High Risk Merchant Accounts
Services
High Risk Experts specializes in High Risk Merchant Account acquisition, striving for the best possible service at the lowest possible cost. High Risk Merchants have specialized needs and can often obtain lower costs and more efficient processing capabilities by utilizing a merchant service provider that focuses on High Risk Merchant Accounts.
What makes a Merchant Account High Risk?
Certain business types are considered by the Visa MasterCard Associations to be “High Risk” for credit card processing. Sometimes these business types are referred to as being “restricted” by Visa / MasterCard. This means that acquiring banks are at a higher risk of financial loss when they underwrite these business types. The bank’s primary risk comes in the form of chargbacks. If a merchant generates more chargebacks than they are able to pay, then the bank is financially responsible. Also, the acquiring bank can be fined or otherwise sanctioned by Visa / MC for excessive chargeback levels. This potential chargeback liability is the main factor in determining whether or not a particular business type falls into the High Risk Merchant Account category. In addition to business type, other factors that contribute to potential chargeback liability are susceptibility to fraud, risk of insolvency, ticket size, future delivery, recurring billing, installment payments, and previous processing history (high chargebacks, TMF / MATCH Listing). Finally, sales volume in itself can be considered a risk factor. In essence because every dollar in sales is potentially a dollar in chargebacks. Fast growing sales volume can require a High Risk Merchant Account.
High Risk Experts looks beyond a simple business type classification to work with each merchant on an individual basis to identify the underlying causes of chargebacks and produce chargeback mitigation strategies to lower the risk of chargeback and reduce processing costs.
What are the Benefits and Features of a High Risk Experts High Risk Merchant Account?
- A direct merchant account with unique descriptor.
- Lowest possible discount rates, transaction fees, and reserves
- Unlimited sales volume
- Virtual terminal API interface payment gateway
- Multi-currency options.
- Settlement twice a week to your existing business bank account.
- Recurring Billing.
- Transaction Testing Environment provided.
- Professional support and service.
- AVS, CVV2, 3Dsecure, Geo-IP Match
- Ongoing Risk Management Services to avoid and reduce chargebacks and fraud
Friendly Towards Your Industry & Business Model
HighRiskExperts offers High Risk Merchant Services for retailers of adult products. These businesses pose a higher risk to credit card processors for several reasons. The first is that they, like many other industries, process credit cards via the web. Without a receipt signed by the card holder, your company will have a difficult time disputing a contested charge. Adult oriented products and services can also be a source of embarrassment or deceit, which means that a customer may initiate a charge-back to avoid taking responsibility for his or her purchase. HighRiskExperts would be happy to work with your adult-oriented business in order to get you a great rate on credit card processing services.
In most cases, adult businesses are those that offer products and services that can legally be bought only by those who are at least 18 – legal adults. Some of the businesses that might fall into the category requiring adult merchant accounts include the following:
Adult Entertainment: This includes videos, magazines, books sex toys and other items and services associated with the adult entertainment industry. These businesses can be online or offline, but they include items and products that are for practices that may not be socially acceptable. There is the risk that adult entertainment businesses will provide products and services to minors (illegally) or that they might engage in the illegal traffic of such items as snuff films or child pornography. If these businesses are shut down, the merchant account provider runs the risk of not getting paid if money is owed.
Dating, Escort and Massage Services: These are considered adult businesses as well. One must be at least 18 to take advantage of the services offered by dating firms, escort services and massage parlors. It is important to note that in some cases, dissatisfied customers may demand chargebacks. Additionally, sometimes a line is crossed by these companies and services into illegal activities that increase the risk for merchant account services.
Gun Sales: With prominence of shootings in public places, and the dangerous nature of guns in the wrong hands, it is no surprise that gun sales are considered high risk and adult. Indeed, some gun shop owners are sued when the products bought at their businesses are used to kill others. Additionally, there is the possibility of chargebacks if someone is denied after a background check and waiting period.
