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High Risk Pay Review

Phillip Parker

I'm the creator and author behind this website. Over the last decade my merchant account reviews have helped millions of small business owners. Due to my unique position as a critic and expert, I'm frequently quoted in popular publications such as INC. Magazine and The Los Angeles Times. Need help with your credit card processing? Get in touch!

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High Risk Pay Overview

High Risk Pay Logo
4.5/5

Industries Served

  • Retail
  • E-commerce
  • High risk
  • International
  • High volume
  • Adult

Products & Services Offered

  • Debit and credit card processing
  • Point of sale equipment
  • ACH processing
  • Chargeback prevention

4.5/5
High Risk Pay Logo

Industries Served

  • Retail
  • E-commerce
  • High risk
  • International
  • High volume
  • Adult

Products & Services Offered

  • Debit and credit card processing
  • Point of sale equipment
  • ACH processing
  • Chargeback prevention

*Earning your trust is our highest priority. We live by the same values we expect to see from the companies we review: Honesty, transparency and respect. With this in mind we wish to inform you that we may in some cases, but not all, receive referral income if you choose a provider that we recommend. This income does not influence our strict editorial standards or our recommendations. Our mission is to provide you with the best information regardless of generating income.

Specializing in Hard-To-Place Business Types

High Risk Pay is a merchant account provider that focuses primarily on serving high risk business types. It has been linked to multiple other business names, including the following brands and URLs:

Global Payment Services lists the same address as High Risk Pay and displays branding at the top of its website for Group ISO. This could mean that High Risk Pay is a DBA or sub-ISO of Group ISO.

Specializing in Hard-To-Place Business Types

High Risk Pay claims to have been founded in 1997, but it is unclear which of its alternate brand names was founded in 1997. There is no record of HighRiskPay.com as an active website prior to 2008. High Risk Pay also claims to serve a wide range of industries, including e-commerce, travel, e-cigarette, startup, bad credit, international, and adult merchants.

High Risk Pay Location and Ownership

High Risk Pay does not list its acquiring bank and is headquartered at 27702 Crown Valley Pkwy Ste D4-120, Ladera Ranch, CA 92694. David Anderson is the office manager at High Risk Pay, Ami Cohen is the vice president of High Risk Pay, and Shico Marciano is the president of S & A Global, Inc.

High Risk Pay Review Table of Contents

  • Costs & Contract: High Risk Pay offers variable pricing depending on each merchant’s business type, location, and processing history.
  • Complaints & Service: High Risk Pay has received fewer than 10 public complaints.
  • BBB Rating: High Risk Pay currently has an “A+” rating with the Better Business Bureau and has received 0 complaints in the last 3 years.
  • Sales & Marketing: High Risk Pay appears to hire independent sales agents but has not received any complaints about its sales practices.
  • Rates & Fees: How Merchants Got The Best Rates With High Risk Pay

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Find out how to successfully dispute customer chargebacks. You can contest chargebacks by supplying evidence that counters the customer’s chargeback claim and then submitting the following evidence to your merchant account provider. Learn more about how to fight chargebacks in this article.

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High Risk Pay Rates, Fees, and Costs

Variable Contract Terms

As a high risk specialist, High Risk Pay likely customizes its pricing depending on each merchant’s business type, location, and processing history. Its website’s Rates & Fees section details a swipe rate beginning at 1.79% plus 0.25 for merchants with good credit and a keyed-in rate starting at 2.19% plus $0.25. Rates for high risk merchants begin at 2.95% plus $0.25 but are likely to be higher. A transaction fee of $0.50 is attached to the rate of international and adult entertainment merchants. International merchants thus can expect rates beginning anywhere from 3.50% to 6.95% plus $0.50. Meanwhile, adult entertainment merchants are charged the highest rates beginning at 9.95% plus $0.50

The company’s website does disclose additional pricing details including a $10 monthly fee and its qualified per-transaction fees for certain business types. The company claims not to charge an application or setup fee, and we have not seen any mention of other common fees such as early termination fees and PCI compliance fees.

