicated Risk Analyst tunes the rules for specialist sectors.
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
The application is the start, not the product. This is what running your payments with eCom Pay actually looks like, week to week.
Available 24/7 by phone, WhatsApp or email. New users, new schedules and rate reviews all go through one person who knows your account.
Next working day settlement on every phone payment, in the same payout as your online and in person takings, visible in one dashboard.
Card not present disputes come with evidence guidance and merchant-side support, and tokenised repeat payments keep a clean record trail behind every arrangement.
The virtual terminal shares its account with the gateway, payment links, recurring billing and card machines, so switching more on later takes a conversation, not a new application.
A virtual terminal is a secure web page that lets a business take card payments by typing in the card details, usually for phone or mail orders. It needs no hardware, works in any browser, and with eCom Pay it settles the next working day alongside the rest of your account.
You use a virtual terminal. The customer reads out their card details, you enter them into the secure page while they are on the line, and the payment authorises in seconds with a receipt sent by email or text. There is no card machine involved and nothing to install.
Yes, phone payments are a normal, legal way to pay in the UK. What matters is handling card details securely, which is why our virtual terminal enters them straight into a secure hosted page and tokenises them, so numbers are never written down or stored on your computer.
Yes. Store the card as a secure token and set the schedule, including frequency, start date and how many payments to take, or manage each one manually. Arrangements can be edited or paused at any time from the same dashboard.
Refunds can be processed for up to 360 days after the original transaction, straight from the transaction history screen, with voids available for payments that have not yet settled.
With eCom Pay there is no setup fee to apply and no hardware to buy, and transaction rates are agreed against your actual turnover rather than a flat tariff. The full picture is set out in plain terms before you sign.
Card details are entered into a secure hosted page and tokenised, so they never sit on your device or in your notes, which keeps your PCI scope minimal. Risk screening runs behind every payment, with 3D Secure available when you send a payment link instead.
Any business that takes orders by phone. Trades and services taking deposits, clinics and practices, wholesalers, travel businesses, charities taking donations, and offices that invoice then take payment by card. If the order arrives by phone, this is the tool.
Written by the eCom Pay team. Reviewed August 2026. Last updated August 2026.
Approved in 24 hours once your documents are in, live in any browser the same day, settled the next working day.
Customers who prefer to pay themselves? See Pay by Link, or explore all online payment solutions.