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High-risk payment processing, by industry.

Thirty-eight verticals, six categories, and a short list of processors that will actually underwrite each one.

Most processors say they support high risk. Very few will underwrite your specific business model, in your specific geography, with your specific checkout. That gap is where applications die - you spend two weeks on a file that was never going to clear.

We built this page to close it. Every industry below is one we have placed merchants in. Pick the category that fits, open the vertical page, and you will see what underwriters actually look at, what the pricing looks like, and which processors are worth your time.

If your industry is not listed, tell us about it. We will tell you honestly whether we can help.

The six categories below follow how acquirers actually organise their risk appetite, not how a marketing site would. A processor that is comfortable with supplements may refuse a gambling file outright, while one that specialises in travel will rarely look at lending. Grouping by category lets you see which neighbours share your underwriting profile.

Not every vertical has its own page yet. We publish them one at a time, and each card marked coming soon becomes a link the day its page goes live. In the meantime the application below works for any industry on this list, and we match it by hand.

Finance & Lending

Money movement attracts scrutiny, and rightly so. Lending, credit repair, crypto and trading all sit in the highest-risk tier - which means the processor you choose matters more here than almost anywhere else.

Expect questions about licensing, who holds client funds, and how you handle consumer disputes. Underwriters here read your compliance paperwork before they read your sales figures.

Gaming & Gambling

Licensing, jurisdiction and payment method decide everything in this category. A licensed operator in a regulated market is a different file from a sweepstakes site, and the acquirers are different too.

Underwriters want proof of licensing in every market you serve, plus clear payout rules and age and location controls. Weak geo-blocking is the fastest way to a declined file.

  • Online gamblingLicensed casinos and sportsbooks, jurisdiction by jurisdiction.Coming soon
  • Fantasy sportsPaid-entry contests and the state rules that govern them.Coming soon
  • Sweepstakes and social casinosVirtual currency models that sit on the edge of gambling law.Coming soon
  • Esports and gamingTournaments, in-game purchases and young-audience scrutiny.Coming soon
  • Skill-based gamingCash contests where skill, not chance, decides the winner.Coming soon

Health & Wellness

Regulatory status drives underwriting here. What you sell, what you claim about it, and where you ship it determine whether you clear a standard high-risk account or need a specialty acquirer.

Reviewers check product claims against what you can document: lab results, practitioner licensing, labelling and shipping restrictions. Marketing copy gets read as closely as the application itself.

Travel & Hospitality

Travel is high risk for one reason: chargebacks from trips that never happen. Airlines, agencies and rental operators all get judged on their refund policy and their delivery timeline before anything else.

The key questions are how far ahead customers pay, who holds the money, and what happens on a cancellation. A clear refund policy and a track record of delivered trips carry real weight.

Retail & eCommerce

Physical goods, digital goods and subscriptions each carry a different risk profile. Firearms, tobacco and adult sit at the top of the tier; dropshipping and high-ticket electronics sit just below.

Fulfilment speed, return handling and checkout transparency decide most retail files. Subscription sellers are also judged on how easily a customer can cancel.

Professional Services

Services are usually easier to underwrite than goods - until you add recurring billing, lead generation or an offshore entity. Then the file gets interesting.

Underwriters look at what you actually deliver, how you describe results, and how you bill. Vague outcome promises and hard-to-cancel recurring charges are the usual causes of trouble.

How the matching works

This hub is the front door, not the whole service. Each industry page goes deep on one vertical; the matching behind all of them works the same way. There is no cost to use it, and no obligation to accept any offer that comes back. If a processor would be a poor fit, we say so before you spend time on an application.

  1. 1

    Pick the closest category.

    Group by what you sell, not by what a processor’s marketing calls it. If two categories fit, open both pages - the underwriting questions overlap more than you would expect.

  2. 2

    Read what underwriters look at.

    Each live vertical page explains the documents, the red flags and the processing models that decide a file, so you know what a fair review looks like before you apply.

  3. 3

    Tell us the details.

    Your products, your geography, your checkout and your processing history are what we match on. A short form is enough to start; we ask follow-up questions only when the answer changes who we send the file to.

  4. 4

    We route the file.

    We send your application to the processors whose underwriting fits the business, and walk you through the offers that come back - including the terms that never show up in a headline rate.

What underwriters ask for, every time

  1. Business formation documents and your EIN letter.
  2. A government ID for every principal with 25% or more ownership.
  3. Three to six months of processing statements, if you have them.
  4. A live website with visible terms, refund policy and contact details.
  5. A short description of what you sell, where you ship, and how you bill.

Missing statements slow a file down more than anything else on this list.

Don’t see your industry?

The list above is not exhaustive. We work with merchants in verticals that never make it onto a directory page - nutraceutical subscription brands, B2B lead generation, medical billing, collectibles, adult-adjacent platforms, and businesses with a processing history that needs explaining.

Tell us what you sell, where you sell it, and roughly what you process each month. We will come back with a straight answer: which processors will look at you, what they will ask for, and what it will cost. If we cannot place you, we will say so.

Tell us about the business.

A short form. We’ll come back with processors that fit, not a list of everyone who says they support high risk.

We use this to match you. We don’t sell it. Please don’t send card numbers or bank details.

Before you apply

Three guides cover the questions that come up in almost every industry: what an offer should look like, what a reserve really means, and what to do when a processor says no.

Questions we get about high-risk industries

What makes a business high risk?

Four things push a business into high risk: chargeback history, the regulatory status of what you sell, the geography you sell into, and how your checkout works. A supplement brand with clean chargebacks and a US entity is a different file from a subscription dating app billing in twelve currencies. Underwriters price the combination, not the label.

Do I need a different processor for each industry?

Not always, but often. Some processors underwrite several high-risk verticals and will take a supplement brand and a CBD brand on the same paper. Others specialise - adult, gambling and crypto usually sit with dedicated acquirers. We match on your actual business model, not on the category name.

How long does it take to get approved?

A clean file with complete documents usually clears underwriting in three to seven business days. Files that need a rolling reserve negotiation, a second acquiring bank, or a high-risk MCC review take longer - two to four weeks is normal for gambling, crypto and offshore entities.

What documents will I need to provide?

Expect to hand over your business formation documents, an EIN letter, a government ID for each principal, three to six months of processing statements if you have them, and a live website with visible terms, refund policy and contact details. Missing statements slow the file down more than anything else.

Will I have to accept a rolling reserve?

Probably, if you are in a vertical with elevated chargeback exposure. Reserves typically run 5% to 20% held for 90 to 180 days. They are negotiable - a clean processing history, a strong refund policy and a low chargeback ratio all move the number. We tell you what each processor will actually ask for before you apply.

Can you help if my current processor just shut me down?

Yes, and it is one of the most common reasons people find us. A shutdown is not a dead end, but it does change the file - you will need to explain the termination, and some processors will decline on the MATCH list alone. We route shutdown cases to acquirers who underwrite them regularly.

Does it cost anything to use the service?

No. We are paid by the processor when a merchant we introduce gets approved and starts processing. You pay the processor’s rates and fees directly - nothing is added on top for the match.

Let’s find your processor.

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