With customers opting to pay for goods and services with cryptocurrency, businesses are now rushing to find a credit card processing company to help facilitate the transactions. However, this has not been easy for high-risk businesses since most major banks and credit card processors avoid working with them.
Fortunately, there are a few credit card processing companies willing to take a chance on high-risk businesses. If you’re struggling to find one, here are four of the best high-risk credit card processing companies for cryptocurrency and other helpful information to get you started.
Also called high-risk merchant account providers, high-risk credit card processing companies are payment service providers that specialize in working with businesses that are otherwise considered high-risk by traditional financial institutions. These businesses are generally considered high risk due to various factors, including a high volume of chargebacks, a history of fraud in the industry, financial instability, and bad credit.
Businesses in high-risk industries are usually required to pay higher fees and undergo rigorous scrutiny to obtain merchant services from credit card processing companies.
In return, high-risk credit card processing companies offer several advantages for the business, including chargeback management and risk mitigation. They also understand the specific needs of businesses in high-risk industries and are able to offer tailored solutions and advice to help businesses mitigate financial losses and stay compliant with relevant laws and regulations.
Some core features of credit card processing companies and cryptocurrency payment gateways include the following:
High-risk payment gateways facilitate instant settlements of cryptocurrency transactions by first converting the received cryptocurrency into fiat currency, then transferring the equivalent sum to the bank account of the business. This way, businesses don’t need to hold or manage digital assets themselves.
High-risk merchant account providers offer various plugins and application programming interfaces (APIs) to help businesses integrate cryptocurrency payment options into their e-commerce platforms and applications.
As players in the high-risk industry payment service, high-risk credit card companies employ robust security practices to secure transactions and protect customers’ private information. To this effect, they use secure sockets layer (SSL) certificates, encryption, and other security protocols to protect customer data. They also offer chargeback protection and fraud detection services to protect the business from financial losses.
Besides facilitating financial transactions, high-risk merchant account providers also provide businesses with reporting and analytics capabilities, which enable them to track their sales, transactions, and other crucial data.
Most high-risk businesses operate in highly regulated industries and must adhere to strict compliance regulations. High-risk payment gateways often come with built-in compliance measures that enable businesses to adhere to know-your-customer (KYC) and anti-money laundering (AML) regulations.
Some of the best high-risk credit card processing companies for cryptocurrency and high-risk payment gateways include the following:
Durango Merchant Services is a high-risk merchant account provider that specializes in processing credit card and cryptocurrency payments for high-risk businesses. It also facilitates payments for international merchant accounts and supports multi-currency accounts.
Besides processing your financial transactions, Durango Merchant Services also offers online shopping cart integration with its proprietary Durango Cart™ and other third-party carts that integrate with its payment gateway.
In terms of security, Durango offers fraud protection services with various security integrations, including iSPY and EMV 3D Secure 2.0.
For high-risk industries looking to accept cryptocurrency payments, Durango offers very low processing fees, chargeback protection, and enhanced fraud protection. With that said, you can only qualify for the service if your business is not located in a country currently sanctioned by the U.S.
SharkPay Crypto is primarily a cryptocurrency exchange platform that provides users with an easy way to buy and sell digital assets. It also doubles as a high-risk merchant account provider by facilitating payments for high-risk businesses.
One of the biggest perks of using SharkPay Crypto is the incredibly low transaction fees. The registration process is also absolutely free and takes between 48 and 72 hours for pre-approval.
In terms of security, the company employs various protocols to protect your customers’ private data. It also secures the financial transactions of your business through fraud detection software and chargeback protection.
PaymentCloud is a merchant account provider for low, medium, and high-risk businesses. The company has built quite a reputation for itself due to its incredibly low fees and value-added services that help facilitate payments and secure the business from financial losses.
The application process at PaymentCloud is pretty straightforward, with a pre-approval timeline of less than 72 hours. You’re not required to pay any application or account setup fees, and the company does not charge a monthly minimum for low-risk accounts.
