Which merchant account keeps a high-risk online store taking cards? For most stores it is the account whose gateway works with the shopping cart already in place and whose billing and fraud checks fit the way the store sells. The reserve the bank keeps back from each day's sales also decides how much of that money the store can use right away.

The nine providers below all open accounts for card-not-present merchants, meaning stores whose customers pay online or by phone without handing over a physical card. Most of them place accounts with partner banks, and a few run their own processing or their own gateway.

Provider	Gateways or carts named	Recurring billing	Fraud tools named
Durango Merchant Services	Own eCommerce gateway, 150+ carts	Not stated	3D Secure 2.0, chargeback alerts, machine-learning checks
PaymentCloud	Authorize.net, NMI, USAePay / Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce	Yes	3D Secure, custom filters, real-time alerts
SoarPay	Authorize.net, NMI, FluidPay, AcceptBlue / Shopify, WooCommerce	Yes	Address and card-code checks, 3D Secure 2.0 through NMI
eMerchantBroker	Shopify, BigCommerce, OpenCart, QuickBooks	Not stated	Chargeback alert system
Finix	Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, Adobe Commerce	Yes	Risk scoring, velocity and card-testing rules, 3D Secure with own vendor
Zen Payments	Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce	Not stated	None named
PayKings	Authorize.net, NMI, USAePay / WooCommerce, Shopify, Magento	Yes	3D Secure, velocity checks, risk scoring
Corepay	eCommerce platforms and customer-management systems	Yes	Ethoca, Verifi and RDR alerts, fraud scoring
Easy Pay Direct	Own gateway, 500+ integrations	Yes	Fraud scoring, rule-based filters

What a High-Risk eCommerce Merchant Account Includes

Gateway and Shopping Cart

A high-risk online setup has two pieces. The merchant account is opened with a bank that underwrites the business. The payment gateway is the software that takes card details from the store's checkout and passes them to that account. Every card-not-present sale runs through this pair, so a store that loses either piece stops taking cards.

Sponsor banks and card networks see more disputes and tighter rules in restricted categories, such as CBD, vape products, adult content and supplements, so they check these stores more closely. The payment tools built into store platforms often turn these stores away, which means the new gateway has to support the cart the store already runs. Most providers on this list support the Authorize.net and NMI gateways. Customer cards saved in one gateway usually have to be formally moved before another gateway can charge them, so a store that is switching should ask the new provider how that move works.

Recurring Billing, 3D Secure and Reserves

Subscription stores need billing that retries failed charges and updates expired cards, because a renewal the customer does not recognize tends to come back as a dispute. 3D Secure is an extra check at checkout in which the card's bank confirms the buyer. When it succeeds, the cost of most fraud chargebacks moves from the merchant to that bank.

A rolling reserve means the bank keeps back part of every sale for a set number of days, so there is money on hand for chargebacks that come in after the sale. The store gets that money back when the days run out. The underwriter picks the percentage when the account is approved, and since few providers here post a reserve figure, the number usually shows up first in the approval terms.

High-Risk Accounts With the Widest Cart and Gateway Support

1. Durango Merchant Services

Durango Merchant Services connects its own eCommerce gateway to more than 150 shopping carts, so a store rarely has to change platforms to get a high-risk account. It accepts Visa, Mastercard, Discover, American Express, Diners Club, China UnionPay and JCB, along with Apple Pay and Google Pay. Stores that sell to buyers abroad can take payment in more than one currency.

An international account needs at least $50,000 a month in sales, so that option suits larger stores. The company has placed high-risk merchants since 1997.

2. PaymentCloud

PaymentCloud lets a store choose its gateway from Authorize.net, NMI and USAePay, and it connects to carts including Shopify, WooCommerce and BigCommerce. That choice matters most to a store that already keeps saved cards or subscriptions on one of those gateways. Early warning of a dispute comes from PaymentCloud's own monitoring, and it doesn't say whether it also uses an outside alert network such as Ethoca or Verifi. The same account can include recurring billing, invoicing and bank transfers for stores that also take payment from a checking account.

3. SoarPay

SoarPay places each account on Authorize.net, NMI, FluidPay or AcceptBlue, and all four gateways come with a virtual terminal, recurring billing and bank transfers. It connects to Shopify and WooCommerce stores. Fraud screening relies on the gateway's own tools, with address and card-code checks on every account and 3D Secure 2.0 available through NMI. SoarPay only takes businesses based in the United States whose owners have a Social Security number.

Accounts for Restricted Online Categories

4. eMerchantBroker

eMerchantBroker takes a long list of restricted online businesses, from CBD oil and vaping products to bail bonds, credit repair and tobacco. It connects to Shopify, BigCommerce, OpenCart and QuickBooks. Its CBD accounts cover supplements and topicals, so a store selling other hemp-derived products should ask before it applies. The company is a registered independent sales organization of BMO Harris Bank, and the bank carries the accounts it opens.

5. Finix

For a restricted online store, the case for Finix is the fraud screening built into the account: a risk score on each charge, plus velocity checks and card-testing rules. It takes online hemp-derived CBD sellers, and its end-to-end payments platform adds a Checkout Page and Level 3 processing, and it connects to Shopify, WooCommerce and BigCommerce. 3D Secure costs $0.05 per check, but the merchant must bring its own vendor.

6. Zen Payments

Zen Payments serves high-risk merchants in all 50 states through a network of more than 15 banks and processors, and its eCommerce setup connects to Shopify, WooCommerce and BigCommerce. Its CBD offer blurs hemp-derived CBD with cannabis dispensary wording, so a CBD store should confirm in writing that its products fall inside the account's terms. Same-day funding comes at no extra fee once a merchant reaches qualifying volume.

7. PayKings

PayKings pairs its gateway, which works with Authorize.net, NMI and USAePay, with cart integrations for WooCommerce, Shopify and Magento. It takes businesses from CBD and vape shops to cryptocurrency and supplement sellers. The account includes recurring billing and a virtual terminal for phone orders, and CBD stores need a lab certificate for each product.

Providers With Their Own Gateway and Billing Tools

8. Corepay

Corepay calls itself a full-service payment processor and runs its own subscription management and fraud scoring. The scoring checks each transaction against the device, the buyer's location, the speed of recent attempts, and the card number's risk. Legally, though, Corepay is a registered independent sales organization of North American Banking Company. Corepay also offers network tokens, which keep stored cards current for repeat buyers.

9. Easy Pay Direct

Easy Pay Direct runs its own gateway, with hosted checkout, invoicing and more than 500 integrations, among them Shopify, WooCommerce, ClickFunnels and GoHighLevel. It doesn't do instant approvals, so a store should expect a review before its first charge. Each account also comes with decline recovery and a card vault that keeps customer cards on file for repeat charges.

Which High-Risk Account Fits a Subscription Store

A subscription store needs recurring billing and a gateway that can take over its stored cards. That points first to PaymentCloud and SoarPay, then to Easy Pay Direct for stores that want billing, checkout and cart integrations in one gateway. Corepay, with its own subscription tools and network tokens, is another option for repeat billing. A store selling one-time orders depends more on cart fit and fraud screening, so Durango's cart coverage comes first. When the products fall in a restricted category, eMerchantBroker, Finix, Zen Payments or PayKings come next, and a CBD store should check what each one will and won't take before it applies.