An account with a high-risk merchant means that your payment processor thinks that your business is more likely to be a target for fraud or chargebacks. Merchant account for high risk business pays more for processing because the payment service takes many risks by taking the money. To understand why a merchant account would be called “high risk,” read this article. It talks about what that means for your business.
Learn more about High-Risk Merchants
If an acquiring bank wants to classify an industry or business with a statistically higher chance of losing money than a standard account, they use “high risk.” Chargebacks are the most significant risk for the banks that accept the money. Card brands have refunds ratios that high-risk businesses must meet. If the thresholds are continuously broken, processors and banks could be hit with fines from the card brands.
Some banks won’t take you if you work in a business with a bad reputation. For example, an acquiring bank might not accept companies that deal with adult entertainment, but it might accept high-risk businesses in other fields. Also, Merchants account for high risk businesses that sell products or services that aren’t popular with many people, items that cost much money, and businesses that use subscriptions or recurring billing.
Many industries are automatically at high risk. Even if your business doesn’t have many chargebacks, you may still be at increased risk if your business is in one of these fields.
It doesn’t mean that having a high-risk merchant classification doesn’t mean that you’ll pay more for things. Many great options for high-risk merchants will give you meager prices.
Having a high-risk account can help you make money
Flexible ways to accept payments
It’s not as hard for Merchants accounting for high risk businesses to get money by credit or debit card as it is for low-risk merchants. They can also:
- Sales of a broader range of goods and services
- Make sure to get money from people who pay you every month.
- Take care of many sales and launch events simultaneously.
- There are low-risk merchant accounts that can do all of the things above, but they can make it more likely to need a high-risk account.
Having the ability to accept international transactions
High-risk merchants aren’t as limited as low-risk merchants when it comes to an understanding of international currencies and money transfers from outside of the United States like they are when accepting a more comprehensive range of payments. This is a good start for when your business wants to move into new markets worldwide in the future.
Among the features of Merchant Services is customer service
We can’t overestimate good customer service, therefore expect the same from the banks and other businesses. You likely think customer service is essential for your customers.
The best high-risk bank account should be able to help you through the process of getting set up. They should stay with you and help you put together your bank package. In the end, when you have it all in one place, you will get approved quickly.
Excellent customer service is all about making a connection with a person. Find a company where you can quickly talk to a natural person over the phone. Email or live chat can also help you solve your problem and move forward through the process.
Secure your Merchants account for high risk business.
When looking for the best high-risk merchant account service, you need to pick a safe one. A business’s financial health is more important than the safety of its money and how well its money is being spent. To make sure that an online credit card processor is safe, you should research before choosing one. A 3D secure payment gateway will ensure that each money transaction is safe.
It’s crucial for Merchants account for high risk business providers to have the best security and a good track record of keeping business and customer information safe. Talk about what it means to protect your credit card from fraud.
Why a merchant account might pose a risk to the general public
If a payment processing platform thinks you’re a high-risk customer, there are several reasons why. However, some of them are more difficult to decipher. In general, these are the things that a service provider will label as “high-risk.”
There is much activity in this area. A retailer may be considered high-risk if they conduct much business or have a high average transaction rate. The term “high-risk” may refer to customers who make monthly payments totaling more than $20,000 or whose average transaction value exceeds $500.
Accepting payments from countries outside of the United States and Canada
In a new venture, if a merchant has never processed payments before or has a minimal history of doing so, the likelihood of them being unable to do so is high. Even if a merchant has a clean criminal record in a high-risk industry, they may still be considered high-risk. For this reason, fraud, returns, and chargebacks are more likely to occur in their line of work. If customers notice a charge they didn’t know about on their statement, they’re more likely to file a chargeback. People often forget to cancel their subscriptions after signing up for a free trial. This is why subscription businesses are referred to as high-risk businesses.
Conclusion
As you can see from the discussion above, some businesses have risks built-in. From one vendor and one processor to the next, the term “high risk” means different things to different people. People who want to use payment processors can sign up for them quickly, but they can be cut off at any time. If your business is risky, don’t freak out. It’s not as bad as it sounds because many businesses only want to work with high-risk businesses.