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The 10 Best Adult Merchant Accounts

With a history of chargebacks, fraud, and controversial offerings, it is no wonder that banks typically avoid merchants in the adult industry like the plague.  Luckily for adult merchants, the tide is changing, especially since this ever-growing industry has gained the attention of adult merchant account providers, satisfying the long-awaited need for more affordable rates, reasonable terms, and impeccable customer service.

If you are a UK-based Adult Merchant, take a look at these 10 Adult Merchant Account providers that could potentially satisfy your payment processing needs. All offer a variety of products and services that aim to provide you with excellent rates and impeccable customer service.

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A good fit for:

Adult Merchant Account

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Axcess Merchant Services

Founded in 2008 and headquartered in Leeds, England, Axcess Merchant Services offers its customers 51 alternative payment methods, 179 currencies, and fraud experts to tailor a risk screening process. With an expansive network of 390 banks, adult merchants are sure to score competitive rates.

Security is fundamental to their business and Axcess keeps vigilant by conducting continuing chargeback and fraud alert data aggregation as well as analysis.

The Pros

Their high risk merchant services include: instant approval, dedicated technical support, and Dual PCI Level 1 Payment Gateways, 

Additional solutions offered include recurring billing services, telephone billing and virtual terminal services, mobile payment options, Copy and Pay Integration, and managed merchant services.

The Cons

There is very little information available about their standard contract. It does not share information about pricing, contract details, and virtually no merchant complaints about its fees. Due to its work with high risk merchants, it is to be expected for merchants to pay higher-per-transaction fees as well as experiencing more fund holds.

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A good fit for:

Adult Merchant Account

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PayWorld

Headquartered in Sussex, UK, PayWorld aims to facilitate reduced rates and secure processing solutions. PayWorld is a subsidiary of Frontline, a company that has been developing IT solutions since 1989.

The Pros

Specializing in high risk businesses in the online adult industry, PayWorld’s features include: acceptance of all credit and debit cards, real time credit card transaction processing with fraud scrubbing, address verification check (AVS) directly from the merchant’s website, 128-bit SSL Encryption (HTTPS) for increased security, quick and easy setup ( 48 hours), PCI Level 1 Certified Gateway Services, customer service and website integration support, online transaction monitoring, and detailed transaction statements. The company also offers offshore merchant accounts and there is no upper limit in the amount to process. No long term contracts or cancellation fees.

The Cons

It was difficult to locate any bad reviews. The only con was that they do require a merchant setup fee based on the business type and the work involved.

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A good fit for:

Adult Merchant Account

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Secure Trading

Founded in 1999, London-based Secure Trading Group is comprised of three different companies: Secure Payment LTD, STI, and Acquiring.co, each providing different solutions to various markets.

The Pros

Some of Secure Trading’s solutions include: easy integration, web services payment interface, JSON Payment Integration, hosted payment processing, multilingual pages,  virtual terminals (MOTO), ST PAYME, alternative payment methods, reporting portals, STFS Fraud and Transaction Monitoring, PCI, an on boarding process, and dedicated account management, and much more.

The Cons

Secure Trading does not disclose any specific rates or fees in the agreement. This can prevent merchants to negotiate effectively.

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A good fit for:

Adult Merchant Account

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BankCard USA

Founded by sales and merchant services industry expert, Shawn Skelton (current President), in 1993, BankCard USA was originally named Card Service West. It boasts 25 years of serving a variety of high risk merchants.

Headquartered in Westlake Village, California, this leading provider of “end to end” electronic payment products and services assures its customers that they will not deal with high transaction rates and hidden fees. They also claim that their low rate guarantee will beat the rate of any verified merchant account provider.

The Pros

For their high risk merchant account holders, they offer end-to-end support by equipping the online payment gateway with advanced fraud protection filters, chargeback prevention features, including seamless integration with the merchant’s shopping cart and other software. All this is guaranteed at a low rate.

The Cons

Many merchants have complained about BankCard USA’s standard contract agreement of three years, along with a termination fee from $99 to $295. This inflexibility locks merchants into an arrangement that may not suit their business. More fees include monthly minimum fees, and PCI compliance fees.

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A good fit for:

Adult Merchant Account

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ccNetPay.com

Maintaining offices in London and Slovenia, ccNetPay’s primary portfolio consists of mostly European merchants. It specializes in Adult digital content, downloads, subscriptions, escort, webcam, and Adult chat and Dating.

Some of the supported features within the Adult Merchant Account include: Server2Server API integration, Batch Processing, CVV, AVS, and 3D Secure, Real time reporting and management, Global Card Processing, Recurring Billing, Virtual Terminal, and over 150 supported currencies.

The Pros

There are no service and sign-up fees, no transaction limits, no safety deposits, plus clients get a dedicated support staff for the life of the account.