Liquor Sales: Another adult business is selling liquor. A liquor store carries the risk of robbery, as well as problems associated with some of the clientele. And, of course, this is an adult business since purchasers must be at least 21. Smoke shop/tobacco store sales and lottery sales are also considered high risk and adult.
If you want to run a business selling products or services that are considered for adults it is important to realize that you will be charged more for your merchant account – or you might have trouble getting one in the first place. There are some service providers that offer High Risk Merchant Services for those who run adult businesses and may need an option for accepting payment.
The primary criteria for selecting HighRiskExperts as your quality High Risk Merchant Services provider:
- Reasonable setup and recurring fees
- Approval time and setup speed
- Well-organized international high risk merchant services
- No skepticism about high sales volumes
- Provision of diverse payment processing options
- Provision of security including fraud protection measures
High Volume Merchant Account Capped Volume Load Balancing Options
As your business continues to grow and customers buy more goods and services, you may want to consider joining those who are applying for High Volume Merchant Accounts. When you are approved for a high volume account, you can get good prices on mid- and non-qualified sales, along with debit processing, monthly statement fees, and additional expenses. The greater your volume of business, the better deals you may be eligible for when working with financial institutions or companies who can provide this valuable service.
The way it works is that you apply for a High Volume Merchant Account with HighRiskExperts. This can be packaged in a variety of ways. For example, you may want to pay a few cents for each transaction, but if you experience high-volume sales, this could become a costly option. The other route to go is to pay a low monthly overall percentage, often between 1% and 2%, for the entire sales volume you experience via your credit card and debit-processing program. High Volume Merchant Accounts can save you money over time because you will be able to pay smaller fees for each transaction or get a better rate for the amount of profit that you bring in.
If you currently have a sizable volume of sales and perhaps expect to do more in the near future, keep in mind that High Volume Merchant Accounts have helped others in your position. Your customers will appreciate the ease of using up-to-the-minute technology for processing their orders with your company. And your employees likewise will be happy to turn their attention to other tasks within the organization. Your company may even see profit increases within the first few months as the word spreads about your merchant account status and credit card processing capabilities.
You can apply for High Volume Merchant Accounts through HighRiskExperts. Your application should demonstrate that your company is not involved in illegal or shady dealings that the underwriters are unlikely to approve, including gambling, pornography, and pharmaceuticals. Then you will want to be able to show that your company is fiscally solvent and maintains a solid credit history. You might include documentation to support the notion that your company will be able to pay merchant account fees in a timely manner.
All businesses have some elements of risk involved as a general rule and will require a High Risk Merchant Account. Yet, the degree of these risks may vary drastically from one business to the other.
Due to the typical environment of the Internet, online businesses requiring credit card payments obviously carry much greater risks. The degrees of risk of the individual online businesses too vary differently depending on various factors specifically applicable to online transactions.
When the sales volumes/turnovers are exceptionally large in a particular business, there is always a likelihood of some kind of fraudulent activities taking place at some point of time or the other. These businesses are typically considered as high risk businesses.
As it is well known, all online vendors need to hold merchant accounts that enable them to accept payments made electronically, especially through credit cards. While any no-risk or low-risk type of a business can conveniently obtain a standard eCommerce merchant account from any merchant account provider, it becomes almost impossible for the high risk types of vendors to procure such merchant accounts.
It is then that these high risk business operators opt and apply for a High Risk Merchant Account to enable them to receive the online payments rather conveniently.
Businesses that Require High Risk Merchant Accounts
- Adult Services and Products
- Pharmaceutical Products
- Online Casinos
- Other Gaming, Gambling and Sports Betting
- Cigarette and Tobacco Drug Paraphernalia
- Sale of Antique and Replica Products
- Telemarketing
- Online Auctions
- Loan Modification and Debt Services
- E-wallet and E-cash
- Travel Agents
- ISP and Hosting Services
- Online Dating Services