The #1 High Risk Payment Processor
An Overview
High Risk Merchant Accounts
Many businesses selling products or services need to be able to accept payments from customers through non-cash methods such as credit cards, ACH, and eCheck. A merchant account is necessary for these types of methods.
Unfortunately, some banks and credit card processors consider certain businesses and industries to be “high risk”, and are unwilling to provide them with merchant services.
Fortunately, Soar Payments has consistently offered high risk merchant account services to businesses across many industries since our company founding. We value the services and products sold by all types of companies, and can offer merchant accounts without the terminations or payout freezes that have can affect high risk merchants with companies like PayPal, Square, Stripe or Intuit Quickbooks.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are common questions specific to high risk merchant accounts:
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What industries does Soar Payments accept as clients?
Soar Payments specializes in mid risk as well as specific high risk industries (the terms “mid risk” and “high risk” are used here, from the perspective of the merchant services industry). We are proud to serve the following industries:
- Antiques & Collectibles
- Apparel & Clothing
- Bad Credit
- Bus Lines
- Cannabis Support Businesses
- Caterers
- CBD Oil & CBD Products
- Continuity Products and Subscription Boxes
- Credit Repair
- Credit Monitoring
- Debt Collection
- Digital Streaming
- Document Preparation
- Fantasy Sports
- Firearms & Ammunition
- Furniture & Home Furnishings
- Health & Beauty
- Hotels & Lodging
- Insurance / Warranty
- Legal Services
- Magazine Subscriptions
- Medical Billing & Coding
- Medical Supplies
- Membership & Recurring Billing
- MLM Companies
- Transportation & Moving
- Non-Profit
- Nutraceuticals
- Pawnbrokers & Pawn Shops
- Pet Products
- Precious Metals
- Property Management
- SaaS Companies
- Seminars & Coaching
- SEO / SEM / Ad Agency
- Smoking Accessories
- Sports Betting
- Survivalist & Tactical Gear
- Telemedicine
- Tobacco & Cigar
- Travel & Timeshare
- Vape / e-Cig / eJuice
- Veterinarians
- Web Design & Development
- Other Mid and Low Risk
Please note, this is NOT a complete list; Soar Payments serves 50+ additional mid and low risk industries, too. We also have a list of industries we cannot work with, see our FAQ page for more info.
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Why do banks or credit card processors consider my business to be “high risk”?
“High Risk” is an industry term, and it’s important to note that there are many fantastic businesses which would be given this designation by a bank or credit card processor. While there are unique factors that go into how the industry views any business, in general there are three big factors for the “high risk” designation:
- The business may have greater chargeback risks due to the nature of processing or industry. Typically any business with a chargeback ratio of over 1% enters a “high risk” category.
- The business may operate in unique, new, or legally regulated industries which fewer processing banks want to underwrite. Uncertainty creates risk for banks, and so if the industry is very new, or has developing regulation, this designation will typically apply.
- The business may accept a high percentage of transactions over the phone or via mail which is considered higher risk than in person transactions. If the card and cardholder are not present with the merchant at the time of the transaction, the risk of fraud is greater. As such, this can cause businesses primarily accepting payments this way to be considered in a higher risk category.
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Do you provide merchant services for non-USA clients?
Sorry, we are unable to provide merchant services for foreign or offshore businesses, or any company that is headquartered, or operates, outside of the USA. We are also unable to provide merchant services for any business whose owner does not have a valid SSN and US issued identification (driver’s license, US passport, etc).
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Can my startup / brand new business be approved?
Yes, your startup or new business can be approved by SoarPay for a merchant account. We love startups! While newer businesses without processing history sometimes encounter insurmountable hurdles when it comes to approval, Soar Payments has helped many brand new businesses get their start in payment processing.
Want more information? Click here to read our extended list of our FAQ.
Our friendly Customer Support Team is standing by to approve your application
Questions? (888) 225-9405
Types Of High Risk Merchant Accounts
Soar Payments offers a full-spectrum of merchant accounts to businesses that are considered high risk by banks and credit card processors. These include:
Retail Payments
A retail merchant account allows your company to accept face-to-face credit and debit transactions via a traditional credit card machine or point of sale system.
This type of merchant account best suited for a traditional storefront retail setting with a reliable wired internet connection. Retail credit card processing has the lowest cost, because of its lower risk of fraud or chargebacks.
Mobile Payments
A mobile merchant account enables your business to accept face-to-face payments via an attachment that plus into your mobile phone, iPhone, or iPad.
Ideal for merchants who sell outside a traditional storefront, such as those retailers who sell at conventions, outdoor events, or even in home visits. This type does not require a wired internet connection. Mobile merchant accounts are typically priced similarly to retail as the rates of fraud and chargebacks are relatively low.
Virtual Terminal Payments
Commonly called a payment gateway merchant account, a virtual terminal allows you to accept payments over the phone, via mail order, or typed into a special website via your computer (without any outside equipment).
High risk payment gateway accounts are best suited for businesses who primarily want to accept orders over the phone. Due to increased risk of fraud and chargebacks, Soar Pay offers fraud protection technology to protect the business with these accounts.
eCommerce Payments
Want to sell your products or services online? You’ll need an eCommerce merchant account with an integrated payment gateway.
Our high risk eCommerce merchant accounts integrate with most major shopping cart and payment gateway platforms, making setup on your website simple. Due to the increased risk of fraud and chargebacks on eCommerce sales, Soar Payments offers integrated fraud protection technology.
Combating Chargeback Fraud with Ron Hynes
Chargeback fraud, and Card Not Present (CNP) fraud present ongoing challenges for many merchants, particularly those in eCommerce or industries considered “high risk” by processors and banks. In fact, greater chargeback fraud challenges is why some banks consider certain industries to be high-risk.
On this podcast episode we take a look at how to combat chargeback fraud with the help of our guest Ron Hynes, CEO of Vesta.
Our podcast explores the fast-changing world of payments and fintech through interviews with thought leaders around the world. From credit card processing to bitcoin, and digital banks to finance software… we cover it all!