Virtual Terminal and Payment Gateway Pricing

In addition to its storefront payment processing services, High Risk Pay also dedicates a portion of its website that advertises its virtual terminal and payment gateway services. Virtual terminal rates begin at 2.95% plus $0.25 and are also charged a gateway transaction fee of $0.10 per purchase. A monthly gateway fee of $10 also applies.

High Risk Means High Fees

High risk merchants who sign up with High Risk Pay should expect to pay higher-than-average fees, and they may also be subject to cash reserves on their accounts. This is standard practice within the industry due to the elevated risk of chargebacks that many high risk merchants pose. High risk merchants can reduce their risk of fund holds and chargebacks by being open and transparent with High Risk Pay about their business type and product lineup from the start.

No Red Flags

High Risk Pay appears to offer fairly standard pricing for a high risk processor. High risk merchants should not expect the company’s pricing to compete with the cheapest merchant accounts. If you have any information about the standard High Risk Pay agreement, please share it in the comment section below.

High Risk Pay Rates, Fees, and Costs

Key Points

Swiped Rate
1.79% - 9.95% + $0.25 Or More
Keyed-In Rate
2.19 % - 9.95% + $0.25 Or More
Virtual Terminal Rate
2.95% + $0.25 Or More
Payment Gateway Fee
$10 Per Month
Gateway Transaction Fee
$0.10 Per Transaction
International Merchant Rate
6.95% + $0.50 Or More
Adult Entertainment Merchant Rate
9.95% + $0.50 Or More
Monthly Fee
$10
Gateway Monthly Fee
$10.00
Gateway Transaction Fee
$0.10
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Top Rated For "High-Risk"
Approvals for Adult, Poor Credit, Bail Bonds, CBD, Kratom, Tobaccos, Collections, Credit Repair, Diet Programs, Educational Seminars, Electronic Cigarette, Gaming, Nutraceutical, Firearms, Sports Betting, Terminated Merchant File/MATCH, Tech Support, Travel, and More.
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High Risk Pay Complaints & Customer Reviews

Low Complaint Total

We have located only a few High Risk Pay complaints, none of which accuse the company of being a ripoff or a scam. Commonly cited issues include a difficult signup process and unexpectedly closed accounts. One complaint posted with the BCA raises the alarming possibility that the company is misrepresenting its banking relationships:

I was going through the application process with them (for a merchant services account) but they said they had to have a man come out to my home and take pictures as part of the application process. So, that was awkward but okay, I really need to process some transactions already. Next, they said underwriting needs my username and password for my paypal account. They said if they cannot log into my paypal account they will not approve my application.

At this point, this all started seeming like an email from a Nigerian Prince from the 1990’s. No one does business like this. What business asks another business for their username and password to their personal online bank? I get if you need to see bank statements that’s all fine and good when when you give an ultimatum that I either give you my banking login information or you won’t approve me, I guess I’m not getting approved. Could you imagine how far that would go if you pulled that kind of thing off with Microsoft? Seriously, Mr. Gates, this is HighRiskPay.com and we need your Paypal username/password… right…

Moving right along, their applications have BMO Harris Bank logo’s all over them so I went to BMO Harris Bank locally and BMO Harris corporate looked into it and determined that this company has no legal rights to be using BMO Harrris Bank’s logos or likeness. BMO Harris Bank is investigating and I also filed a police report with local law enforcement. I’ve placed a fraud alert on my credit and changed my bank account. These people are shady and up to something. Stay away from them!!!

We have not found any similar allegations elsewhere, so it is difficult to know at this time whether this merchant’s claims are accurate.

High Risk Pay Lawsuits

We have not found any outstanding class-action lawsuits or FTC complaints filed against High Risk Pay. Dissatisfied merchants who wish to pursue a non-litigious course of action against the company should consider reporting it to the relevant supervisory organizations.

