Accept USD Payments: 6 Options for UK Solopreneurs

A UK solopreneur selling to US customers has a predictable problem: you can win the sale and still lose money on the payment.

It happens quietly. A $200 invoice lands, the customer pays, and you discover the “conversion fee” wasn’t one fee—it was a stack (card fee, cross‑border fee, FX margin, payout fee). Then you do the admin: reconciling, chasing failed payments, updating your CRM, sending receipts, and trying to spot which campaigns actually led to revenue.

The fix isn’t “find a cheaper provider” in isolation. The real win is choosing a payment system for accepting US dollars that also supports automation—so the payment event triggers the right emails, updates your pipeline, and keeps cash flow predictable.

Below are six solid options for accepting USD (based on the providers highlighted in the source article), plus the practical “how I’d set it up” guidance for UK one‑person businesses focused on online marketing and automation.

What to optimise for when accepting USD (not just fees)

Answer first: The best payment system for accepting US dollars is the one that matches your sales model (one-off vs recurring), and connects cleanly to your accounting and marketing automation.

Before you compare providers, decide how you’ll make money:

• One-off ecommerce / digital products: card payments, wallets (Apple Pay/Google Pay), fast checkout
• Services / retainers: direct debit / bank debit, scheduled payments, strong dunning (failed payment recovery)
• Marketplaces / platforms: local receiving accounts, smoother payouts

Presentment vs settlement currency (why it changes your margins)

Presentment currency is what the customer sees and pays in (USD). Settlement currency is what lands in your account (often GBP unless you hold USD balances).

If you present in USD but settle in GBP, you’re paying for conversion somewhere—either explicitly (a stated FX fee) or implicitly (a worse exchange rate). If your pricing is tight, holding and settling in USD (even temporarily) can be the difference between a healthy and a thin margin.

The automation test: three integrations that matter most

If you’re building a repeatable marketing engine, your payment tool should connect to:

1. Accounting (Xero/Sage/QuickBooks): clean reconciliation, tax handling, fewer manual journals
2. CRM/marketing automation (e.g., HubSpot/ActiveCampaign/Mailchimp/Klaviyo): lifecycle emails based on payment status
3. Your fulfilment workflow (course access, onboarding forms, booking links, project kickoff)

A blunt rule I use: if a payment doesn’t automatically update your customer record, you’ll end up guessing what worked.

The 6 best payment systems for accepting US dollars (and who they suit)

Answer first: For UK SMEs and solopreneurs, these tools cover the main USD use cases: recurring billing (GoCardless), multi-currency collections (Airwallex), flexible checkout (Braintree/Stripe), low-cost FX handling (Wise), and marketplace/freelance payouts (Payoneer).

1) GoCardless — best for recurring payments and predictable cash flow

GoCardless is built for recurring payments and integrates with 350+ systems (the source article specifically mentions Xero, Salesforce and Sage). A standout detail: currency conversion uses Wise and you get the real exchange rate via that mechanism.

• Fees (as stated): 2% + 20p per transaction (conversion included); no monthly fee on Standard
• Ideal for: retainers, memberships, subscription services

How to use it with marketing automation:

• When a payment succeeds, tag the contact as Active Client and send an onboarding sequence.
• When a payment fails, trigger a short “fix your payment details” email plus an internal task for you.

If you sell ongoing services (SEO retainers, design support, fractional marketing), direct debit-style collections reduce churn because you’re not relying on customers to re-enter card details every time.

2) Airwallex — best for high-volume multi-currency collections

Airwallex’s Global Account lets you receive foreign currency “as if it’s local” using local clearing. Pair that with its conversion engine and multi-currency wallet and it becomes a strong operational hub for international income.

• Fees (as stated): none
• Conversion rate (as stated): 0.5%
• Ideal for: frequent USD payments, multiple currencies, operational simplicity

Where it shines for solopreneur growth: if you’re running paid social to the US and testing offers weekly, Airwallex can help you separate USD receipts from GBP operating cash—useful for budgeting ad spend and measuring profitability by region.

3) Braintree (by PayPal) — best for broader payment methods

Braintree differs from standard PayPal because it supports more options such as Venmo, Google Pay and Apple Pay (as noted in the source). It also supports single or multiple currency setups.

• Fees (as stated): 1.9% + 20p + 1.5% multi-currency transaction fee
• Conversion rate (as stated): in line with your bank’s conversion rate
• Ideal for: businesses that want maximum checkout choice

Automation angle: the more payment methods you offer, the fewer “I couldn’t pay” messages you get. That matters because payment friction kills conversion rates—especially when your traffic is coming from time-sensitive campaigns.

4) Wise Business — best for low-cost receiving/holding USD

Wise is a favourite for transparent FX and holding multiple currencies. The source article claims Wise is “19x cheaper than PayPal” in an example comparison and highlights specific costs.

• Fees (as stated): £50 to open; USD wire payments incur a 6.11 USD charge
• Conversion rate (as stated): USD free to receive, holding limits apply
• Ideal for: freelancers and micro businesses

Where Wise fits in an automation stack: Wise is often best as the multi-currency bank layer rather than the full checkout. Pair it with a checkout tool (Stripe/Braintree) and settle into USD, then convert when rates suit your cash flow.

