The adult entertainment industry’s expansion into the digital marketplace has made merchant accounts essential for online adult entertainment vendors. Within the credit card processing industry, however, adult merchant accounts are generally classified as “high risk” merchant accounts, and many merchant account providers will therefore refuse to offer credit card processing for adult entertainment websites. The reasoning behind this varies. Some processors tend to worry that adult entertainment merchants may be fronts for illegal activity. In addition, online adult vendors may have a high rate of chargebacks or exclusively engage in card-not-present transactions.
There are some merchant services providers, though, that not only provide but specialize in high risk credit card processing, and some of these providers are willing to offer merchant accounts for adult entertainment businesses. To assist you in your search, we have compiled the following list of the top five businesses that provide credit card processing for adult merchants. Many of these companies are partnered with offshore banks and are also willing to offer offshore merchant accounts, but only some of them are known to process payments for escort services at this time. As a rule, adult merchants should anticipate paying higher than average processing fees in addition to one-time setup fees due to their high risk business type. Merchants are encouraged to click through each provider’s page before choosing one in order to find the right fit for their business type.
Best Merchant Accounts for Adult-Oriented Businesses
PaymentCloud
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Fast approval for numerous "high-risk" industries
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Broad product and service offering
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Highly praised customer support
Based in Woodland Hills, California, PaymentCloud is a merchant account provider that specializes in serving high risk business types. The company’s products and services include point-of-sale solutions, mobile phone swipers, an online payment gateway and virtual terminal, EMV-compatible terminals, and merchant cash advances. PaymentCloud is a good option for adult-oriented online businesses.
PaymentCloud provides a dedicated account rep to all new merchants for the life of the account. The company has not received any negative complaints on consumer forums, and it customizes its pricing according to each merchant’s business type and processing history. The BBB does not maintain a profile for PaymentCloud at this time, but CPO gives the company an “A.”
For more information, visit the PaymentCloud website or call (888) 506-7859.
eMerchant Broker
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Maintains numerous banking partners
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Can get approvals for international businesses
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Top-rated in "high-risk" industry satisfaction
eMerchantBroker.com is a Los Angeles, California-based company that offers high risk e-commerce processing solutions including card-not-present tobacco merchant accounts. The company’s products include ACH processing, an online payment gateway, merchant cash advance, and a chargeback management system to help merchants dispute and resolve chargeback claims. eMerchantBroker specializes in serving both retail and online adult stores of all types. The company can also provide an offshore merchant account for escort services as long as they are operating legally, such as in Nevada or Amsterdam.
eMerchantBroker.com offers custom pricing for each merchant and maintains a low complaint rate relative to its size and merchant portfolio. Our review of eMerchantBroker gives the company an “A” rating overall and the BBB assigns the company a rating of “A+.”
For more information, see the eMerchantBroker website or call (877) 301-3442.
Host Merchant Services
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Fast approval for most industries
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No contract or cancellation fees
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Highly rated customer support
Host Merchant Services is a Newark, Delaware-based merchant account provider that is capable of processing payments for U.S.-based adult content providers. The company’s products and services include online marketing tools, an online payment gateway and virtual terminal, mobile credit card processing, gift and loyalty programs, merchant cash advance, and offshore merchant accounts. Host Merchant Services specializes in e-commerce solutions and provides a free website and email address to interested merchants.
Host Merchant Services has received only positive feedback on public forums, with most reviewers singling out the company’s customer service for praise. Host offers interchange-plus pricing with no early termination fees to all of its merchants, meaning that users will enjoy the most transparent pricing model and can cancel service without penalty. The BBB gives Host an “A+” rating, and CPO also gives the company an “A+.”
For more information, visit the Host Merchant Services website or call (888) 727-4538.
Additional Options
The options below are presented to provide a broader view of adult credit card processing services. They may not have been vetted as thoroughly as the options above.
National Processing
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Top-rated choice for businesses that want Clover POS
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Fast approval and next day deposits
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Quick equipment deliver and 24/7 support
Based in Lindon, Utah, National Processing is a merchant account provider that specializes in ACH processing for small businesses. National Processing offers custom pricing depending on a merchant’s business type and processing history and does not have any complaints filed against it on any of the usual consumer protection forums. National Processing serves a variety of high-risk industries, like the adult industry, and features extra liability and fraud protection for their merchant accounts.
National Processing has received overwhelmingly positive feedback with regard to its sales and support team and offers custom pricing depending on a merchant’s business type. Our review of National Processing gives the company an “A+,” and the Better Business Bureau awards National Processing an “A+” as well.
For more information, see the National Processing website or call (385) 777-1235.
One Response
I own a small shop with adult stuff (it used to be DVD rental) and for the past year, I am using Payline to process payments. I must say I am very pleased with the ease of the whole process as well as their technical support.
I had some problems with the set-up at the beginning but I rang them up and they resolved the issue in a matter of minutes. If you are in doubt I can recommend them.
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