How we evaluated
"Best" depends entirely on your file. A CBD merchant doing $50K/month needs a different provider than a $5M/month iGaming operator or a MATCH-listed nutra startup. The providers below are the ones we routinely place files with — each is the right answer for some subset of merchants, and none is the right answer for all of them.
Pricing ranges quoted are honest mid-market bands. Anyone showing you a single rate without seeing your statements is either lying or quoting their best case and hoping you don't notice the up-charges in the contract.
Providers compared
Direct relationships with US acquirers who underwrite CBD, nutra, subscription, and most card-not-present verticals. 2.95%–4.95% + $0.25, 5–10% reserves. Best for files that qualify for domestic placement — fastest funding, cleanest reporting.
Curaçao, Malta, Cyprus, Kahnawake licensed acquirers for iGaming, adult, high-volume nutra, and verticals US domestic won't touch. 4.45%–6.95% with 10–15% reserves. T+3 to T+7 settlement. The right call for licensed gambling, adult, and continuity nutra above $500K/month.
Faster onboarding than a dedicated MID, but shared risk model — you can be shut down for someone else's chargebacks. Best as a starter MID under $50K/month while you build to a dedicated acquirer relationship.
USDC / USDT settlement instead of fiat. Useful for crypto-native businesses or international merchants whose banks are constrained. Not a replacement for card processing — a supplement.
Direct bank-account debit at $0.25–$0.75 per transaction. Right answer for high-ticket B2B, coaching, debt collection, and any vertical where card rates eat margin. Often paired with card on the same merchant entity.
Our verdict
For most merchants: specialist US domestic acquirer first, offshore only when domestic isn't an option. Domestic settles faster, integrates cleaner, and prices better for the 80% of high-risk files that qualify.
Offshore is the right answer for licensed iGaming, adult, high-volume continuity nutra ($500K+/month), and merchants in countries where domestic US acquiring isn't viable. The trade-off is slower settlement (T+3 to T+7) and higher reserve.
Aggregators are fine as starter MIDs but eventually break — either at a chargeback spike or a portfolio review. Plan to migrate to a dedicated acquirer relationship within 6–12 months of meaningful volume.