5) Stripe — best for online businesses managing fees and currencies

Stripe supports charging in 135+ currencies and can display the customer’s preferred currency. If charge currency differs from settlement currency, Stripe converts.

Stripe’s practical strength for a solo business is that it’s not just payments—it’s often the backbone for checkout pages, subscriptions, invoices, and reporting.

• Fees (as stated): 1.4% + 20p (UK cards); 3.25% + 20p (international cards)
• Conversion rate (as stated): 2%
• Ideal for: online businesses wanting to limit fees and scale cleanly

My take: Stripe is usually the easiest route to a professional USD checkout quickly. The trade-off is that FX can be expensive if you always convert at payout. If USD is a big slice of revenue, consider multiple settlement accounts or holding USD balances where possible.

6) Payoneer — best for marketplace and international platform income

Payoneer offers local receiving accounts and can be especially useful if you’re receiving money from networks and marketplaces (the source mentions Amazon, Wish, Rakuten and more).

• Fees (as stated): free from other Payoneer customers/receiving accounts; 3% for credit card, 1% via ACH Bank Debit (for USD taken directly from customers); marketplace/network fees vary
• Conversion rate (as stated): varies from free to small fee depending on origin
• Ideal for: freelancers, service providers, online sellers, digital marketers, holiday rental hosts

Automation angle: Payoneer is less about fancy lifecycle emails and more about getting paid reliably across platforms without manually juggling bank details per region.

Quick decision guide for UK solopreneurs

Answer first: Choose based on your revenue pattern: recurring (GoCardless), multi-currency ops (Airwallex/Wise), flexible checkout (Stripe/Braintree), or marketplace payouts (Payoneer).

Here’s a practical shortlist:

• You sell retainers or memberships: GoCardless
• You receive frequent USD and want a wallet + local collection feel: Airwallex
• You need Apple Pay/Google Pay/Venmo-style optionality: Braintree
• You want to hold USD and reduce FX pain: Wise Business
• You want fast setup and strong online checkout: Stripe
• You’re paid via marketplaces/platforms: Payoneer

If you’re torn between two, decide this way:

Pick the tool that reduces admin first. Saving 0.3% on fees is meaningless if you’re spending two hours a week reconciling payments.

How to automate USD payments into a simple growth system

Answer first: Treat each payment event as a marketing signal—paid, failed, refunded—and automate the next step so customers feel looked after without you chasing.

A simple “payment → lifecycle” automation you can copy

This works for most UK solopreneurs selling services, coaching, or digital products to the US:

1. Payment succeeds (USD)

   • Create/update contact in your CRM
   • Send receipt + “what happens next” email
   • Trigger onboarding sequence (3–5 emails over 7–10 days)
   • Create a task for you: deliver X / schedule kickoff

2. Payment fails

   • Email with clear retry link + deadline
   • SMS (optional) if you’re doing higher-ticket services
   • Internal alert so you can follow up personally if needed

3. Refund issued

   • Remove from “active customer” segment
   • Trigger a short feedback email (keep it human)
   • Log refund reason for offer optimisation

The KPI most people miss: conversion rate after pricing in USD

If you currently price in GBP and US customers see their bank’s conversion on top, you’re adding friction. Testing USD presentment often increases completion rates because the total is clearer.

If you run paid ads, even a small lift matters. Example: if 1,000 visitors hit checkout and conversion rises from 2.0% to 2.4%, that’s 4 extra sales per 1,000 visits—without spending more on traffic.

FAQs UK SMEs ask about accepting US dollars

Is it better to accept USD or just charge in GBP?

Answer first: If the US is a meaningful market for you, accept USD. It improves trust and can lift checkout completion.

Charge in GBP when the US is occasional and you don’t want operational complexity. Accept USD when you’re actively marketing in the US or quoting US-based clients regularly.

Should I hold USD or convert to GBP immediately?

Answer first: Hold USD if you have USD expenses (software, contractors, ad spend) or if FX swings hit your margin.

If everything is in GBP and cash flow is tight, immediate conversion may be simpler. Just be honest about the FX costs when pricing.

What’s the safest way to reduce failed payments?

Answer first: Use recurring payment methods where possible and set up automated dunning.

For retainers, direct debit-style collections (where available) plus a clear failed-payment flow typically reduces awkward “can you pay again?” conversations.

Where this fits in UK solopreneur business growth

Accepting USD isn’t a finance-only decision. It’s part of your online marketing system. When payments connect to your CRM and email automation, you see which campaigns drive real revenue, customers get better onboarding, and you spend less time on admin.

If you’re planning a US push in 2026—running LinkedIn outbound, selling a course, or packaging a service—set up your USD payment flow now, then automate what happens after the payment clears. You’ll feel the difference immediately.

If your payment system can’t trigger the next step, you don’t have a funnel—you have a to-do list.

Source: https://smallbusiness.co.uk/best-payment-systems-accepting-us-dollars-usd-2548730/