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Guides on the mechanics of high-risk payments, written for operators: what the rules are, how the numbers work and what to do when something breaks. Browse by topic or by industry.
Vape Payment Processing: What Acquirers Check and Which Files They Decline
How card acceptance works for online vape and e-liquid stores: the scheme rules behind MCC 5993, how an underwriter reads your catalog and shipping file, and which stores cannot be placed.
E-Liquids & VapesExplainer11 min readShopify CBD Rules: Can You Sell CBD on Shopify and How to Get Paid
Shopify hosts CBD stores and will not process their payments. What the hemp requirements commit you to, what a third-party gateway costs on each plan, and how to get through its underwriting.
CBD & HempExplainer16 min readStripe Prohibited Businesses: The List Explained by Vertical
What Stripe's Prohibited and Restricted Businesses page says for each of 27 high-risk verticals, how prohibited differs from restricted, and what a status means for an account that is already open.
Closures & MATCHGuide16 min readSubscription Payment Processing: How Rebills, Trials and Disputes Work
The rebill cycle as an acquirer reads it: how plain subscriptions, trials and continuity plans are classified, which scheme limits apply and which numbers set your terms.
Subscription & ContinuityHow-to12 min readSquare CBD Program Shutdown: Dates, Funds and What to Do Next
A dated action plan for sellers Square is removing from its CBD program: what to export, how payouts and Square Loans are handled, and how to apply for a merchant account of your own.
CBD & HempExplainer12 min readHigh Risk Merchant Account Instant Approval: What It Really Means
No acquiring bank underwrites a high-risk business in minutes. Here is what the offers that say otherwise deliver, what a real approval takes, and how a complete file shortens the wait.
Getting approvedExplainer21 min readHemp Ban 2026: What CBD Merchants Can Still Process by Card
A dated guide to the federal hemp ban from the acquirer's side: what applies on which date, what is still pending, which products stay placeable and what to send your processor.
CBD & HempExplainer11 min read3DS2 and SCA for High-Risk Merchants
What 3DS2 and Strong Customer Authentication actually do, how the liability shift works, which exemptions apply, and how high-risk merchants should route authentication.
Compliance & securityComparison12 min readOffshore Merchant Account vs EU Acquiring: How to Choose
Licensed European acquirers and offshore jurisdictions both accept high-risk files. The differences that matter are licensing, cost, stability, settlement rails and how each fits your customer base.
Acquiring & bankingGuide12 min readiGaming Payment Processing Guide
What an acquirer checks before it boards a casino or sportsbook: the license-to-market match, player KYC, the deposit and payout rails, and the dispute ratio.
Casino & SportsbookHow-to12 min readHow to Reduce Your Chargeback Ratio: The Full Prevention Playbook
The arithmetic of chargeback ratios, why Visa and Mastercard watch them, and the operational playbook that keeps your account below the line.
ChargebacksExplainer9 min readRolling Reserves Explained: The Math, the Release Schedule, the Negotiation
How rolling reserves work: the percentage, the cap, the release math, and a worked example so you can read your own offer like an underwriter.
Reserves & cash flowOpenGate Payments
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