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Best High Risk Merchant Accounts

  • Phillip Parker
  • Credit Card Processing
  • February 1, 2022
FTC & Advertising Disclosure

We take great pride in providing one of the only objective an unbiased merchant account review websites on the internet. To support this enormous responsibility we earn some of our revenue through affiliate fees and advertising. These revenues in no way influence our ratings or reviews. Learn more about our monetization policies here. 

Merchant Accounts For Hard-To-Approve Businesses

It’s hard to find quality credit card processors for high risk business types. Many large merchant account providers will refuse to process transactions for high risk businesses, which limits the options that are available to hard-to-place merchants. With so few processors to choose from, merchants can find themselves simply signing up with the first provider that will accept them instead of shopping around and looking for reputable, experienced processors that specialize in high risk merchant accounts. This leads to headaches down the road, as high risk merchants are especially vulnerable to chargebacks, fund holds, excessively high rates, or placement on the TMF/MATCH list.

Find A Flexible Credit Card Processor Below

To help you find the right provider for your business, we’ve compiled the following list of the top high risk merchant account providers. Each of these processors is able to place a wide range of high risk business types, but we’ve included a specific list of industries that each provider serves so that you can narrow your search to companies that suit your business needs. Legal and banking regulations are constantly shifting, so these industry lists should only be considered current as of this article’s publication date.

In addition to having significant experience working with high risk merchants, these providers also maintain positive reputations among merchants and are known to offer fair pricing and quality customer support. As always, the best way to ensure that you receive a great deal on your high risk merchant account is to contact multiple providers and compare their pricing and service packages.

Top Picks for High Risk Merchant Services

PaymentCloud Company Logo

PaymentCloud

See Our Full PaymentCloud Review
  • Fast approval for numerous "high-risk" industries
  • Broad product and service offering
  • Highly praised customer support
View Pricing
Sales & Support:
(888) 506-7859
★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Strong Reputation For Fast Approvals

Based in Woodland Hills, California, PaymentCloud is a merchant account provider that specializes in serving high risk business types. This includes CBD and Kratom businesses. 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 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.”

High Risk Business Types Served By PaymentCloud

Adult, Airlines and Jet Charters, Bad Credit, Bail Bonds, CBD, Kratom, Cigars, Pipes, Tobaccos, Collection Agency, Credit Repair, Debt Consolidation, Diet Programs, Educational Seminars, Electronic Cigarette, Electronics, Gaming, High Ticket, High Volume, Moving Companies and Transportation, Multi-Level Marketing and Bizops, Nutraceutical, Online Firearm Sales, Prepaid Calling Cards, Software and E-Books, Sports Betting Advice, TMF Merchants, Tech Support, Travel & Timeshares, VOIP & Telecom.

For more information, visit the PaymentCloud website or call (888) 506-7859.

PaymentCloud Company Logo

Contact PaymentCloud

Website: paymentcloud.com
Phone: (888) 506-7859
View Pricing
eMerchant Broker Logo

eMerchant Broker

See Our Full eMerchant Broker Review
  • Maintains numerous banking partners
  • Can get approvals for international businesses
  • Top-rated in "high-risk" industry satisfaction
View Pricing
Sales & Support:
(877) 301-3442
★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Established High Risk Veterans

eMerchantBroker.com is a Los Angeles-based credit card processor that primarily serves high risk e-commerce business types. The company’s high risk processing services include chargeback dispute resolution, an online payment gateway, ACH processing, merchant cash advance, and MOTO processing options. eMerchantBroker.com has maintained a low complaint rate since our first review of the company and appears to offer custom pricing plans depending on each business’s type and processing history. Our review of eMerchantBroker.com currently awards the company an “A” rating, while the BBB gives it an “A+.”

High Risk Business Types Served By eMerchant Broker

Adult Merchant Accounts, Airlines and Jet Charters, Bad Credit, Bail Bonds, Cigars and Pipes, Collection Agency, Credit Repair, Debt Consolidation, Diet Programs, Ecig Merchant Accounts, Educational Seminars, Electronics, Furniture, Gaming, High Ticket, High Volume, MLM and Bizops, Moving & Transportation, Nutraceutical, Online Firearm Sales, Penny Auctions, Prepaid Calling Cards, Software and E-Books, Sports Betting Advice, Tech Support, Ticket Brokers, TMF Merchants, Travel and Timeshares, VOIP and Telecom, Water Purifiers

For more information, see the eMerchantBroker website or call (877) 301-3442.

eMerchant Broker Logo

Contact eMerchant Broker

Website: emerchantbroker.com
Phone: (877) 301-3442
View Pricing
host merchant services logo

