22 Best High-Risk Merchant Account Providers for 2025

Normally, companies process transactions in their merchant accounts. However, payment processing carries risks for the payment processors. Because of this, many merchant account providers do not want to work with a company that has a higher risk profile. If your business has had a high rate of chargebacks or fraudulent transactions, you may struggle to find traditional payment processing options. Additionally, certain industries, like gambling, adult entertainment, and cryptocurrency, are automatically considered high-risk businesses.

Through the best high-risk merchant account providers, you can set up an account and process your transactions. In exchange for the best high-risk merchant services, these providers typically charge a higher fee. Because of this, it’s important to carefully review each merchant account provider before settling on anyone. 

To learn more about the top high-risk merchant account providers available today, read on.

TL;DR

• High-risk merchants face major hurdles when working with traditional banks. 
• Specialized, high-risk merchant account providers are available that offer convenient payment processing at a reasonable cost.
• To get the best high-risk merchant account provider, check their experience, industry specializations, and payment gateway compatibility.
• Many providers have hidden fees and lengthy contracts, so ask about contract terms and cancellation fees before you sign anything.
• Account features, pricing, and other factors vary significantly from provider to provider. Some only serve a subset of industries in the high-risk marketplace.

For the best results, find someone who caters to your industry. Then, read through the pros and cons to see if they are a good fit for your needs.

How To Choose a High-Risk Merchant Account Provider 

Choosing the best high-risk merchant account providers can be challenging. You need to find someone who offers the best high-risk merchant services for a reasonable cost. As you search for the right merchant account provider, consider the following factors carefully.

• Industry Specialization: You should look for a provider that has worked with your high-risk industry in the past. This ensures that they will understand exactly what type of obstacles you are facing.
• Fee Transparency: Hidden fees can quickly add up. As you compare providers, make sure their contracts cover all of the fees involved. Many providers have lengthy contracts or cancellation fees, so ask about these topics upfront.
• Experience: For the best results, you should find a provider who has extensive experience in the industry. You don’t want to work with a fly-by-night company.
• Reputation: To locate the best option, carefully read through customer testimonials and reviews. If the provider has a lot of 1-star reviews, you should consider working with someone else.
• Payment Gateway Compatibility: Before you sign a contract, you should make sure that the provider’s payment gateway and other tools can be integrated into your existing systems.
• Chargeback Management: To keep your costs down, talk to the provider about their chargeback prevention options and how they deal with chargebacks.
• Customer Support: For the best results, you ideally want a merchant account provider that offers 24/7 customer support.
• Fraud Prevention: High-risk businesses experience more cases of fraud, which is why you need a provider that offers superior fraud prevention tools.
• Scalability: As your business continues to grow, you need a provider that can scale up and down when you do.

International Support: If you sell to international clients, you’ll need to make sure that the provider is set up for global transactions.

The 22 Best High-Risk Merchant Account Providers in 2025

Using the previous factors, we looked at some of the top high-risk merchant account providers in the country. We compared experience, fee transparency, and fraud prevention tools to create a list of the 22 best high-risk payment processors in 2025. 

1. PayCompass 

PayCompass’s fraud prevention tools make it easier to reduce fraud and avoid chargebacks. This provider helps to take the complexity out of challenging problems while providing vital payment processing to high-risk merchants. As one of the best high-risk payment processors, PayCompass has all of the services and compliance support you need.

Pros

• Fast merchant onboarding
• Quick account setup
• Flexible support for different industries
• Speedy onboarding process for merchants

Cons

• Occasional software integration issues

2. PaymentCloud

At PaymentCloud, you can process payments from ACH, e-checks, credit cards, and cryptocurrencies. This provider takes a hands-on approach to customer service, so you can expect a lot of help during the application and onboarding process. PaymentCloud works with adult entertainment, credit repair, tax preparation, CBD oil, airlines, and a range of other high-risk industries.

Pros

• Dedicated account manager
• No-cost credit card processing
• Same-day setup

Cons

• Monthly volume limit
• Fee information is difficult to find online
• Not available for extremely high-risk accounts

3. Host Merchant Services

Host Merchant Services is an ideal option if you run an e-commerce business. When it comes to customer service, Host Merchant Services has an excellent reputation. It provides 24/7 customer support, so you can get immediate help as soon as you encounter a problem. However, you’re capped at $10,000 a month before you’re charged additional fees. Because of this, Host Merchant Services is better suited for low-volume businesses.

Pros

• No monthly minimum fee
• No early termination fee
• Top-rated customer support
• No application fees

Cons

• More costly for low-volume companies
• $10,000 processing limit
• Added cost for setting up a payment gateway

4. Inovio

With Inovio, you get an intuitive interface and adaptable APIs. As one of the best high-risk merchant account providers, Inovio can handle multiple payment technologies. The account provider offers services for bail bonds, coaching, collections, fantasy sports, telemedicine, and other high-risk industries.

