Gross payment volume

Gross payment volume is the total value of payments processed through your payment system before any deductions. It includes all successful charges regardless of whether they are later refunded, disputed, or subject to processing fees. GPV is the starting point for understanding revenue and the foundation of a payments waterfall analysis.

GPV is the top-line indicator of payment processing scale and directly influences transaction fee costs, volume-based pricing tiers, and negotiating leverage with payment providers. Higher GPV often unlocks lower per-transaction fees, making it a factor in payment cost optimisation.

Tracking GPV alongside net revenue quantifies the true cost of payment processing. A growing gap between gross and net indicates rising fees, increasing refunds, or escalating disputes that erode the value captured from each pound processed.

GPV = Sum of All Successful Transaction Amounts

For example, if a business processes 5,000 transactions totalling 750,000 pounds in a month, its GPV is 750,000 pounds. Include all successful payment types: card payments, bank transfers, digital wallets, and local payment methods.

Do not subtract refunds, chargebacks, or fees from GPV. Those deductions belong in the net revenue calculation. GPV should represent the gross throughput of your payment system.

1. 1

   Improve charge success rate

   Every declined payment is volume that could have been captured. Optimising charge success rate through retry logic, network tokens, and card updaters directly increases GPV.

2. 2

   Expand payment method coverage

   Accept the payment methods your customers prefer. Adding local payment methods in new markets and digital wallets at checkout removes friction that prevents transactions from completing.

3. 3

   Increase average transaction value

   Higher average revenue per transaction means more volume from the same number of customers. Bundling, upselling, and tiered pricing all contribute.

4. 4

   Reduce cart and checkout abandonment

   Streamline the checkout experience to convert more purchase intent into completed payments. Faster load times, fewer form fields, and saved payment methods all reduce abandonment.