According to their about us page, CCBill is a global financial technology company that offers a range of payment processing and billing solutions. They work with various high-risk industries to level the playing field and give all businesses a shot at streamlining payments — as long as they’re legal.
If you’ve ever taken the time to read reviews for CCBill online, you might have found that there’s quite a mix of sentiments about the company throughout the web. With overwhelming reviews detailing bad experiences contrasting with a substantial number of neutral and even positive responses, it’s hard to weigh the truth. So what’s the real deal with CCBill?
First things first — what exactly does CCBill offer? Well, they pretty much cover most, if not all, of the bases when it comes to digital payments. They offer the following services for merchants both big and small:
Essentially, the company provides a range of services that help businesses streamline and automate payment, billing, membership, and support activities related to the different transactions and activities that happen under their online storefront.
Presently, CCBill works with a range of well-established businesses including high-risk merchants that might struggle to find placement with other providers due to their potential to become a liability. CCBill is perhaps best known for its partnership with the adult website, OnlyFans.
For the record and as far as evidence suggests, yes, CCBill is a legitimate service. Accredited by the Better Business Bureau in 2014, CCBill has been around since 1998. This makes them one of the oldest merchant account service providers existing today.
Another thing worth mentioning is that among the many different high-risk merchant account service providers out there, CCBill is one of the few that actually discloses its rates upfront. This allows merchants and potential clients to measure up the cost of setting up an account with CCBill before they make the leap.
Finally, it’s worth mentioning that CCBill has yet to encounter any legal battles that question the authenticity of its services. Of course, they did have a run-in with Perfect 10 over ““ issues circling the images used on the CCBill website. But you’re not likely to find any legal records that focused on the actual service that CCBill provides.
As with any other service that handles payments, there are loads of negative reviews about CCBill all over the web. On TrustPilot, CCBill has received an average rating of 1.5 out of 5 stars, giving them an overall bad review status on the site.
But as you read through the reviews, you’ll find that most of them come from buyers and customers having issues with payments. Many of them complain about being charged an amount that they didn’t authenticate or struggling to get a refund for a transaction they decided to dispute.
And while harshly negative reviews can definitely affect your perception of the CCBill brand, it’s important to point out that none of the reviews provide enough information to make a sound decision on whether or not the allegations actually point to CCBill as the problem or not.
Unfortunately, there are layers to online electronic payments, and CCBill is never the only party involved in the process. While that doesn’t eliminate them as the potential cause of these payment hiccups, there’s no way to confirm if the root of the problem was actually them.
Finally, there are also a few reviews out there that come from merchants. However, what you’ll notice is that the feedback is often left behind by merchants who were never onboarded by CCBill and instead experienced issues with application rejection. To date, there are no reports of merchant clients having issues with CCBill.
One former CCBill employee pointed out that many of the disgruntled clients that ask for refunds and initiate chargebacks do so because they claim not to remember having authenticated a transaction under CCBill.
This commonly happens when cards are shared between individuals in a family, and certain members of the group might not believe that there are family members who would subscribe to or pay for the same adult services and merchants that CCBill works with.
Whatever the case, there’s very little authentic evidence that suggests that CCBill is anything but a legitimate payment processing and billing solutions provider.
Again, CCBill is one of the few high-risk merchant account service providers that actually keep their fees and rates open and accessible for everyone to see. This makes it easier for potential clients to map out the expense of working with CCBill, and whether their services will suit their specific budget.
As of writing, CCBill offers five standard flat-rate plans that are tailored to meet the needs of distinct business models. Depending on your business structure, you may be able to choose from their existing plans or a customized fee plan.
| Plan Type | Rates and Fees per Transaction | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Low-Risk Plan | 3.9% + $0.55; 2% recurring transaction surcharge for subscriptions | Intended for merchants operating in low risk industries |
| High-Risk Plan | 5.9% + $0.55 | Specifically developed for high risk merchants, excluding those operating in the adult industry |
| Adult Plan | 10.8% to 14.5% (volume discounts available); 1.5% surcharge for UK and EU based merchants; one-time high risk registration fee ($1,000 in the US or Canada, $500 in UK and EU) | Includes all adult businesses such as live cams |
| Donate Plan | 3.9% + $0.55 | Ideal for qualified 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations and corporations |
| Direct Plan | 5.9% + $0.55 | Only accepts debit card transactions, but waives the high risk registration fee and surcharge |
Other fees and service specifics that CCBill imposes include:
They don’t impose a weekly or monthly minimum, and they also don’t charge a gateway fee. While they might impose a PCI fee, they don’t disclose the amount so you’re going to have to go through the application process to find out how much these other charges might affect what you pay.
It’s easy to see that some of their rates might be pretty steep, but that shouldn’t disqualify them as a choice. For the most part, their services seem legitimate despite their relatively high charges. It’s also worth mentioning that high rates like these are inevitable if you’re running a high-risk business.
But if you’re in the low-risk segment, then it’s important to point out that CCBill’s rates are anything but competitive. Try to shop around for a better deal if you’re not operating a high-risk outfit since you’re likely to find way lower rates if you try to scout your options.
It’s only right that you perform your fair share of due diligence before you engage in a partnership with a payment solutions service. And while there might be a lot of controversy surrounding CC Bill, a little extra digging will show you that they’re anything but illegitimate.
Although negative reviews from a handful of disgruntled buyers might sway you from taking on that partnership with CC Bill, there’s no solid evidence that suggests they’re anything but legitimate.
