Terms of use

1. Who we are and how to contact us

MerchantHQ is operated by Best Business Loans Ltd, a company registered in England and Wales under company number 16833937, with its registered office at Cust Hall, Toppesfield, Halstead, Essex CO9 4EB. We are registered with the Information Commissioner's Office (registration ZC151816). In these terms, "we", "us" and "our" mean Best Business Loans Ltd trading as MerchantHQ, and "you" means the business and the individual using the service on its behalf. You can reach us at [email protected].

2. Acceptance and changes to these terms

By accessing or using MerchantHQ you confirm that you accept these terms and agree to comply with them. If you do not agree, you must not use the service. We may update these terms from time to time to reflect changes in our service, the law or regulatory guidance. The version published on this page applies to your use of the site, and the "last reviewed" date shows when it was most recently changed.

3. Who can use the service

MerchantHQ is for UK businesses looking for card payment services and merchant accounts. You must be at least 18 and authorised to act on behalf of the business named on any enquiry or quote request.

4. Our role

MerchantHQ publishes editorial reviews of card terminals and merchant accounts, runs comparison content, and introduces UK businesses to acquirers, brokers and direct payment partners. We are not an acquirer, payment institution, e-money issuer or regulated financial adviser, and we do not provide a personal recommendation. Any regulated activity is carried out by the relevant provider, not by us. The decision to enter into any contract is yours, taken on the provider's own terms after their own checks.

5. How introductions work

When you submit an enquiry we may pass your details to one or more payment partners so they can assess whether they can help. Acquirers run their own underwriting; a quote does not guarantee a contract, and a contract may be subject to additional verification, ongoing monitoring and category-specific terms. Any figures, rates or timescales on the site are illustrative and do not amount to an offer.

6. Fees and commission

MerchantHQ is free to use. We may receive a commission or introducer fee from a payment partner if an introduction leads to a completed contract. This does not change what you pay the provider, and it does not affect the order in which partners are presented, which is driven by suitability and our editorial assessment.

7. Your obligations and warranties

By submitting an enquiry or quote request you warrant that:

• The information you provide is accurate, complete, current and not misleading.
• You are authorised to act on behalf of the business named on the form.
• If your business operates in a high-risk category (for example CBD, vape, adult, firearms, gambling or supplements), you have declared this honestly so we can route you to a category-accepting acquirer.
• You consent to us sharing your details with the payment partners relevant to your request, as described in our Privacy Policy.

8. Acceptable use

You agree not to:

• Submit false, fraudulent or unauthorised enquiries, or impersonate any person or business.
• Misrepresent your business category to evade acquirer underwriting.
• Scrape, copy, republish or resell site content commercially without our written permission.
• Introduce malware, attempt to gain unauthorised access, or otherwise interfere with the security or operation of the site.

9. Information on this site

The reviews, guides and comparisons on MerchantHQ are provided for general information about card payments and merchant services. They are not financial, legal or accounting advice. We take care to keep information accurate and up to date, but we do not warrant that it is complete or error-free, and rates and product details can change.

10. Third-party links and partner sites

The site may link to partner and third-party websites. We provide those links for convenience and do not control, endorse or accept responsibility for the content, products or terms of any third-party site. Any dealing you have with a payment partner, including the contract itself, is governed by that partner's own terms and privacy notice, not by ours.

11. Intellectual property

Site content, branding, hardware photography, data and review verdicts are owned by, or licensed to, Best Business Loans Ltd and are protected by intellectual property laws. You may quote brief extracts with attribution and a link back. Any other reproduction, bulk copying or commercial republication requires our prior written permission.

12. Availability of the site

We aim to keep the site available but we do not guarantee that it will be uninterrupted, secure or error-free. We may suspend, withdraw or change all or any part of the site, and any tool on it, without notice. The site is provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis.

13. Limitation of liability

Nothing in these terms limits or excludes our liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence, for fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation, or for anything else that cannot lawfully be limited. Subject to that, and to the fullest extent permitted by law:

• We are not liable for any indirect, incidental, consequential or special loss, or for any loss of profit, revenue, business, goodwill or data.
• We are not liable for the decisions, acts, omissions, products or conduct of any acquirer or payment partner, or for any processing or acquirer contract you take.
• Our total liability to you for all claims arising from your use of the site or an introduction made through it is limited to £100.

14. Indemnity

You agree to indemnify us against any loss, claim or cost we incur as a result of your breach of these terms, your misuse of the site, or any inaccurate or unauthorised information you submit through it.

15. Data protection

We handle personal data in line with UK data protection law. How we collect, use, share and protect your information, and your rights over it, are set out in our Privacy Policy.

16. Complaints and disputes

If you have a complaint about MerchantHQ, the editorial content or the lead-form service, email [email protected]. We aim to acknowledge within two working days and resolve within fifteen working days.

MerchantHQ is an introducer service, not a regulated payment services provider. A complaint about the acquirer itself (terminal hardware, settlement, fees, account closure) should be raised first with the acquirer under their own complaints procedure. UK payment-services complaints can be escalated to the Financial Ombudsman Service where the acquirer falls within the FOS scheme.

17. General

If any provision of these terms is found to be unenforceable, the rest remain in force. Our failure to enforce a term is not a waiver of it. These terms, together with our Privacy and Cookie policies, are the entire agreement between us regarding your use of the site. We may transfer our rights and obligations to another group company; you may not transfer yours without our consent. A person who is not a party to these terms has no rights to enforce them.

18. Governing law and jurisdiction

These terms, and any dispute arising from them or your use of the site, are governed by the laws of England and Wales, and the courts of England and Wales have exclusive jurisdiction.