High Risk Merchant Account at HighRiskPay.com
If your business falls into one of those categories that regular banks instantly label “too risky” — think CBD, adult entertainment, subscription boxes, online gaming, travel agencies, or anything else that tends to see a lot of chargebacks or extra regulatory attention — finding a solid payment processor can literally be the difference between staying open and shutting down. I’ve been down this road with a few businesses myself, so I put together this no-BS guide on getting a high-risk merchant account through High Risk Merchant Account at HighRiskPay.com. We’ll cover exactly what they offer, how they stack up against the big names, the application process, pricing realities, and — most importantly — how to keep the account alive once you have it.
What Exactly Is a High Risk Merchant Account at HighRiskPay.com?
A high-risk merchant account is just a specialized payment processing account built for businesses that traditional banks and mainstream processors (Stripe, Square, regular PayPal, etc.) won’t touch with a ten-foot pole. These accounts still let you take credit and debit cards, but they come with stricter underwriting, higher fees, rolling reserves, and way more fraud/chargeback tools baked in.
HighRiskPay.com has carved out a niche for merchants who keep getting denied everywhere else — whether that’s because of the industry you’re in, a rocky credit history, previous terminations, or sky-high chargeback ratios. They openly advertise that they can work with bad credit, offer real chargeback help, support multiple gateways, and even throw in ACH and eCheck options. For a lot of owners, that combination is a lifesaver.
Who Actually Needs HighRiskPay (or Any High-Risk Processor)?
You’re probably in the right place if:
- You’re in one of the classic “high-risk” industries: adult, CBD/hemp, nutraceuticals, vaping, dating, gaming, travel, MLM, subscriptions, tech support, or anything with recurring billing.
- You’ve been shut down or put on the MATCH list before.
- Your personal or business credit is beat up.
- You’ve been told “no” so many times you’re starting to take it personally.
HighRiskPay built their whole brand around saying “yes” when everyone else says “hell no.”
What You Actually Get with HighRiskPay
When you finally land the account, here’s what shows up:
- Real chargeback alerts, representment help, and dispute management (huge if you’re over 1%).
- Solid fraud scrubbing so you’re not declining every other legit order.
- Plug-and-play integrations with most carts and subscription platforms.
- ACH and eCheck processing — sometimes a game-changer for cost and approval rates.
- Underwriting that actually looks at the full picture instead of just running away screaming.
They partner with a bunch of acquiring banks that are comfortable taking on risk, which is why they can approve stuff the big processors won’t even review.
How HighRiskPay Stacks Up Against the Big Players
Look, HighRiskPay isn’t the only game in town. Here’s the quick-and-dirty comparison I always give people:
- PaymentCloud – Amazing at finding you the perfect bank match and holding your hand through messy underwriting.
- Durango Merchant Services – Super transparent pricing (real interchange-plus) and dedicated reps who actually answer the phone.
- eMerchantBroker (EMB) – Kings of the “nobody else will take you” cases and great chargeback tools.
- Soar Payments / Instabill – Old-school players with offshore options when domestic banks say no.
- HighRiskPay – Usually the fastest yes for bad credit or previous terminations, strong on subscription billing and high volume, and they love MLM/SaaS merchants.
Different strokes for different folks — I’ve used three of these over the years depending on what the business needed at the time.
Pricing, Reserves, and the Stuff Nobody Wants to Talk About
High-risk pricing is never pretty, but here’s what actually happens:
- Rates are higher — sometimes a lot higher — than a normal account.
- Almost everyone gets a rolling reserve (6–10% held for 6–12 months is common).
- Chargeback fees hurt ($25–$50 each is normal).
- If you go over 1–2% chargebacks, expect extra holds or rate hikes.
The trick is asking for real numbers upfront. Get sample statements, ask exactly what the reserve release schedule looks like, and find out if it’s capped or rolling forever.
The Application Process — What Actually Happens
It’s not as scary as it sounds:
- Fill out their online form or call the number on the site.
- They’ll ask for the usual — articles of incorporation, EIN letter, voided check, last 3–6 months of processing statements (if you have them), ID, and a clear explanation of what you sell.