Like most merchant account providers, PaymentCloud is not a direct processor but rather partners with various banks and processors to increase the likelihood of seamless approval and guarantee account stability.
The company accepts all major cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin, and offers easy integrations into your website or application. It also offers added security guarantees by protecting your customer’s private data and safeguarding your business against fraud and illegitimate chargebacks.
Easy Pay Direct is a merchant account provider and high-risk payment gateway that serves various high-risk and low-risk industries. The company partners with numerous banks and international processors to deliver seamless financial transaction services for both fiat and cryptocurrency payments.
Unlike most high-risk merchant account providers, Easy Pay Direct offers load balancing that allows you to hold multiple merchant accounts. This way, you are better able to specify the percentage of sales that go into each account. You also get access to point-of-sale (POS) systems, shopping cart integration, and mobile payment processing services.
The onboarding process is pretty simple. All you need to do is fill out an online application form and wait for your pre-approval, which takes less than three business days. On the downside, you’ll have to pay a $99 setup fee once your application is approved.
High-risk merchant accounts provide the perfect solution for high-risk businesses that have trouble finding a bank willing to work with them. They’re even more crucial when dealing with relatively unregulated currencies like crypto. But that’s not the only thing they’re good for. Here are a few other benefits of having a high-risk merchant account for cryptocurrency.
Without a payment processing partner, high-risk businesses can only accept cash, which puts a major strain on their capacity to accept payments. This is even more frustrating for businesses whose customers may want to pay with cryptocurrencies.
With a high-risk merchant that facilitates cryptocurrency transactions, businesses can enjoy seamless conventional credit card and cryptocurrency payments with integrations in their websites, applications, and e-commerce platforms.
Most conventional merchant account services facilitate transactions only for businesses inside the U.S. Conversely, high-risk merchant account providers partner with various international banks, sometimes spanning dozens of countries, enabling businesses to accept payments from all around the world.
Despite the high costs involved in opening and maintaining a high-risk merchant account, it could help your business rack in more profits. The sheer number of payment opportunities the account provides can help you attract more customers and process high-volume transactions that may be unavailable for medium and low-risk businesses.
Chargebacks are the greatest challenges for high-risk businesses. They’re the reason some businesses get the high-risk categorization in the first place. Chargebacks occur when a customer requests a refund for an already-processed transaction, which results in financial losses for the business.
All major high-risk merchant account providers provide chargeback protection services, which may include email alerts and even advice on how to counter illegitimate chargebacks. High-risk merchant account providers also offer fraud protection services through sophisticated software that detects potential fraud and warns businesses in advance. Combined, these two services can save your high-risk business a lot of money.
High-risk merchant accounts are quite beneficial, for the most part, but they also have a few drawbacks. Some of the most notable drawbacks of holding a high-risk merchant account include the following:
High-risk merchant account providers may have a higher risk appetite, but they still need to protect themselves from potential liabilities. To this effect, the underwriting process for high-risk payment processing services is significantly longer for high-risk merchants.
The greatest disadvantage of high-risk merchant accounts is that businesses are charged much higher fees than low-risk accounts. High-risk merchants also pay some fees that low-risk merchants don’t have to. A good example of these fees is rolling reserves.
Rolling reserves are a fraction of your total transactions, which are typically held for a period of six months or even a whole year to serve as a guarantor for potential losses to the merchant account provider in case of chargebacks.
Some high-risk merchant account providers also charge account application and service fees, which may drive up the total cost of operating the account.
The introduction of cryptocurrency processing services to merchant accounts has completely revolutionized how high-risk merchants do business. In addition to accepting conventional payment methods like cash and credit card payments, businesses can now accept all major cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum, with integrations in their websites and applications.
Despite the high costs involved in opening and managing a high-risk merchant account, the benefits these accounts provide to merchants far outweigh the cost. That said, not every merchant account provider is right for your business. Therefore, you need to find an account provider that meets your business needs and offers reduced costs and value-added services to streamline your payment processing capabilities.
