If you are a business owner selling products or services online, you will need to accept card payments through your website. Your website will use a payment gateway, a secure system that processes payments between your website and the bank. There are many different payment gateways available, but high-risk payment gateways are specifically designed for businesses that accept online payments that experience a high rate of chargebacks or fraud.
This blog post will discuss what high-risk merchant services are and why you might need to use one.
High-risk merchant account: What is it?
A high-risk merchant account is at a higher risk for chargebacks, fraud or a high volume of returns. Many businesses are considered high risk because they operate in industries with high chargeback risks or fraud. Industries regarded as high risk include online gambling, adult entertainment, and e-commerce businesses that sell digital goods.
If you are a business owner in a high-risk sector, you may have trouble getting approved for a traditional merchant account with a bank or credit card processor. That’s where high-risk merchant provider comes in. These gateways are designed to help businesses working in high-risk industries specifically.
There are many benefits to using a high-risk payment gateway, including:
- You are more likely to be approved for a merchant account
- You will have access to a broader range of payment options
- You can process payments in multiple currencies
- You can customize your fraud prevention tools
Reasons why your business is deemed high risk
High transaction volume
If your business processes many transactions, you will be considered high risk. This is because there is a higher chance of something going wrong with a high volume of transactions.
High average order value
If your business has a high average order value, you will be considered high risk. This is because there is a higher chance of fraud or chargebacks when the order value is high.
Industry type
As mentioned earlier, specific industries are considered high risk. You will be regarded as high risk if your business falls into one of these industries.
Poor credit history
If your business has a poor credit history, you will be considered high risk. This is because there is a higher chance of defaulting on payments and being a credit risk.
High-risk results in higher fees
High-risk businesses are charged higher fees because they present a greater risk to the merchant account provider. If high-risk business defaults on their payments, the merchant account provider are at a greater risk of losing money. To offset this risk, high-risk businesses typically pay higher fees.
Many factors can make a high business risk, including:
- The type of product or service being offered
- The industry the business is in
- The business’s credit history
- The country or region where the company is located
If you’re considering starting a high-risk business, it’s essential to know that you will likely have to pay higher transaction fees. However, there are ways to offset these higher fees. By working with a reputable high-risk payment processor, you can ensure that your business is getting the best possible rates and terms.
Choosing a high-risk merchant provider
When choosing a payment gateway for your high-risk business, it’s essential to consider a few things.
- It would help if you ensured that the payment gateway could handle the volume of transactions you were expecting.
- You need to ensure that the payment gateway can process payments quickly and efficiently.
- It would help if you made sure that the payment gateway is secure and able to protect your customers’ information.
High-risk payment gateway, UK
Below are some high risk payment processors:
Viva Wallet: CBD Oil
The Viva Wallet presently allows CBD companies to sell their products online and help stores use their integrated payment system. Europe’s leading cloud-based service providers enable sellers to control their income, as they benefit from accepting payments with no hidden costs or monthly fees.
With features like “tap-on-phone Viva Wallet POS app” and “Smart Checkout”, Viva is set to make life easier for merchants and consumers. Viva wallet also issues its own debit card, which can be managed in real-time through a personalized, transparent dashboard.
Regarding CBD businesses, Viva works in physical and online stores and offers an end-to-end solution incorporating physical card machines and virtual terminals. Irrespective of how the customer pays, the cloud-based infrastructure ensures there are no missed payments. You can decrease their acceptance fees to 0% with the Debit Mastercard. Customer services is always available to help you in any case.
Worldnet: CBD Oil
Founded in 2007, Worldnet offers high-quality, reliable and cost-efficient solutions for online card payments. The company allows its partners to outsource their complete payment system or incorporate their services into an existing gateway. They have a WordPress and WooCommerce plug-in and are Shopify compatible.
Worldnet is one of the best for high risk sectors as they provide one of the highest levels of security, which means you can securely store the card in the Gateway. This means you do not have to ask for the card details again and again. Dedicated customer service means all your queries will be resolved in no time.
Even with its many advantages, the disadvantage of Worldnet is that it is not the best solution if you are looking for quick service. However, the company regularly makes new modifications because they aim to become the best payment gateway provider for CBD and Hemp sellers.
