Is Verotel a Safe Choice for High-Risk Businesses?

We take our role in providing guidance and education regarding the card payment industry very seriously. At our own expense, we have vigorously defended our right to continue expose unethical and predatory practices in the industry, successfully defeating every attempt to silence us. However, fending off frivolous lawsuits is costly. To sustain these efforts, one of the ways we generate revenue is through affiliate partnerships with ethical providers. This means that some of our outgoing links connect business owners to trustworthy, low-cost payment processors, which is what most of our readers seek. We see this revenue channel as a win-win-win for everyone involved. Business owners find good processors, processors get good clients, and we are able to continue to provide a valuable service to the small business community. We also recommend and link to many services that do not compensate us. Our priority is to guide you to the best solutions for your needs, regardless of potential revenue. If you have questions, please feel free to contact us.

All mentions of rate and fee costs are estimations based on publicly available information and client feedback. Actual costs may vary based on a variety of factors unique to your business.

Verotel

Rating
B
4.3/5
full starfull starfull starfull starempty star

Pros and Cons of Verotel

Pros

Dedicated Support
Flexible Integration
Advanced Fraud Prevention
Multi-Currency Support
High-Risk Business Focus

Cons

Limited Public Information
Variable Pricing Structure
Limited Industry Focus
Restricted Payment Methods
Variable Pricing Structure

Overview

In this Verotel review, we’ll take a closer look at their credit card processing services, including point-of-sale (POS) systems, mobile payment tools, and e-commerce features. We’ll pay special attention to how they serve high-risk businesses and which industries may benefit most. We’ll also examine customer reviews to highlight common trends, praise, and concerns. Alongside those insights, we’ll break down Verotel’s pricing structure, contract terms, and standout features. By the end, you’ll know whether Verotel is a smart choice for your payment processing needs.

About Verotel

Screen Capture of Verotel Homepage
Verotel Homepage

Founded in 1998, Verotel is a merchant account provider that specializes in high-risk e-commerce transactions with an emphasis on selling digital goods and viewer subscriptions. The company also does business as GayCharge, which allows merchants to accept credit cards while protecting customers’ sexual identity.

Issues with Fund-Holds

High-risk businesses face a unique set of challenges compared to standard-risk businesses. Fund-holds are among those issues. Dozens of merchants have had their payments frozen by Verotel. If you’re one of them, then you might find these resources helpful:

Products & Merchant Services

Payment Processing

Verotel processes credit and debit cards for both standard and high-risk businesses, with a particular focus on online adult entertainment and related industries. Their services include multilingual 24/7 support, business IBANs, multi-currency processing (USD, GBP, EUR), and efficient payout options for talent. The Bitsafe platform offers a suite of payment tools, including a business debit card, mass and automated payments, payout reporting, and account pairing. Verotel emphasizes the ease of worldwide payouts for adult industry talent.

Online Payment Gateway

Verotel provides an online payment gateway that allows businesses to accept and process transactions directly on their websites.

Subscription Billing Service

Verotel’s subscription billing service enables businesses to set up recurring payments for ongoing services or products.

Fraud Screening

To enhance security, Verotel offers a fraud screening service designed to detect and prevent fraudulent transactions.

Customer Reviews & Sentiment

Exploring Verotel Customer Reviews

Analysis of Verotel reviews shows over ten negative accounts in the past three years, with a history of complaints dating further back. A notable division in these reviews emerges between Verotel’s operations in San Francisco and Amsterdam. In San Francisco, issues were primarily centered around fraudulent transactions and frozen accounts, without indications of the company being a scam. Since relocating to Amsterdam, complaints have shifted towards poor customer service, billing inaccuracies, and abrupt account cancellations. Some issues also pertain to products sold by Verotel merchants. We welcome readers to add their own Verotel review in the comments for a more complete picture.

Significant Shift in 2012

In 2012, Verotel revised its pricing to a multi-tier model and abruptly canceled accounts not aligning with its Basic plan. This change led to numerous customer complaints, some highlighted in a discussion on WebHostingTalk.com. Affected businesses might have been better suited to a high-risk merchant account specialist.

Trend in Customer Feedback

Considering its size and specialty, Verotel has a relatively low to moderate complaint volume. However, a growing trend of grievances about customer service issues necessitates lowering its overall rating to a “B.” The company provides comprehensive support through email and several international phone lines, catering to a global clientele.

Verotel Legal and Compliance Status

There are no current class-action lawsuits or FTC complaints filed against Verotel. For those preferring non-litigious resolutions, reporting to relevant supervisory organizations is advised.

Industry Scores & User Ratings

Online Ratings Summary
PaymentPop1.5
BBB RatingN/A
Trustpilot2
Google Maps1.1
Average Rating1.55

PaymentPop Rating for Verotel

Negative Feedback

Verotel is a nightmare. They support a scam site that does fraudulent charges on a subscription that was immediately canceled despite my emailing the site asking for a refund. With 0 communication I was forced to do a charge back for the fraudulent charge and instead of working with me they blacklisted me. They support scammers. If you see anything affiliated with them check your bank statements and RUN!

