Who this is for
- Merchants tired of Stripe/Square account freezes and frozen reserves
- Established e-commerce stores looking to migrate from an aggregator to a real MID
- High-risk verticals that need stability, not aggressive day-one rates
- Businesses needing multiple MIDs for routing or geographic redundancy
- MATCH-list applicants seeking rehabilitation through a sponsoring acquirer
- Subscription operators with chargeback ratios that an aggregator won't tolerate
Aggregator account vs. true merchant account
The category most people call a "merchant account" today is actually two distinct things — and the difference matters enormously for high-risk businesses.
Payment aggregators (Stripe, Square, PayPal, Adyen for Platforms) sign up merchants under a single shared MID owned by the aggregator. Onboarding is fast and self-serve. The trade-off: the aggregator can — and routinely does — close any account that drifts from its risk model. There is no acquirer relationship; there is no negotiation; there is no appeal.
Dedicated merchant accounts are individual MIDs issued by an acquiring bank specifically to your business. Onboarding takes 1–7 days. The trade-off: you have a real bank relationship, a real underwriter, negotiable terms, and a stable processing home that doesn't disappear because a quarterly review flagged your MCC.
For low-risk SaaS or apparel, aggregators are fine. For high-risk verticals — CBD, gambling, crypto, adult, nutra, continuity, MATCH rehabilitation — a dedicated merchant account is the only sustainable path.
Industries served
Features included
Your own merchant identification number, not a shared aggregator account.
Negotiable rates and reserves as your history strengthens.
Route transactions across MIDs to keep volume below any single cap.
Pre-approved redundant MIDs so a termination never takes you offline.
Card vault and account updater move with you across MIDs.
Most merchants step down reserves after 6–12 months of clean processing.
SAQ guidance and compliance scanning included.
We negotiate on your behalf — you don't talk to the bank, we do.
Underwriting documents you'll need
- Merchant application
- Government-issued photo ID (all 25%+ owners)
- Voided business check
- Last 3 months of business bank statements
- Last 3 months of prior processing statements (if applicable)
- EIN letter / IRS Form CP-575
- Articles of incorporation or LLC formation
- Compliant website (refund, terms, privacy, contact, SSL)
What drives merchant account pricing
True merchant account pricing is built from three components: interchange (the network's cost, ~1.5–2.5%), assessments (Visa/Mastercard fixed fee, ~0.13–0.15%), and the processor markup (where the acquirer and ISO earn). High-risk markups range 0.45%–2.5% depending on the vertical.
Reserves typically start at 5–10% rolling 180 and step down based on processing history. Setup fees are usually waived for committed merchants. Monthly minimums and statement fees vary by acquirer.
Approval timeline
- 1Soft review (same day)
We pre-qualify your file and confirm acquirer fit before any credit pull.
- 2Application + docs (1–3 days)
Light back-and-forth on documents. We chase what's missing.
- 3Underwriting (1–7 days)
Acquirer reviews. We negotiate rate and reserve on your behalf.
- 4Go live (same day)
MID issued. Gateway credentials and hosted checkout live within hours.