Pros

• Quick setup process
• Cards can be kept on file
• Dedicated relationship manager

Cons

• Opaque fees
• Limited integrations
• Early termination fees

5. Durango Merchant Services

Durango Merchant Services regularly ranks as one of the best high-risk payment processors. While this provider works with a broad array of clients, it specializes in customers who have poor credit or a high number of chargebacks. You can use Durango with multiple currencies and cryptocurrencies.

Pros

• Offers a high level of services
• Excellent customer reviews
• Top-rated fraud prevention
• Good payment gateway integrations

Cons

• Quote required to see pricing structure and fees
• High monthly fees
• Not an option for every kind of high-risk business.

6. Payline 

At Payline, they take transparency very seriously. In fact, it advertises itself as the first merchant account provider to clearly list the price of fees on its website. While it’s hard to verify this claim, Payline was definitely one of the earliest adopters of pricing transparency in the payment processing industry. Plus, Payline’s omnichannel solutions mean that it has options available for all types of businesses. 

Pros

• Uses interchange plus pricing
• No cancellation fee
• Dedicated account managers

Cons

• Monthly fees charged
• Online and offline customers get different plans

7. Soar Payments

If you are a high-risk merchant that is struggling to find your next provider, Soar Payments may be a good option for your needs. It offers ACH processing, a payment gateway, merchant accounts, and other in-demand features. From an easy application process to competitive pricing, Soar Payments delivers some of the industry’s most desirable services.

Pros

• Exceptional customer service
• Instant online quotes
• The customer support team is based in the United States

Cons

• Unavailable in some verticals
• Not available globally

8. Bankful

With Bankful, you can enjoy fast approvals and short processing timelines. This merchant account provider works with gambling, adult entertainment, CBD products, cryptocurrencies, and other high-risk industries. At Bankful, you can take advantage of flexible monthly plans, seamless integrations, and real-time fraud alerts.

Pros

• Upfront pricing
• Top-rated customer services
• Multiple software integrations

Cons

• Higher tiers of service cost more
• Only intended for the United States
• Limited features for managing subscriptions

9. Easy Pay Direct

With Easy Pay Direct, you can handle multiple merchant accounts from the same portal. The provider offers unlimited high-value transactions as well as a user-friendly payment gateway.

Pros

• Transparent prices
• Free virtual terminal 
• Multiple integrations

Cons

• Available in the United States and Canada only

10. Instabill

Instabill is one of the leading international providers of high-risk merchant accounts. As such, it accepts more than 150 currencies. This high-risk merchant account provider can handle ACH processing, e-commerce payments, EMV card readers and swipers, mobile payments, and more.

Pros

• Excellent fraud prevention tools
• Fast onboarding
• Top-notch tech support

Cons

• High termination fees
• Rolling reserve required in most cases
• Frequently more expensive than other providers

11. Corepay

As one of the best high-risk merchant services, Corepay offers excellent options for mail order/telephone order (MOTO) payments. Besides adult businesses, it provides support with online dating, firearms, and other high-risk industries. As long as you haven’t had an account terminated by another provider, Corepay can generally work with you.

Pros

• No setup or application fees
• Excellent chargeback protection and anti-fraud measures
• No annual fees

Cons

• Lack of pricing transparency
• Heavily focuses on MOTO payments

12. PayKings

PayKings is known for its affordable online credit card payment processing and merchant services. When you need help, you can easily access all of PayKings’ products and services through the provider’s intuitive online platform. Fees and pricing schedules are customized for each merchant, so you have to reach out for a personalized quote in order to determine what you’ll end up paying.

Pros

• Available in multiple currencies
• No setup fees required
• Chargeback protection offered

Cons

• Early termination fees
• Lack of price transparency on its website
• Relatively slow response times

13. Finix

Finix offers support for all types of merchants and provides some of the best high-risk merchant account services. It works with CBD, hemp, money services, gaming, nutraceutical, and gambling businesses. Plus, Finix has end-to-end dispute tracking and management.

Pros

• Advanced analytics for fraud detection
• PCI-DSS compliance
• Excellent customer service

Cons

• Pricing is only available on request
• No direct accounting software integrations

14. National Processing

If you’ve had trouble getting approved by other credit card processors, National Processing can help. They provide high-risk payment processing services across a wide range of industries. Your company’s information is protected through PCI DSS compliance and a high level of data security. National Processing offers a range of features, an affordable price, and no long-term contract.

