The Subscription Trap
8 Jul 2026
Why Dating Platforms Lose More Money to Billing Confusion Than to Fraud Most dating platforms assume their chargeback problem is a fraud problem. They build fraud
High-Risk Processing
Insights and guidance for businesses operating in high-risk payment categories. We cover acquiring relationships, chargeback management, rolling reserves, card network compliance, and what the evolving regulatory landscape means for merchants in industries that standard processors turn away.
Why the Dating Industry Has One of the Hardest Payment Problems in E-Commerce
3 Jul 2026
Online dating generates over $8 billion in global revenue and serves 380 million users worldwide. It also produces chargeback rates that run two to five times
Why Your Reserve Clause Is the Most Important Thing in Your Merchant Agreement
23 Jun 2026
* and most merchants never read it Your acquirer can legally hold a percentage of your revenue for up to 180 days — including after your account is
Payment Myth #6: "I Only Need One Acquiring Relationship"
28 May 2026
One acquirer means one point of failure. For a standard e-commerce merchant, that's a risk. For a high-risk merchant, it's
The High-Risk Merchant Onboarding Checklist
22 May 2026
Most merchant account applications are declined not because of the business itself, but because of how the application is presented. A complete, well-organized file does
Payment Myth #5: "3D Secure Hurts My Conversion"
19 May 2026
3DS1 hurt conversion. 3DS2 doesn't have to — and when implemented correctly, it often improves it. The merchants still avoiding 3D Secure to protect their
Payment Myth #4: "If I'm MATCH-Listed, I Can't Get Processing Anywhere"
11 May 2026
MATCH listing is serious. It makes acquiring significantly harder, it follows you for five years, and most merchants discover it at the worst possible moment. But
What Is a Merchant Category Code (MCC) — and Why Yours Matters More Than You Think
8 May 2026
Most merchants never think about their MCC. That's a mistake. Four digits assigned at onboarding determine your interchange fees, your chargeback monitoring exposure, your
Payment Myth #1: "A Low Chargeback Rate Means I'm Safe with My Acquirer
24 Apr 2026
It sounds reasonable. Keep your chargebacks low and your acquirer is happy. That logic worked under the old monitoring framework. Under VAMP, it no longer does
"De-Risking" — Why It Keeps Happening to High-Risk Merchants
20 Apr 2026
The letter arrives with little warning. The account is being closed. No detailed explanation. No clear path forward. For high-risk merchants, understanding why this happens
Why Your Subscribers Are Disputing Instead of Cancelling
16 Apr 2026
Three out of four consumers prefer to resolve payment issues through their bank rather than contacting the merchant. For subscription businesses, understanding why — and what to
Payment Orchestration
9 Apr 2026
The Smarter Way for High-Risk Merchants to Build a Resilient Processing Stack Relying on a single payment provider is one of the biggest operational risks
The Rules Have Changed: What VAMP Means for High-Risk Merchants in 2026
7 Apr 2026
Visa's new monitoring program is tightening the screws on fraud and disputes — and high-risk merchants are feeling it first If you process card