Positive Feedback

Working with Verotel since 2012, thanks God everything is doing well, they respond emails also, and they helped me to set up the processor in my sites, there are some restrictions though because Mastercard don’t allow any kind of adult (they have key words can’t be found in your sites), Verotel send payments to my banks in Peru and in USA. They are working now with Bitsafe (not sure why), so it’s Bitsafe which send me the money now, but for suscriptions is Verotel the one in charge, I have 3 membership sites with Verotel. But it’s quite expensive, maybe you can recommend me another adult processor which works with Peru (no complains with Verotel at all, but it’s expensive (average15%) per transaction initial and recurring)

No Dedicated BBB Profile

The Better Business Bureau no longer maintains a profile for Verotel due to the company’s relocation to Amsterdam. We will therefore not factor a BBB rating into the company’s overall grade.

Trustpilot Rating for Verotel

Verotel has a 2 out of 5 star rating based on 10 user reviews on Trustpilot.

Negative Feedback

I wrote to Verotel in January 2024 to report a transaction issue. I never heard back from them. That led me to suspect it might well be part of a scam, a facade of a website. As they say in documentaries: the production invited so-and-so to participate, but they declined. #avoid

Positive Feedback

There are no positive reviews published about Verotel on Trustpilot.

Google Maps Rating for Verotel

Verotel has a 1.1 out of 5 star rating based on 16 user reviews on Google Maps.

Negative Feedback

They never reply emails. Totally unreachable. If you encounter any issue, verotel just left you alone.

Positive Feedback

There are no positive reviews published about Verotel on Google Maps.

Processing Rates & Fees

Higher-Than-Average Rates

Verotel specializes in serving high-risk e-commerce businesses, particularly those requiring subscription payment capabilities for a global clientele. Consequently, its pricing is structured differently from traditional payment processors. Verotel’s Basic plan includes an annual fee of €500 and a 15.5% transaction fee for subscription payments, alongside a six-month rolling reserve of 10%.

Premium Pricing Option

The Premium plan, catering to recurring and unique transaction amounts via Verotel FlexPay, substitutes the annual fee for a weekly processing requirement of €1000. Failing to meet this threshold incurs a monthly minimum fee of €25. This plan also maintains the six-month rolling reserve of 10%, with processing fees ranging between 13% to 14% based on weekly transaction volumes.

No Long-Term Contracts

Verotel’s plans do not include early termination fees, and PCI Compliance fees are integrated into the annual fees for both account types.

Reasonable Pricing for High-Risk E-Commerce

While Verotel’s fees are notably higher than many competitors, it remains a vital option for high-risk sectors such as adult content, nutraceuticals, and weapons industries—markets with substantial overseas dealings. Verotel’s higher rates and cash reserve requirements are measures to mitigate the risks associated with high chargeback ratios, a common concern in these industries. Negative feedback primarily centers around these policies, which seem to be applied judiciously rather than exploitatively. Business owners are advised to thoroughly understand Verotel’s fraud prevention policies before agreement.

For alternatives offering potentially more favorable terms, merchants are recommended to explore our list of the best merchant account providers.

Employee Reviews & Sales Practices

No Misleading Tactics

Verotel appears to market itself primarily through its website and through affiliate partnerships. There is no indication at this time that the company utilizes a team of independent sales agents, and we have found no negative Verotel reviews that mention unethical conduct by the company’s sales team. According to Verotel reviews, Verotel is a popular processing option among digital content businesses that need to collect subscription payments from a global customer base—a typically underserved industry with limited options for payment acceptance. Given the lack of Verotel complaints about the company’s sales force and the absence of any misleading rate promotion on its website, we will award Verotel an “A” in this category for the time being.

This compares favorably to our list of best credit card processors.

Verotel Competitors

Compare Verotel to competitors that earned top marks.

Bottom Line

Verotel rates as a decent offshore credit card processing provider according to all available information. Catering to businesses that typically struggle to obtain merchant accounts through traditional means, Verotel serves a niche market with unique needs. Given the nature of its clientele, it is not surprising that the company’s contract terms do not compete with those offered by traditional, U.S.-based competitors. High-risk businesses often have to navigate more stringent conditions, and Verotel is no exception in this regard.

Despite its niche service, Verotel is showing some complaints related to poor customer service and issues with payment or billing. These concerns highlight the importance of high-risk businesses thoroughly understanding all conditions of their agreements before committing to Verotel’s services. The company’s ability to provide payment processing for businesses otherwise excluded from traditional avenues is commendable, but potential clients should remain vigilant about the specific terms and customer support quality. As with any high-risk merchant account provider, careful consideration and comparison with other options are essential to ensure the best fit for a business’s unique needs.

Read Actual User Reviews

All user reviews have been moved to our partner, PaymentPop.com

Contact Verotel

Contact & Customer Support
CEOJoost Zuurbier
HeadquartersDanzigerkade 23D, 1013 AP, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Toll-Free Customer Support (US)877-925-1877
Netherlands020-5315757
Other Countries+31 20 5315757
Fax+31 20 5315758
Websiteverotel.com