Pros

• Excellent chargeback monitoring
• Great features for the price
• Free startup equipment

Cons

• No surcharging options
• Deposits take two to three days

15. High Risk Pay

High Risk Pay focuses on companies based in the United States. Many of its clients are CBD, high-volume accounts, debt collection, subscription, and sports betting companies. You can apply and get approved in two days. Additionally, High Risk Pay has a 99% approval rate, so the odds of getting a high-risk merchant account set up are excellent.

Pros

• Contract-free options available
• Low monthly fees
• Reasonable point-of-sale (POS) swipe fee

Cons

• No inventory management
• Only for companies in the United States
• High transaction fee for online purchases

16. Stax

While Stax offers excellent customer service and is a reliable partner, it has a few important drawbacks to keep in mind. It is extremely selective about which high-risk merchants to work with. For example, Stax does not provide payment processing services to cannabis or CBD companies. The good news is that Stax performs its underwriting upfront before you set up your merchant account, so you’ll find out right away if you’re able to work with Stax or not.

Pros

• Performs underwriting upfront
• Robust software
• Transparent subscription pricing 
• Cost benefits for high-volume businesses

Cons

• Only works with a limited number of high-risk industries
• Slow customer service
• Not ideal for low-volume businesses

17. SMB Global

SMB Global is ideal if you have an international customer base because they provide global payment processing through e-checks, credit cards, and ACH. Additionally, they coordinate with over a dozen different banks and financial institutions around the world, so you can get the best rates possible. For static and mobile storefronts, you can even get a free mobile reader or EMV terminal. 

Pros

• Fair rates for international payment processing
• Options available for companies with bad credit
• Convenient software integrations

Cons

• Free terminals and mobile readers are only available to qualified companies
• App integration options are not detailed on its website
• Pricing is not clearly listed on its website

18. Flowhub Pay

Unlike some traditional payment processors, Flowhub Pay is willing to work with cannabis companies. However, this company only allows ACH and debit card payments, so your customers can’t use credit cards. Flowhub Pay can work as a standalone terminal, alongside Flowhub POS, or with different POS software. 

Pros

• One-day setup
• Full compliance
• No monthly fees 

Cons

• Convenience fee for customers on each transaction
• No credit card payment options
• Hardware and setup fee required

19. Fasto Payments

With Fasto Payments, you can connect with over 100 different card processors. This one-stop shop offers chargeback alerts and 24/7 customer support. Plus, it offers 20 different payment methods.

Pros

• Comprehensive services
• Chargeback alerts
• 24/7 customer service

Cons

• The website doesn’t clearly disclose prices anywhere

20. Payment Nerds

Payment Nerds specializes in the guns, crypto trading, CBD, online dating, nutraceuticals, and debt collection industries. It offers flat-rate pricing, making budgeting a little easier. Plus, you can accept global payments in a variety of different currencies.

Pros

• Transparent, flat-rate pricing
• Month-to-month contracts available
• Customized payment options

Cons

• No offshore accounts
• Setup fees are not advertised

21. BankCard USA

BankCard USA has been in the industry for more than 25 years. It offers POS systems, credit card terminals, and payment gateways for high-risk merchant accounts. Through its personalized plans and fraud prevention tools, this merchant account provider can help your company grow as safely and effectively as possible.

Pros

• Personalized fraud prevention
• PCI compliance support
• Extensive experience

Cons

• Vague pricing structure
• Inconsistent customer service quality

22. First Card Payments

This option is ideal for companies that have a lot of B2B transactions. First Card Payments has relationships with more than 30 financial institutions, so you can process payments in as little as 24 hours. It also advertises that it can lower any company’s current fees by 25%. However, to use First Card Payments, your company must have at least six months of credit card processing history.

Pros

• Multiple software integrations
• Customer-centric approach
• Customized pricing options

Cons

• Pricing increases for high-risk companies
• Rolling reserve requirement 
• Non-waivable chargeback fees

Final Thoughts

With the best high-risk merchant account providers, you can get the services you need at a reasonable rate. At PayCompass, we offer support with major high-risk industries, such as tobacco companies, travel businesses, and subscription-based services. We can handle complex international payments and multiple currencies, so you can continue growing your company. 

When you partner with high-risk merchant account providers, you need someone who charges affordable fees. Because there is a higher risk involved, many providers charge more. For growing businesses, these costs can significantly cut into their cash flow. 

To determine the best merchant account provider, you should carefully review the contract terms, minimum commitment, pricing structure, and services offered. You should also check out testimonials from other customers because these will be a good indication of what your experience will be like. 

If you need assistance in finding the best high-risk merchant account options, we can help. Reach out to our payment processing specialists today to learn more.