TotalProcessing
Total Processing is a Manchester-based top provider of all-in-one payment CBD processing and payment gateway solutions and also deals in CBD products. Being free from the limitations of an acquiring bank, the company presents several customized merchant accounts that fulfil the needs of various businesses.
With Total Processing, even small-scale CBD oil product sellers can install different payment options. Integrating into Shopify on behalf of sellers the process is extremely easy. It asks sellers to investigate the choices to discover the ultimate alternative for their particular business.
The company offers chargeback prevention and protection against deceitful activities, which it does by connecting to its payment gateway, which has a fraud protection suite for better protection.
PurePay: CBD Oil
PurePay authorizes CBD sellers to accept credit card and local payment models in no time. The service ensures that every sales transaction is handled professionally. The innovative API documentation ensures that integrating with PurePay for Secure Payment Processing is reliable, fast and easy.
PurePay has great Trustpilot reviews, and people can be seen customer service of the company and Gerardo for their navigation, which is difficult to find in the CBD sector. Besides CBD, PurePay also works in other higher risk sectors like adult, crypto, dating, etc.
The company offers payment options in Europe and North America at competitive pricing. The service also helps you get the proper APMs for your business that ensures development on your end. The company also supports frequent transactions and streamlines the process.
Alternative high-risk merchant account providers
Some alternative high risk providers other than the ones given above:
Square:
Established in 2009, Square Gateway can be used by businesses of any type or size as it provides tools that connect every side of your business. However, the software can only help with CBD oil in the US (not the UK or Europe). It offers firms simple practices to handle payments made online, superior technology, and a lot of eCommerce tools to make things easy for sellers.
Extremely versatile, the Square can turn the buyers’ devices into portable point-of-sales terminals. The navigation through this software is extremely simple. The best part is there is no sign-up fee or hidden fee, and it processes all major credit cards online.
The online store features of Square are free, and it provides easy integration with your WordPress website. One negative point of the software is that the customer service of the Square is not the best and the phone lines are not always available.
Authorize.Net
Available in the US, UK, Europe and Australia, the Authorize.Net provides one of the most innovative, secure and reliable integrations for WooCommerce. The gateway solution helps encode, process and approve a credit card transaction. The best part about this service is that there is no contract, and there is no fine if you decide to terminate the service.
Some features of Authorize.Net are automatic recurring billing, advanced fraud detection and account updater, all of which enhance the software’s functioning. Backed by Visa, Authorize.Net is one of the most secure payment gateways. The PCI-compliant solution further decreases the risk of fraud.
The charge for the international transaction will depend on your account and will be the same as a typical transaction. The software is the best for small to medium-sized businesses. The Payment Gateway extension lets you keep the buyer on your site for checkout.
CCBill
The CCBill payment gateway lets you configure and accept CCBill payments on your WordPress Website. They are experienced when it comes to high risk payment processing. Earlier designed only for eCommerce, the company has ventured to provide services in the physical stores.
The software accepts all primary payment methods and provides free fraud control, membership and purchase management, and 24/7 customer support. They offer full-service merchant accounts and an integrated payments platform with no monthly fee. As the high-risk business have quite certain requirements, the company extends services which can make it simpler for business high risk to apply their chosen payment models.
Although the software is quick, safe, easy and reliable, it has its negative points, like high processing rates and the requirement for a rolling reserve. However, it provides the level of control you want for your business.
Clearhaus
Founded in 2011, Clearhaus are one of the best payment service providers for your business. The sellers can have their account within 1-3 days of applying, and the pricing is transparent. The software supports almost all payment methods.
Clearhaus aims to offer the most suitable and safe way for businesses to receive online and mobile payments. Some software features are fraud detection, dynamic descriptors, recurring transactions and much more.
Benefits of a low-risk merchant account
Low risk accounts charge lower fees and have a better choice of account products to select from. All in all, the risk involved is less.
Conclusion
A high risk gateway is a must for high risk businesses as this gateway protects a high risk merchant if something goes wrong during a high value transaction. It is not like low risk merchants don’t need a Payment Gateway, but they can do without high risk merchant processors and services in many cases. Many companies offer high-risk merchant services, and their fee structure, features, and services vary. Before you opt for merchant services for your high-risk account, you should conduct thorough research and go with the service that offers the best suitable features.