- Underwriting digs in (usually a few days to a couple weeks).
- You get terms — rates, reserve, contract length — and either sign or negotiate.
Pro tip: Be 100% upfront. Hiding a previous termination or fudging chargeback numbers will bite you later when they find it (and they always do).
Integrations and Getting the Tech to Work
Most of the time it’s plug-and-play with Shopify, WooCommerce, Konnect, Authorize.net, NMI, etc. If you’re doing recurring billing, make sure they support tokenization and have solid decline/recurring retry logic. Ask for a sandbox account before you commit — saves headaches.
Keeping Your Chargebacks Under Control (Because That’s 90% of Survival)
Tools are great, but your policies do the real work:
- Crystal-clear refund policy everywhere.
- Killer customer service that actually responds.
- 3D Secure, AVS, CVV — turn it all on.
- Friendly billing descriptors (nobody wants “XYZ123 LLC” on their statement).
- Email/SMS receipts the second the card is charged.
Do those things and your life gets dramatically easier.
Who Actually Thrives with HighRiskPay
From what I’ve seen, their sweet spot is:
- Subscription boxes or digital memberships
- CBD and nutraceutical brands
- Adult sites and cam platforms
- Travel agencies and tour operators
- MLM and direct-sales companies
- High-ticket coaching or SaaS with recurring billing
They’ve got whole sections of their site dedicated to those verticals, which tells you they’ve done it a thousand times.
Pros and Cons — Straight Talk
Pros
- They’ll take you when literally nobody else will
- Bad credit? Previous shutdowns? They don’t care as much
- Solid subscription and high-volume support
- ACH options that can save you a fortune
Cons
- Rates and reserves can sting
- Underwriting asks for everything including your firstborn
- Not always the cheapest long-term if you clean up your act
Shop around, negotiate hard, and revisit every 12–18 months when your processing history looks better.
How to Get Approved Faster
Have these ready the day you apply:
- Clean website screenshots of product pages and checkout flow
- Written refund policy and customer service email/phone
- Last 3–6 months bank statements
- Processing statements (even if they’re ugly)
- Driver’s license and utility bill for the owners
The better you look on paper, the lower your reserve and rates.
Keeping the Account Once You Have It
- Watch your chargeback ratio like a hawk (under 1% is the golden rule).
- Answer every chargeback alert the same day.
- Tell them before you launch a new product or big promo.
- Use every fraud filter they give you.
Be the merchant they never have to chase — those are the ones who get reserves released early and rates dropped later.
Questions to Ask Before You Sign Anything
- Exact rate, transaction fee, monthly fee, gateway fee breakdown?
- Reserve percentage and exact release schedule?
- Chargeback fee and any “administrative” fees?
- Contract length and early termination fee?
- Who actually owns the gateway (them or a third party)?
Get everything in writing. No exceptions.
When It’s Time to Jump Ship
Run if you see:
- Random multi-day holds with no explanation
- Support ghosting you during a chargeback wave
- Surprise reserve increases
- Constant gateway downtime and zero communication
Life’s too short for bad processors.
Common Myths People Still Believe
- “High-risk means I’m running a scam.” Nope — half the internet is technically high-risk.
- “Once you’re high-risk, you’re stuck forever.” Plenty of merchants graduate to normal accounts after 1–2 clean years.
- “All high-risk processors are shady.” Some are, most aren’t — do your homework.
FAQs – High Risk Merchant Account at HighRiskPay.com
Final Checklist — Is HighRiskPay Right for You Right Now?
- Do they explicitly support your exact vertical?
- Will their gateway plug into your cart without custom dev work?
- Are the rates and reserve something you can actually live with?
- Do they answer the phone when you call sales?
If you’re checking most of those boxes and you’ve been turned down everywhere else, pull the trigger. A high-risk merchant account at HighRiskPay.com has kept more businesses alive than most people realize.
Getting approved is just the beginning. Run your business clean, keep chargebacks low, communicate with your rep, and you’ll be shocked how smooth it can actually be — even in the wild west of high-risk processing. Good luck out there.
