The Forum of Private Business (FPB) has joined forces with Accept Cards Ltd (ACL) to cut the expense of taking card payments and the hassle of seeking out alternative providers.

Many business owners are paying high rates because they do not have sufficient time or resources to shop around for a better deal. Some are unaware they can use the credit card merchant services provided by lenders other than their existing banks but some firms are seeing their merchant services suddenly withdrawn due to the industry sector in which they operate.

Nick Palin, the FPB’s director of finance, says: “Prices for merchant services are increasing. Controlling costs is so important yet many businesses simply do not review how much they spend on taking card payments.

“The solution is to shop around, but this is easier said than done for the majority of small businesses – some are not even aware that switching to another provider is an option.

“ACL does all the work by searching for the best deal possible. In addition, it provides peace of mind for business owners, for example by making sense of their statements, which are often convoluted and confusing.”