Despite being a popular multi-billion industry, the adult entertainment industry is considered high-risk by traditional banks and many payment providers, making it pretty difficult for them to set up merchant accounts for the purpose of accepting and processing debit/credit card payments.
There are several reasons behind its classification as a high-risk industry, including the high rate of chargebacks, many cases of identity fraud, and the controversial nature of adult entertainment content. Some payment providers also fear that adult entertainment merchant accounts may be used as a front for illegal activities.
Fortunately, some payment providers specialize in providing high-risk merchant accounts to such businesses. These payment providers are more than willing to offer credit card processing services to adult businesses.
This article will provide an in-depth review of how to choose a payment provider in the adult entertainment industry and the best adult entertainment high-risk credit card processors to work with.
Before selecting a high-risk adult entertainment credit card processor to work with, you need to consider several factors. This way, you’ll be able to find a suitable and reliable adult payment gateway that meets your unique business needs. These factors include the following:
As mentioned, businesses in the adult industry are considered high-risk by traditional banks and credit card processors. This means that the application process for an adult merchant account is subject to stricter requirements and a lengthier investigation compared to low-risk merchant accounts.
That said, it’s important for your business to work with a credit card processor with years of experience working with high-risk industries, specifically the adult industry. Such credit card processors understand the unique challenges and regulations associated with the adult entertainment business. As a result, they’ll speed up the adult merchant account application process and provide you with customized solutions to combat high rates of chargebacks and fraud.
In most parts of the world, the consumers of adult content must meet certain age requirements. As a result, it’s vital to choose an adult entertainment high-risk credit card processor that provides age verification services. This way, you’ll be able to ensure that all your customers are of legal age to purchase your content, and you don’t end up breaking the law unknowingly.
Generally, businesses in high-risk industries are charged higher payment processing fees due to the increased risk of chargebacks, refunds, and fraud. However, all high-risk merchant account providers specializing in serving the adult entertainment industry do not charge the same payment processing rates and fees.
Therefore, it’s up to you to compare the pricing structure and fees associated with different high-risk credit card processors before choosing the one that suits your budget. Take your time to review all the fees charged by the high-risk merchant account provider, including transaction processing fees, recurring fees, chargeback fees, and incidental fees, to name a few.
Most consumers of adult content usually prefer discreet billing in an attempt to protect their privacy and avoid judgment from onlookers. Therefore, it’s important to work with a credit card processor that offers discreet billing options, which entails no mention of the nature of the products being purchased on the customer’s credit card statement. This will help give your customers peace of mind when transacting with your business, knowing that their privacy is protected at all times.
Adult businesses must comply with several legal and regulatory requirements, including age verification, prohibition of certain types of content, and other jurisdiction-specific regulations. That said, ensure that the adult entertainment credit card processor you choose complies with all these laws and regulations to avoid any legal issues and penalties in the future.
Chargebacks are undoubtedly one of the biggest threats to the adult business. In addition to draining your revenue, chargebacks can easily threaten your ability to accept and process payments altogether. Therefore, it’s important to choose a high-risk credit card processor with a chargeback protection system in place to help minimize the risk of chargebacks in your business. Such a system will allow you to investigate the legitimacy of a chargeback before the bank processes it.
When purchasing your content, customers may prefer different payment options, including credit cards, debit cards, mobile payments, digital wallets, ACH transfers, and e-checks. You want to partner with a high-risk payment provider that offers these payment options and more to increase conversion rates and improve customer satisfaction.
When selecting an adult entertainment credit card processor, it’s vital to consider the ease of integration with your current platform and system. A reliable high-risk credit card processor will likely offer you the necessary plugins, APIs, and even developer resources to make the integration process simple and seamless.
Every adult business requires a reliable, flexible, and responsive customer support team to help you promptly resolve any payment processing-related issues. It’s highly recommended to work with a high-risk credit card processor that offers 24/7 customer support through a variety of channels, such as phone, email, live chat, social media platforms, video chat, and many others.
In the adult entertainment industry, you can use several high-risk credit card processors to accept and process debit/credit card payments from customers. Some top-rated options offer competitive prices, popular integrations, various payment methods, and specialized solutions that adult businesses can benefit from.
Processors that specialize in high-risk merchant accounts include the following:
PaymentCloud is a California-based payment provider that specializes in serving high-risk industries, such as adult entertainment, bail bonds, automotive, continuity subscription, debt collection, tech support, telemedicine, and many others. The company stands out from the crowd with a host of useful software integrations, fast and hassle-free approvals, and specialized tools dedicated to preventing fraud and managing chargebacks. In fact, the company claims to have a 98% approval rate for high-risk businesses.
PaymentCloud is also known for its wide variety of payment processing products and services, including Point-of-Sale (POS) solutions, e-commerce integrations, EMV-compatible terminals, mobile payment swipers, ACH transfers, merchant funding, and 24/7 customer support. One of the best things about partnering with PaymentCloud for adult entertainment payment processing is that the company works with all types of adult products, including adult toys, adult content membership sites, adult bookstores, strip clubs, pornography, and other related products.
If you operate an adult merchant business and are looking for a reliable high-risk credit card processor to partner with, eMerchantBroker.com is the ideal option for you. The payment provider has years of experience working with adult entertainment businesses and helping them overcome the unique challenges associated with the high-risk industry. The company offers a variety of payment processing services, including merchant cash advances, ACH transfers, credit/debit card transaction processing, and a chargeback management system.
eMerchantBroker.com also understands the need for discretion when it comes to purchasing adult content. As a result, the adult payment gateway offers discreet billing to help customers maintain their privacy at all times. In addition to having high approval rates for adult entertainment businesses, eMerchantBroker.com also offers different payment options to merchants, ensuring a flexible payment experience for customers.
Host Merchant Services is a Newark, Delaware-based high-risk credit card processor that specializes in serving high-risk industries like adult entertainment. As a result, U.S.-based adult entertainment businesses can use this adult payment gateway to accept and process payments. Some of the company’s most sought-after payment processing products and services include an online payment gateway, merchant cash advance, fraud prevention tools, chargeback management systems, mobile credit card processing, POS systems, and 24/7 customer support.
Host Merchant Services has years of experience and expertise working with adult entertainment businesses. The company understands the challenges associated with the adult entertainment industry and has developed several specialized solutions to help merchants overcome them. The payment provider is best known for its commitment to secure payment processing, transparency, and competitive pricing. It also helps adult entertainment merchants open offshore accounts to process international payments and expand their businesses globally.
Shark Processing is another excellent choice for merchants looking for high-quality payment processing services in the adult entertainment industry. In addition to providing adult entertainment businesses with secure payment processing, the company also offers customized solutions to help merchants meet their unique needs.
Some of these solutions include easy checkout features, cashless payment solutions, fraud prevention tools, chargeback management systems, automated recurring billing features, and credit/debit card payment processing.
With its high approval rate for high-risk businesses, Shark Processing offers you the best odds of getting an adult merchant account. Additionally, this payment provider offers the SharkPay Crypto gateway, which allows adult entertainment merchants to accept and process payments from more than 20 cryptocurrencies via bank transfers and digital wallets. Shark Processing also charges some of the best payment processing rates in the entire adult entertainment industry.
As per the above guide, looking for the best adult entertainment high-risk credit card processors depends on several factors. Therefore, it’s important to thoroughly evaluate different high-risk credit card processors before settling for one, ensuring that you work with one that aligns with your respective business needs and goals.
You may even consider seeking recommendations from online sites or other adult entertainment merchants to gain insight into which credit card processors may suit your business the best.