Host Merchant Services

See Our Host Merchant Services Review
  • Fast approval for most industries
  • No contract or cancellation fees
  • Highly rated customer support
View Pricing
Sales & Support:
(888) 727-4538
★ ★ ★ ★ ★

All-Purpose High Risk Processing

Host Merchant Services is a Newark, Delaware-based merchant account provider that is well-suited for most general business types as well as domestic high risk merchants. The company’s products and services include point-of-sale solutions (with specific packages for the restaurant, salon, professional service, and contractor sectors), 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 businesses and provides a free website and email address to new merchants who require them. The company has received exclusively positive feedback on public forums, with most reviewers singling out the company’s customer service for praise. The BBB gives Host an “A+” rating, and CPO also gives the company an “A+.”

High Risk Business Types Served By Host Merchant Services

Web Hosting and Telecom, SEO, Events and Tickets, Furniture, E-books, Electronics, High Ticket, Vape Shops, Drop Shippers, Glass/Head Shops, Pawn Shops, Real Estate, Travel, Tours, Software Downloads, Replicas, Weapons, Credit Repair, and some international/offshore merchants.

For more information, visit the Host Merchant Services website or call (888) 727-4538.

host merchant services logo

Contact Host Merchant Services

Website: hostmerchantservices.com
Phone: (888) 727-4538
View Pricing

Additional Options

national processing credit card processing logo

National Processing

See Our Full National Processing Review
  • Top-rated choice for businesses that want Clover POS
  • Fast approval and next day deposits
  • Quick equipment deliver and 24/7 support
View Pricing
Sales & Support:
(385) 777-1235
★ ★ ★ ★ ★

High Risk Specialists

Based in Lindon, Utah, National Processing is a merchant account provider that serves both standard-risk and high risk merchant sectors. The company offers a wide range of retail and e-commerce solutions for most business types, including adult, auto parts, collections, credit repair, diet programs, e-cigarettes, electronics, extended warranties, fantasy sports, financial services, firearms, online furniture sales, multi-level marketing, nutraceuticals, online gaming, precious metals, self storage, and travel.

National Processing Reviews

National Processing customizes its pricing depending on each merchant’s size, business type, and processing history. The company has earned an “A+” rating in our review as well as an “A+” rating with the BBB.

For more information, visit the National Processing website or call (385) 777-1235.

national processing credit card processing logo

Contact National Processing

Website: nationalprocessing.com
Phone: (385) 777-1235
View Pricing
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About The Author

Phillip Parker is a Payments Industry Analyst and creator of this blog, CardPaymentOptions.com. Phillip is passionate about researching merchant service providers and payment industry trends. He is often quoted as an expert source in national publications such as INC Magazine, The Los Angeles Times, Entrepreneur, and many others.

“I started this blog because I was disgusted by the business practices of the merchant services industry. I wanted to empower business owners by providing insight on how to avoid shady merchant account providers and costly credit card processing mistakes.” 

Phillip’s Processor Comparisons

Picking a credit card processor can be a headache, but we’ve made it easy. Phillip recommends comparing the best merchant services providers we’ve researched.

Audit Your Merchant Account

When was the last time you had your rates audited by someone who wasn’t also trying to sell you credit card processing services? We support this website by helping business owners understand how to cut their processing costs, either with a new processor or their current one. Learn more.

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How To Sync Payments With QuickBooks

The following merchant services providers offer either direct or indirect integration. Providers with direct integration offer solutions like payment gateways, plugins, or APIs that seamlessly transfer your transaction details and payment history from your merchant account to QuickBooks. Providers with indirect integration…

Read more >>>

analyzing data

Before You Switch,
Audit Your Costs

Before you switch processors, audit your current processing costs to ensure that you save the most you can possibly save in fees.

Learn How >>>

2 Responses

  1. Sam says:
    July 3, 2017 at 7:16 pm

    Wondering about your thoughts on CCBIll for high risk/adult sites?

    I’m in Australia and it seems to be the main one used here. There is also Safe2Pay that allows high risk with a merchant account at an AU bank.

    Thanks for a great blog and article.

  2. Erica says:
    January 12, 2017 at 1:25 am

    Hi Phillip,
    Excellent website, clarified a lot for me.
    Running a high risk company, I am always looking for better credit card rates and other non-creditcard payment options (like Payza and Skrilll – which are currently not my best choice I learned through your reviews). I’d love to see that section expanded on your website. Especially for European countries such as France, as it continues to be a very difficult country to do business with.
    It’s a bit of a bold request, I am aware, but I really love the way you put things in order in credit-card-country!
    Best regards, Erica

Comments are closed.

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