Fast and easy
salon payments

Atoa allows clients to pay hair, beauty, and aesthetics businesses using their UK bank app. Our name is short for “account-to-account payments”. 

Atoa uses the UK Government’s Open Banking network, which lets customers make an instant ‘bank transfer’ to businesses without entering their bank details. Atoa helps local businesses like yours save on card fees and get paid faster. We sidestep card networks like Visa and Mastercard, which lowers business owners’ costs and cash flow.

Clients enjoy a safe and secure payment experience with Atoa. All they need is a UK bank app on their phone to pay your salon or clinic instantly without signing up or downloading any new apps.
Read our beginner’s guide to open banking to find out more.

When clients are ready to pay, they simply scan a QR code stand in the salon or clinic, which starts an account-to-account (A2A) payment in their smartphone browser. The customer enters the amount they wish to pay and selects their bank. They are then automatically redirected to their bank app to securely confirm the payment using their face ID or fingerprint scan. Once the payment is approved, funds are released to the business instantly.

Find out how in-store and phone QR payments work under ‘Features’ at the top of this page.

Our payment links are great for collecting deposits and can be shared with clients over SMS, WhatsApp, social media or email. When the client clicks the link, they’ll see the amount due and an optional reference or note from the business. The client selects their bank from the list provided and securely approves the payment in their bank app using their face ID or fingerprint scan.

Find out more about SMS payment links.

No. Atoa uses the open banking network for payments. To use Atoa, the client needs a UK bank account and banking app on their smartphone.

The client scans an Atoa QR code or clicks a payment link, which takes them straight to their bank app to approve the payment. Once confirmed, funds are transferred to the business bank account in seconds. This offers instant cash flow and up to 50% savings compared to traditional card payments. We call this technology “Instant Bank Pay” but it’s also known as an “account-to-account (A2A) payment” or “pay by bank”.

Atoa is safer than card payments. Unlike cards that can be lost or stolen, Atoa transactions are made from the customer’s bank app. Every payment is approved by the consumer’s bank and confirmed using a face ID or a fingerprint scan, removing the chances of chargeback fraud.

Atoa skips Visa and Mastercard’s card rails and instead taps directly into the UK government’s secure Faster Payments and Open Banking networks. The UK Financial Conduct Authority monitors every transaction, and banks handle all funds directly, meaning Atoa never touches your money. We’re rated “Excellent” on Trustpilot and trusted by thousands of UK businesses.

Atoa helps hair, beauty and aesthetic businesses break free from the high costs and slow settlement of card payments with an easy and convenient solution.

• Lower payment fees – Atoa offers unbeatable pricing for salons and clinics with pricing starting at 0.6% + VAT per transaction and falling with higher volumes. Anyone with a UK bank app can pay using Atoa. Customers don’t need to download any new apps.
• Instant cash flow – Say goodbye to waiting up to 14 days to get paid by your card provider. Atoa deposits funds in your bank account within seconds of the client paying.
• Easy deposits – Atoa allows you to collect deposits by sending an SMS payment link to clients. You can track payments in real time using our app and web dashboard.
• Google Review support – Atoa helps you collect 4 and 5-star Google Reviews to help more clients find your salon.
• Customer tips supported – Atoa asks clients whether they would like to give staff a tip during the payment process.
• Better customer experience – Atoa provides an “on-brand” payment experience, showing your business name and logo when making a payment. 

Atoa is trusted by hundreds of UK hair, beauty, and aesthetic businesses, and we’re rated “Excellent” on Trustpilot.

You can sign up by clicking the “Start 14-day free trial” button on the top of our website. You can also download our mobile app by searching for “Atoa Business” in the App Store or Play Store.

Registration takes about five minutes and is quick and easy. When you sign up, we offer 14 days of free transactions to get you started.