Being able to receive funds through credit cards is one of the most important norms of modern-day business as long as your business qualifies for a high-risk merchant account. Although there is quite a good number of High-risk merchant account providers in the market, choosing the best one may pose as a serious challenge to the business owner interested in owning a high-risk merchant account. In order to serve as a guide to you, here are some factors you should always put into consideration when setting up your payment processing account due to the heightened risks associated with the industry and the level of services provided.
Factors To Consider When Searching For High Risk Merchant Account Provider
Reputation or recommendation
Remember that the High-risk merchant account provider can also serve as your high-risk payment gateway hence, the need to make sure you only settle for one with adequate market experience and a good level of reputation before settling to create an account with them. You can always ask the friend to recommend the services of a good high-risk payment gateway or lead you to someone who can recommend a good one. You can also conduct market-oriented research by reading the customer reviews on these high-risk merchant processors to know if they are a good fit for the job or not. Remember to take special note of the negative reviews because that is what depicts the weaknesses of the high-risk merchant processor.
Type of services offered
It is one thing to locate a good high-risk merchant account provider and a different thing entirely to locate one that offers the services you are interested in. Remember, the high-risk merchant processor will not only process your payment but also offer you some forms of benefits which can make your transactions safer and more secured. You can do a simple comparison of high risk merchant provider websites. The high risk merchant lists include but are not limited to high street banks and various PSPs, ISOs, MSPs and payment facilitator.
Rates charged
The best high-risk merchant account provider should be one that offers the type of services you are interested in at an affordable rate. Not every high-risk merchant processor will offer the best deal for your business hence the need to focus on only those that offer a friendly rate for your business. Note that the fees for high-risk merchant accounts are usually incurred or depend on the business type, registration process (with card brands) and others. Let’s say you want to create an account with both MasterCard and Visa and have an MCC that requires a card registration, you will have to pay as high as $1000 per year.
Clear and easy to access communication
A good merchant account provider should have a nice and highly professional customer care support which can be easily accessed on all platforms (phone, email, and social media). These customer care services come in handy by assisting you whenever you may be stranded or need help concerning your payment gateway or card processing. The company should be able to connect and interact with you on clear terms and offer you the needed assistance as and when due. A good customer care support system will also make the application process as smooth as possible.
HOW TO EASILY IDENTIFY AND COORDINATE WITH A HIGH-RISK MERCHANT ACCOUNT PROVIDER?
- Search the internet for list of high-risk merchant processors who can handle your card schemes or payment needs. Remember to use the right keyword and do not be in a haste to engage their services unless you are sure they meet the criteria listed above. The most common high-risk merchant processors include American Express, Diners Club, MasterCard, Visa, and Union Pay.
- Once you are able to locate one that suites your taste and business needs, it is important that you ask important questions concerning their ability to handle your requests. Such questions should include type of industry, merchant business, company website, the minimum and maximum ticket size and the fraud prevention steps of the company to prevent a chargeback.
- Get a clear idea on the charges and fees linked with the merchant account since it will cost some money to create or approve one. Most often, the services rendered are paid even though some merchants may charge less to create an account but have a higher fee for each transaction. The fees associated with creating and using the merchant account must be analyzed and checked if the charges are reasonable or not.
- Utilize the demo services (if available) to understand how the company operates.
PLEASE NOTE
A genuine high-risk merchant processor will not approve payment without any form of verification and accreditation. It will have to review the requirements submitted by the merchant. While some of these requirements may be obligatory, others may be needed before the processor can underwrite a high-risk merchant business. These items needed y the high-risk merchant payment gateways are as follows;
- A fully functional company website.
- The company website should be SSL protected.
- All policies including Terms and Condition, Refund Policy, Privacy Policy, and Cookie Policy must be made visible on the company
- Homepage header menu.
- The company’s customer support number and email must be indicated on the website’s homepage and contact page.
- There should be a list of products and services being offered by the company including the product and service details, price and the committed date of delivery or the subscription time.
Conclusion
Contact us if you have any questions about your high-risk merchant accounts, we will love to hear from you.