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High-risk merchant accounts are payment processing accounts set up by a legitimate company to process the payments of businesses that are considered high-risk. This is an important resource, as most banks and other traditional merchant accounts will not engage in a partnership with high-risk businesses, without such, these businesses will have limited capabilities in doing business and will greatly curtail the opportunities they might have. Understandably, some businesses are categorized as high-risk by the very nature of their business, and traditional financial institutions would not do business with them for being so. This puts them at a disadvantage and will not help them in growing their business and reaching their goals, when in fact, they are just doing business too. Fortunately, firms that offer high-risk merchant account now exist and they offer a way for high-risk businesses to set up payment centers or point of sale transactions that otherwise they would not have access to. This would mean that they can at least have the chance to widen their market reach and offer their customers a convenient way to pay for their products and services. It is a reality that many online businesses must contend with a lot of fraudulent purchases, and it just comes with the territory, they should not at least get punished for something that they do not have control of. So, with a company that understands their predicament, it is now possible for high-risk businesses like those that offer free trials and recurring monthly subscriptions and those that provide adult content and services can safely process payments and be able to maintain their cash flow so they can keep doing business. Restrictions in conservative banks still hold for companies that cater to high-risk businesses, but they do give them a certain amount of leeway as to the nature of the kind of business that they have especially on chargeback rates.
What is a High-Risk Merchant Account?
A high-risk merchant account would refer to the account that businesses have to enable their customers to process payments of purchased goods and services. For example, if you order coffee from your favorite coffee shop and use your credit card to pay for it, the site that processes your payment is called the payment processor, and the coffee shop you ordered from has a merchant account with the payment processor company. A high-risk merchant account is a payment processing account for businesses that are classified as high risk mostly because of the high rate of fraudulent transactions that occurs in this type of business, but other factors such as business size, business model, products and services offered, and payment schemes can all lead to a high-risk classification. When a business is identified as high-risk, there is very little that you could do about it, and traditional banks and finance-related companies will not do business with them. Some payment processor companies would do business with a high-risk business company but will charge steep fees for their merchant account. Some businesses that can be classified as high-risk include those that sell food supplements, adult content, jewelry, online furniture, psychics, software, and eBooks and those that market services like online dating, lending, business consulting, SEO, identity theft protection, and more. So that even if you have a legitimate business but if your product and services fall under the said types, then it can be tagged as high-risk. On the other hand, even if your business does not fall under the said categories but you have a negative credit rating, you offer a free trial, you charge for subscriptions that are recurring every month and there is a high rate of fraud chargebacks then your business can still be considered as high-risk.
How Does a High-Risk Merchant Account Help Grow The Business?
Most businesses nowadays are run from a website, and often a physical store is no longer necessary. This is well and good for those who have a high-risk merchant account that would allow them to process payments from their customers using their credit cards or debit cards. However, if you cannot set up a merchant account, there is no other way to complete a purchase or transaction since you do not have the facility to process payments. For those with physical stores, this can be remedied by accepting cash-only, but this is now the exception rather than the norm. Maintaining a physical store is too costly for most and if the business is just starting, then this is not an option they could take. If the business has a high-risk merchant account, they will be able to make sales, complete transactions, process orders, and be able to have a steady cash flow that they can use to grow their business. At present everyone transacts using their credit cards and debit cards and does it electronically, therefore a merchant account for payment processing is a must. If customers find that you do not have this in your store and they have to do some complicated thing to be able to send their payments, then they will just move on to the next website that has an easier payment processing method.
Where To Set up A High-Risk Merchant Account?
Since most banks and other companies will not let you have a high-risk merchant account, and if they do it is with steep fees, then you need to find a company that specializes in helping high-risk businesses get a payment processing account. As high-risk businesses cannot make use of traditional banks, then these payment processing companies provide that service knowing that there is also money to be made from these types of businesses. Choose a company that does not charge extra fees for being a high-risk business and those that allow you to set up an account easily, within minutes. After setting up an account, you just need to submit the requirements needed to process your account application. The turn-around is between 24 to 48 hours, and if everything goes well, then you can use the payment processing portal in a matter of days after the application. If for some reason, the payment processing company will ask for additional requirements then you need to comply with it as soon as possible to have your account validated.
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