High-risk merchant accounts
Getting approved is easier than everyone told you.
The banks that turned you down weren't judging your business — they were running a checklist your industry wasn't on. We work from a different one, across twelve verticals, and most decisions land inside 48 hours.
- Twelve high-risk verticals
- Most decisions inside 48 hours
- Rates published right on this page
Why you got declined (it's probably not what you think).
Here's what actually happens over on the bank's side of the desk. Someone matches your industry against a list, and your file never really gets read. You're not the problem — the underwriting box is just narrow.
That's how a clean, profitable business gets turned away while a shakier one in a friendlier category walks straight through. The category decided it long before anyone looked at your numbers.
The account freezes with no warning, usually mid-week, and nobody gives you a reason you can act on.
Settlement gets held back or delayed, so money you've already earned is sitting somewhere you can't touch.
You apply somewhere new, get declined again, and end up switching processors every few months.
Here's what comes with the account.
Every account we place comes with the same working parts from day one. It's a real merchant account in your name, not an introduction to someone who might sell you one.
Your own merchant ID and gateway
You get your own merchant ID and gateway credentials — not a slot on somebody else's aggregate account.
Chargeback monitoring and representment
We watch your chargeback ratio every day, and we file the representments ourselves when the evidence backs you up.
Multi-currency and international acquiring
Take payment in more than one currency, and settle through acquirers outside Canada when that's where your customers are.
Recurring billing and subscriptions
Subscriptions and rebills are supported properly, retries and dunning included, along with mid-cycle plan changes.
A real person on your account
One named person owns your account and answers you directly — no ticket queue, no rep who changes every month.
Reserve terms you see up front
If a reserve applies to you, you'll see the percentage and the hold period in writing before you sign anything.
Industries we place every week.
- CBD & hemp
- Nutraceuticals
- Subscription boxes
- Online gaming
- Travel & ticketing
- Firearms & accessories
- Adult
- Debt relief
- E-cigarettes & vape
- Dropshipping
- SaaS with high refund rates
- Telemedicine
Four steps, and we do most of them.
You fill out the form
Seven fields, about two minutes, and we don't ask for your whole document set up front. It's just enough for us to send your file to the right place.
We match your file to an acquirer
Same business day, your file goes to the acquirers that actually underwrite your industry. We're not shopping you around blindly — it goes where it stands a real chance.
Underwriting takes a look
This usually runs 24 to 48 hours once your file is complete. You get one document list rather than three, because nobody enjoys the drip-feed version.
Approval, credentials, first money in
When you're approved you get gateway credentials the same day, with your reserve terms written down. First settlement lands on whatever your acquirer's normal funding schedule happens to be.
What it costs.
| Risk profile | Rate from | Per transaction | Reserve |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard risk | TODO: real rate | TODO: real rate | TODO: real reserve |
| Elevated risk | TODO: real rate | TODO: real rate | TODO: real reserve |
| Maximum risk | TODO: real rate | TODO: real rate | TODO: real reserve |
Rates start at the figure published here, and where you land depends on a few things. Those are your risk profile, your volume, your chargeback history, and your vertical. Your final pricing gets set at underwriting, and approval is subject to underwriting.
The questions everyone asks us.
What actually makes a business "high-risk"?
It's high-risk when the card networks or the bank expect more chargebacks, refunds, or regulatory attention than usual. The label lands on your category first and on your own track record second. Plenty of well-run, profitable businesses carry it purely because of what they sell.
I've been declined before — does that count against me?
Not on its own, and honestly, we'd be surprised if you hadn't been. Declines are normal in these verticals and we expect to see a few on the file. What weighs more is your chargeback history, your volume, and whether your paperwork is complete.
How long does this really take?
Most decisions come back inside 48 hours once your file is complete, and some land the same day. The clock starts when we have every document, not when you hit submit. A half-finished file is far and away the most common reason things drag on.
What is a rolling reserve, and am I getting one?
A rolling reserve holds back a slice of each settlement for a set period. It then releases that money back to you on a rolling schedule. Whether you get one comes down to your vertical, your chargeback history, and the acquirer. If one applies to you, you'll see the percentage and the hold period before you sign.
What paperwork do you need from me?
Usually it's incorporation documents, government ID for the owners, and three to six months of processing statements. A bank letter or void cheque goes in there too. If you haven't processed yet, projections take the place of statements. You'll get the whole list at the start, in one go.
What if my chargebacks start creeping up?
You'll hear it from us before you hear it from the acquirer, which is the point of watching daily. We flag the ratio as it climbs toward the network thresholds, while there's still room to fix it. If it stays above threshold, the acquirer can raise your reserve, raise your rate, or close the account. That's a real outcome, and you're better off knowing how it works now.
Can I keep the gateway I already use?
Usually you can, as long as your gateway works with the acquirer we place you with. We check that before you commit to anything at all. If it turns out it doesn't, we set you up with one and help move your integration over.
So what's the real cost, all in?
Your discount rate, your per-transaction fee, and any reserve — that's the cost of processing, full stop. Gateway and statement fees, where they apply, show up in the same quote instead of arriving later. You'll have the whole structure in writing before you sign anything.
Credentials and integrations.
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Gateway integration
Waiting on the confirmed gateway list.
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Gateway integration
Waiting on the confirmed gateway list.
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PCI DSS compliance level
Waiting on the confirmed level and scope.
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Card-network registration
Waiting on confirmation of the registration.
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Processor relationship
Waiting on the processor name and agent wording.
Tell us about your business.
It's seven fields and takes about two minutes to get through. We'll come back within a business day with a real number for your vertical and volume, not a range.