Best Payment Solutions for Veterinary Practices in 2026

There is a particular cruelty to the moment when a pet owner, already anxious about their animal, has to stand at a reception desk and navigate a clunky payment process. Vet visits are emotionally charged at the best of times. The last thing either party needs is a payment system that adds friction to an already stressful situation.

For a sector where UK pet owners spent £6.3 billion on vet and pet care services in 2024, that is a significant amount of money being processed through systems that may not be working as hard as they should.

So what does modern vet clinic payment processing actually look like in 2026?

What vet practices need from a payment solution

Before looking at options, it helps to be clear on what matters most in a veterinary context. Practices deal with a mix of scenarios that card-only setups handle poorly. Some of them include:

• Emergency visits where clients are not physically present to pay
  
  
• Large bills that exceed contactless limits
  
  
• Deposits for procedures booked in advance
  
  
• Follow-up payments for ongoing treatment plans

Speed matters at reception. Transparency matters when bills are high. And flexibility matters when clients need to pay remotely or in instalments.

Pay by Bank with Atoa

Pay by Bank is the most significant shift in animal clinic payments in recent years. Rather than swiping a card or waiting for a card machine to process, clients pay directly from their banking app. They can use using Face ID or fingerprint scanning to authenticate, with funds arriving instantly.

Atoa brings this to vet practices through QR codes at reception, payment links sent by SMS or email, and online checkout for deposits taken ahead of appointments. Because Pay by Bank bypasses card networks, fees are lower than standard card processing rates. This matters when practices are processing high volumes of transactions daily. There are no chargebacks, settlement is instant, and the client experience is clean and modern.

For emergency out-of-hours payments or post-consultation billing, Atoa’s payment links are particularly useful. A link sent to a client’s phone removes the need for them to come back to the practice just to pay. It also means reception staff spend less time chasing payments and more time on patient care.

Atoa also supports card payments through the same platform, so practices are not asking clients to choose between one or the other at checkout.

Traditional card terminals

Most practices already have a card terminal, and there is nothing wrong with keeping one. Standard contactless payments work well for routine consultations within the £100 contactless limit. For higher-value bills, customers authenticate via PIN or a mobile wallet like Apple Pay, which has no upper limit.

Card terminals work, but they come with card processing fees, chargeback risk, and no option for clients to pay directly from their bank. For a busy practice, they are a starting point rather than a complete solution.

Payment links and remote billing

Online payment options enable practices to request payments in advance, ensuring that financial matters are handled smoothly even during off-hours. Payment links sent by SMS or email let clients pay at their convenience, removing the awkwardness of large bills being settled at a busy reception desk. 

According to PDSA’s 2025 PAW Report, 51% of UK pet owners reported worrying about vet costs. A smooth, flexible vet practice billing experience, including the option to pay from home via a link, goes some way towards easing that.

Atoa’s payment links support both Pay by Bank and card, giving clients the choice without the practice needing to manage two separate systems.

Contactless vet payments in practice

The key shift for 2026 is not choosing between card and Pay by Bank, it is offering both from one platform. Clients paying for a routine check-up can tap their card or phone. Clients paying for a large procedure can use Pay by Bank from the same QR code, at lower cost to the practice and with no chargeback risk.

Atoa is built for exactly this mix. For vet practices looking to modernise without overhauling everything at once, it is a practical place to start. Book a demo with the Atoa team to see how it works in a practice setting.