Practical help for getting the most from your payment setup — starting with how to pull and prepare the merchant statement we need for your free audit.
Most providers supply you a monthly statement or invoice either by email or via an online portal or app. We’ve put together a quick, provider-by-provider guide for the quickest way to download a PDF statement — covering the major UK payment providers, with a catch-all if yours isn’t listed.
Some providers supply statements as password-protected PDFs. Once you open the file with its password, making an unlocked copy to upload is quick. Only remove protection from statements you’re authorised to access.
Providers password-protect statements for security. The password is usually in the covering email, or set to something like your Merchant ID, business postcode, or account number — check the original email or your online portal. If you can open and read the file, you already have what you need to make an unlocked copy.
Open the statement and enter its password so it’s on screen. Then choose File › Print (or Ctrl + P), and for the printer pick “Save as PDF” or “Microsoft Print to PDF”. Save it — the new file opens without a password.
Open the statement in Preview and enter the password. Choose File › Export as PDF (and make sure the “Encrypt” option is unticked), then save. The exported copy has no password.
Open the file with its password. In Acrobat, the simplest route is again File › Print › “Save as PDF”. (In paid Acrobat you can also use File › Properties › Security and set security to “No Security,” which needs the document’s permissions password.)
It’s almost always in the original email from your provider, or based on your Merchant ID / postcode / account number. If you still can’t find it, contact your provider’s support and ask them to confirm it or resend an unlocked copy — see the provider guide above for support numbers.
You don’t have to unlock it yourself. Upload the protected statement and tell us the password in your covering note, or ask your provider for an unlocked copy — whichever is easier. We’ll take it from there.
Integrated payments link your card machine to your EPOS, so every sale passes through automatically with nothing keyed in by hand. But it usually ties you into just one or a few providers, so it’s a trade-off with cost. Here’s how the two options compare, so you can decide what fits your business best.
Card terminals are now also customer engagement and business insight tools. These are three add-ons we sometimes flag during an audit or integration review — one puts loyalty on the card itself, one turns your terminal into a customer-insight tool, and one handles cashless tipping. None is essential; we’ll only ever suggest one where it genuinely fits.
Integrated EposA complete EPOS and till system for hospitality and retail. It runs front-of-house, stock and reporting in one place — and can integrate your payments so every sale flows through automatically.
Card-linked loyaltyLoyalty that runs on the card machine itself. Customers earn rewards just by paying with their usual card — no separate loyalty card, no app to download, and nothing to sign up for at the till.
Customer insightTurns your existing card machine from a ‘blind’ terminal into a ‘smart’ one — it recognises customers, runs loyalty (or links to your existing programme), and feeds back real insight, with no new hardware.
Cashless tippingA cashless, fully compliant tipping platform. Customers tip by tap, click or scan, and 100% of tips go straight into staff’s digital wallets — with no employer involvement in the money and no admin for you.
We use our proprietary AI tool to audit, benchmark, and advise whether to stay, switch, or renegotiate. At no cost to you.
