How to Prepare your eCommerce Site for High Risk Merchant Account Approval

May 18, 2023

High Risk Merchant Account Approval

Guide Requirements for getting a High Risk Merchant Account Approval for Your eCommerce Site

The eCommerce industry is growing faster than ever before, and with so many consumers turning to the internet for their buying needs, the most important element for running a successful eCommerce business is the ability to accept an array of credit cards as a form of payment.

When seeking a high risk merchant account and reliable payment processing for your online business, keep in mind that card brands require certain information to be featured prominently or to be easily accessed on your website if you want to accept their cards as a form of payment.

The information is required by merchants to help customers make an informed purchasing decision. It also helps provide businesses like yours a way to reduce chargebacks and customer complaints.

We’re here every step of the way if you have any questions. If a compliance specialist reaches out to you about any missing gaps in your website, this handy guide will help you address the gaps quickly and easily to ensure payment processing success for your high risk merchant account.


Get Started:

To help you get started, we’ve put together this website compliance guide to help you navigate these mandatory card brand requirements for eCommerce businesses. There may be other state or federal requirements that apply to the information shown on your business website. Remember too, that if you’re in a high risk industry, and need a high risk merchant account for your eCommerce business that these requirements are absolutely essential.

In order to start processing payments online, go through our checklist of requirements included below and verify that your eCommerce website meets these criteria. If at any point, your website does not meet the criteria, or if you’re in violation of any of our Terms of Service, then your payment processing provider reserves the right to deactivate payment processing abilities for your high risk merchant account.
high risk merchant account fast approval


eCommerce Checklist for Web Requirements to Maintain your High Risk Merchant Account

Requirements:

  • Showcase the Name of your Business (DBA)
  • List your Products or Services with prices and descriptions
  • Display your Return, Refund, and/or Cancellation Policy
  • Secure your Website’s Order Page

Recommendations:

  • Ensure customers know your Country of Permanent Establishment
  • Show your Customer Service Address (no P.O. boxes)
  • Post your Customer Service Phone # or Email Address
  • State your Privacy Policy and make it easily accessible
  • Advise customers of Delivery Method and Timing
  • Illustrate your Card Brand Acceptance Marks

*The examples shown below will provide a visual element as to what your eCommerce business’s website must include to keep your high risk merchant accounts in tact and in good working order.


Showcase the Name of Your Business (DBA)

DBA

The name of your business (DBA) must be clearly posted on your site. The Business Name on your website and the DBA listed on your application should very closely match to ensure your customers understand with whom they’re conducting business.


List Your Products or Services with Prices and Descriptions

High Risk Products

Provide a clear description of the products and services you offer, display your pricing, and always show the currency mark. Full transparency is important in maintaining payment processing options for your high risk merchant account.


Display Your Return, Refund, and/or Cancellation Policy

display your refund, return, and cancellation policy for your merchant account

Meet the criteria in one of 2 ways:

  • Show the full refund/return policy (not a link to a separate page) near the checkout/submit button.
  • Allow your customers a way to manually accept your return/refund policy at checkout.

Note: Failure to display your return/refund policy per the locational guidance (above) could prevent you from successfully disputing a customer chargeback, and a high ratio of chargebacks could result in you losing your high risk merchant account and payment processing abilities as a whole.


Secure Your Website Order Page

Secure Website Page

The page where your customers enter their payment information must be secure and encrypted. Fraud is another element that can result is you losing your high risk merchant account, so always ensure that fraudsters don’t have access to your customer’s sensitive information.


Include Your Country of Permanent Establishment

include your location of your high risk merchant account

Many businesses operate in more than one state or in more than one country. Please show your Country of Permanent Establishment to ensure your customers have a clear understanding with whom they’re conducting business.

Please note, the card brands require that you show this before checkout. The footer is the ideal place to display it. High risk merchant account providers look to this aspect of your website as a sign of legitimacy.


Show Your Customer Service Contact Information

showcase your customer service for your website

Display your customer service contact information including an address (no P.O. Boxes), and an email address or phone number. This information is in the footer of most websites. It is important that your customers are able to easily access this information.

Again, when it comes to avoiding excessive chargebacks and potentially losing your high risk merchant account, providing good customer service is key – if consumers can reach you directly and easily, they are less likely to file a dispute with their credit card company.


State Your Privacy Policy

your privacy policy for your website

The Privacy Policy must be accessible and fully displayed somewhere on your website. This falls in line with reassuring consumers that their sensitive information is safe in your hands.


Advise Customers of Delivery Method and Timing

provide frequently asked questions on your website

Some companies offer different shipping methods such as expedited shipping, or separated shipments. Some do not. Your company’s shipment policy should be easy to find. Moreover, it should provide an accurate estimation of when your customers can expect to receive each product they purchase.

If you miss a shipment, inform the customer ahead of time. Or, show the product as “Backordered” on one of the pages leading to checkout. This way, customer expectations match delivery dates.


When it comes down to it, choosing the most reliable high risk merchant account from a reputable high risk payment processor, like PayKings, is critical to your eCommerce business’s longevity and long-term success.

Ecommerce retailers that need a high risk merchant account should be aware of the hurdles they face. Nonetheless, by following the steps laid out for you above, the journey to secure credit card payment processing will be a far less rocky one.

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May 18, 2023 | Merchants | Guest Post