Merchant accounts for the businesses everyone else declines.
Merchant accounts, gateways, and chargeback protection for the categories mainstream processors refuse: peptides, cannabis, adult, CBD, supplements, telehealth, coaching, and subscription billing. If Stripe, PayPal, or Square froze your funds or refused you, this is where you go next.
We process more than $50 million a year for high-risk merchants.
Takes about ten minutes. No credit card required to apply.
- StripeAccount closed
- PayPalFunds held 180 days
- SquareProhibited business
- Shopify PaymentsDeclined
- High Risk PaymentsApproved
We already know your category. You don't have to apologize for it.
Most processors put your industry on a prohibited list and stop reading. We underwrite each of these categories every week and move more than $50 million a year through acquiring banks that have agreed to take them.
- Peptides and research compoundsResearch peptide storefronts, wholesalers, and compounded peptide programs.
- Telehealth and clinicsVirtual care platforms, GLP-1 and weight-loss programs, and compounding pharmacy billing.
- CBD, hemp, and vapeDTC and wholesale hemp-derived products and vape hardware.
- Nutraceuticals and supplementsVitamins, nootropics, and longevity brands flagged for ingredient risk.
- Coaching and digital productsHigh-ticket coaching, courses, and info products with card-not-present risk.
- Subscription and continuity billingBox subscriptions, memberships, and rebill models that aggregators drop.
- Cannabis and dispensariesState-legal dispensaries and delivery on compliant ACH and PIN-debit rails.
- Adult content and datingCreator platforms, subscription sites, and dating services.
- Crypto and web3Exchanges, on-ramps, and platforms that banks flag by default.
What comes with the account
A real merchant account in your name
Not an aggregator sub-account that can vanish overnight. Your own MID with a bank that has underwritten your category on purpose.
Gateway that plugs into your store
Works with Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, custom checkouts, and telehealth platforms. Recurring billing and virtual terminal included.
Chargeback alerts and deflection
Pre-dispute alerts from Visa and Mastercard networks so you can refund before a chargeback counts against you, plus templates for winning the ones you fight.
Pricing quoted for your volume
High-risk rates depend on your ticket size, chargeback history, and monthly volume. You get a written quote after underwriting, before you sign anything.
Reserves explained up front
If the bank requires a rolling reserve, you'll know the percentage and the release schedule in writing. No surprise holds after you're live.
A person who answers
One account manager who knows your industry, knows your bank, and picks up the phone when a batch doesn't settle.
How approval works
-
Apply
Fill out the application below. Tell us what you sell, how much you process, and what happened with your last processor. Honesty here speeds everything up.
About 10 minutes -
Underwriting
We review your site, your documents, and your processing history, then match you with the bank most likely to say yes. We'll send a written quote with rates and any reserve terms.
Typically 2 to 5 business days -
Go live
Sign, connect the gateway to your checkout, and run a test transaction with your account manager on the line. Funds settle to your bank on a fixed schedule.
Usually within 48 hours of signing
What underwriters look for on your website
Having these in place before you apply is the single biggest thing you can do to get approved faster.
- Clear product descriptions with intended use stated plainly
- Visible refund, return, and shipping policies
- Terms of service and privacy policy pages
- A working customer service phone number and email
- Business name on the site matches your legal entity or DBA
- No unsupported medical, income, or outcome claims in your marketing
- Age verification where your products require it
- SSL certificate and a checkout that shows the billing descriptor
Application sent
Thanks — it's in the underwriting queue. Watch your inbox for a confirmation, and expect to hear from an account manager within one business day about next steps and documents.
Meanwhile, the checklist above under How approval works is the fastest way to move your file forward.
Questions merchants ask before applying
My business is legal. Why do processors keep declining it?
Mainstream processors decline whole categories, not individual businesses: anything with elevated chargeback, regulatory, or reputational risk goes on a prohibited list regardless of how clean your operation is. We work with acquiring banks that have specifically agreed to underwrite these categories, which is why we can say yes where aggregators say no.
What rates should I expect?
High-risk pricing is set per merchant, so we don't publish a single number. Rates move with your monthly volume, average ticket, chargeback history, and how long you've been operating. Every applicant gets a written quote before signing, with any reserve terms spelled out.
I was shut down by Stripe last month. Does that hurt my chances?
No. Nearly every merchant we approve has a shutdown in their history. What matters is why it happened and what your chargeback ratio looked like. Tell us the full story on the application; hiding it is the only thing that genuinely hurts.
What is a rolling reserve?
A percentage of each batch (commonly 5 to 10 percent) that the bank holds for a fixed period, then releases on a rolling basis. It's the bank's cushion against chargebacks. Not every account requires one, and when one does, you'll see the percentage and release schedule in your quote.
Can I keep my Shopify store?
Yes. Shopify Payments won't touch most high-risk categories, but Shopify the platform is fine. You connect our gateway as a third-party payment provider and checkout works the same for your customers.
Do you work with telehealth, clinics, and pharmacies?
Yes, and they're some of our most stable accounts because the licensing does a lot of the underwriting work. Have your licenses and any prescriber or supplier agreements ready for the document stage.
Can you get credit cards working for a dispensary?
Not Visa and Mastercard, and you should walk away from anyone who says otherwise. The card networks prohibit marijuana transactions, and "workarounds" that miscode dispensary sales get merchants fined and blacklisted. What we can set up for state-legal cannabis is compliant ACH, e-check, and PIN-debit acceptance, which is how the stable operators in this industry take cashless payments.
What documents will you ask for?
Typically: government ID for owners, articles of incorporation or LLC formation, three months of business bank statements, three to six months of prior processing statements if you have them, and a voided check. Licensed businesses (telehealth, pharmacy, cannabis, CBD) also provide their licensing.