High Risk Pay Customer Support Options

High Risk Pay does not list any dedicated customer support contact information on its website. This falls short of our expectation of top-rated payment processors for great customer service. The company’s general contact channels may redirect to customer support.

High Risk Pay Complaints & Customer Reviews

Key Points

Total Online Complaints

<10

Live Customer Support

No

Most Common Complaint

N/A

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High Risk Pay BBB Rating Summary

Clean Complaint Record

The Better Business Bureau currently assigns High Risk Pay an “A+” rating and has granted the company accreditation since 2014. The company has received 0 complaints in the last 36 months.

What Merchants Say

High Risk Pay has received one negative informal review to its BBB profile. This review describes a lengthy signup process:

Very deceptive advertising. The ’24 Hour Approval’ in particular. I’m 6 weeks in so far and have completed a very invasive screening process (giving logins to personal financial accounts, having ‘inspectors’ visit my home, etc …) and have all but given up at this point. It’s gotten to the point where they rarely even reply to my emails.

Merchants who fail to obtain approval can improve their future chances by understanding why their merchant account application was denied.

An “A” Performance

Given the company’s clean complaint record, we agree with the BBB’s rating at this time.

High Risk Pay BBB Rating Summary

Key Points

Product & Service Complaints

0

Billing & Collection Complaints

0

Advertising & Sales Complaints

0

Guarantee & Warranty Complaints

0

Delivery Complaints

0

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Truth In Marketing & Advertising

Inside/Outside Sales Team

High Risk Pay appears to market itself primarily through affiliate partnerships and independent resellers. We have not found any High Risk Pay sales complaints, but we have seen one complaint filed against Merchant Account Providers that mentions deceptive sales conduct. This lone complaint mentioned an undisclosed $149 fee charged after account activation, but the fact that it was posted in 2011 limits its usefulness in evaluating the company’s current practices.

High Risk Pay Rate Quotes

High Risk Pay lists multiple per-transaction rates ranging from 1.79% plus $0.25 to 9.95% plus $0.50. Each quoted rate applies to a different business type. However, the company only lists the qualified rate for each merchant type without mentioning the higher mid-qualified and non-qualified rates that merchants will pay on most transactions. We consider this type of rate quoting to be deceptive because it could give merchants an unrealistic expectation of the rates they will pay.

A “B” Rating

For now, High Risk Pay is only showing a few minor issues with its sales approach. However, if you believe that the company has misrepresented itself to you, you can double-check your monthly bill with a third-party statement audit.

Sales & Marketing Example

Truth In Marketing & Advertising

Key Points

Employs Independent Resellers

Yes

Advertises Deceptive Rates

Yes

Discloses All Important Terms

No

Our Opinion Of High Risk Pay

High Risk Pay Logo

A Solid High Risk Payment Processor

High Risk Pay rates as a reliable payment processor for high risk merchants at this time. The company has a relatively clean complaint record, and some of its contract terms are competitive for the high risk space. However, the company’s array of various business names and unclear corporate structure raise some questions about its management team. High risk merchants are encouraged to compare the company’s pricing to that offered by top-rated high risk payment processors before signing up.

Phillip Parker - Creator of CardPaymentOptions.com
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Why I'm Qualified to Write About Credit Card Processing

I’m a small business owner who previously worked in the credit card processing industry. I started this blog in 2009 to help other business owners by exposing credit card processors that engage in unethical marketing, rate and fee trickery, and fine-print-contract schemes. Over the last decade, I’ve reviewed hundreds of merchant services providers which has helped to educate over 5 million businesses on the nuances of credit and debit card acceptance. I’ve appeared in the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Inc. Magazine and a host of other publications to offer insight on the subject of card acceptance. 

I offer merchant account and credit card processing consultation for the following needs:

  • Selecting the right credit card processing services for your business.
  • Reducing credit card processing fees with your current merchant account provider.
  • Negotiating credit card processing fees when changing merchant accounts.
  • Strategies for reducing and recovering funding holds and chargebacks.

 

Schedule a call with me today!

 

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