The Cons

Although it was difficult to find any negative reviews, something to keep in mind is that there is a high risk registration fee charged by its acquiring banks.

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A good fit for:

Adult Merchant Account

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Verotel

A leading Internet Payment Service Provider (IPSP), Verotel has been in business since it processed its first transaction in 1998. Verotel was awarded Payment Institute status, the first high risk IPSP with such distinction.

Based in the Netherlands, Amsterdam, Verotel’s account offerings are specifically tailored to the needs of both small businesses and larger merchants.

The Pros

Some of their great features include: competitive rates and high volume discounts, free monitoring tools to review sales and manage accounts, cardholder support for online credit card transactions, weekly payouts, accepts a wide range of payment options, no minimum processing requirement, and a free Remote User Management software.

The Cons

Most complaints aimed at Verotel include poor or unattainable customer service. Customer service is absolutely critical for when merchants need assistance in a timely manner. There are also reports of billing errors, and even sudden termination of accounts. These issues can drastically affect the profitability of any business.

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A good fit for:

Adult Merchant Account

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GSPay

Headquartered in Gainsborough, North Lincolnshire in England, GSPay has specialized in the high-risk industry for six years. 

One of the solutions that GSPay champions for high-risk merchants is to open an offshore account so taxes would not be an issue. There are no initial costs involved. A professional staff is also available 24 hours a day to serve their clients.

The Pros

Advantages for high risk offshore merchant account clients include complete application programming interface, approval available in less than a week, easy setup, no initial deposits, no monthly fees, no application fees, and payouts are weekly.

The Cons

At this time, GSPay does not offer check processing solutions. This could be a problem as alternative payment solutions are always key to draw more customers. Also, they only take US dollars and Euros. This greatly limits the client base and inhibits expansion.

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A good fit for:

Adult Merchant Account

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Instabill

Based in Portsmouth, New Hampshire and with an EU registered address in Lija, Malta, Instabill has been covering the high-risk merchant space since 2001. With constant change within the high risk merchant space, it has remained current with shifts and regulations within the industry.

The Pros

Although fees are notoriously high for adult merchant accounts, Instabill offers accounts with one of their offshore acquiring banks, providing affordable rates.

With chargebacks being the bane of their existence, adult merchants are provided solutions through the website, Instabill.org, which is exclusively dedicated to chargeback prevention, mitigation, and even its reversal.

The Cons

Due to Instabill’s focus on high risk accounts, it may feature tiered pricing, early termination fees, and PCI Compliance fees. Most complaints against Instabill are about the company’s fraud prevention policies. Merchants report cancellation of their merchant accounts or withholding funds.

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A good fit for:

Adult Merchant Account

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Paydoo

With its origins in the Baltics back in 2013, this payment processing company has been fueled by an innovative and entrepreneurial spirit.  Registered as an Electronic Money institution by the Bank of Lithuania, it is licensed to operate in 30 countries within the EU.

The Pros

Some of their products and services include a seamless account setup, secure cross border payments, in-house technical care and customer expertise, one-click checkouts, and recurring billing. Additionally, Paydoo is L1 PCI DSS Compliant with 2048-bit SSL data encryption.

The Cons

Paydoo does not disclose its pricing publicly. There is no mention of specific rates or fees charged by the company. As standard practice in the high risk industries, merchants will need to expect higher than average fees. They will also be subject to cash reserves.

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A good fit for:

Adult Merchant Account

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CC Bill

Based in Tempe, Arizona, CCBill provides all-inclusive High Risk e-commerce services. The main European location was established in Malta in 2002 to support the processing needs of European online merchants.

Its products and services include free fraud control, partner marketing services, end-user support, API/Integration Tools, global billing tools, automated recurring billing, one-click tools, robust reporting, membership management, and mobile options.

The Pros

Customers will  delight in what they don’t get: no maximum volume/caps, no monthly fees, no cross-border fees, no start-up or application fees, no statement fees, no consumer support fees, no payout fees, and no up-front reserve or security deposit, just to name a few.

The Cons

Over 150 negative reviews were found for CC Bill. However, it’s important to clarify that the majority of those complaints were against CC Bill’s merchants. Apparently, in addition to its merchant processing, CC Bill offers a “customer-facing” service that bills credit card holders directly which has produced complaints such as fraudulent billing, poor customer service, and unexpected fees.

Complaints by actual merchants against CC Bill were not as numerous, but the few include fund holds, processing fees, and customer service.

Provider of the Month

Why Axcess

Axcess Merchant Services was established to provide online businesses with more effective payment solutions. Axcess work with a wide range of banking partners, and this wide choice allows Axcess to provide businesses such as yours with exactly the right banking partner, tailored for your individual needs.

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