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Plain answers about taking card payments.
What chargebacks really cost, how the rules catch people out, and how to read a statement you were never meant to understand.
How Long Does Merchant Account Approval Take? What Speeds It Up and What Stalls It
Approval time is mostly determined before you submit. Here is what underwriting actually looks at, and how to avoid the…
What is a high-risk merchant account?
A high-risk merchant account is one where the sponsor bank judges the likelihood of chargebacks, fraud or non-delivery …
You sell online. That shouldn't make you a problem.
Online businesses need a way to accept card payments, either through a merchant account with a payment gateway or throu…
Read the exit before you read the rate
An early termination fee is a charge applied when a merchant closes a processing account before the agreed term ends. I…
Switching processors is paperwork, not a shutdown
Switching payment processors does not require pausing card acceptance. The new account is applied for, underwritten and…
Stop the chargeback before it becomes one
A chargeback alert notifies a merchant that a cardholder has disputed a transaction, before the dispute is processed as…
What actually happens when a customer disputes a charge
A chargeback begins when a cardholder disputes a transaction with their issuing bank. The bank provisionally reverses t…
Declined by one bank isn't declined by all
A merchant account decline is a decision by one sponsor bank against its own risk appetite, not an industry-wide verdic…
What documents do I need to open a merchant account?
A standard US merchant account application needs the completed application form, government-issued photo identification…
Would a straight answer help?
Send a recent statement and we will tell you whether we can beat it. No call unless you ask.