Hard criteria
Merchant category code, required licences, company country, permitted markets, minimum volume and maximum transaction. These are filters: if you are outside them, the answer is no, whatever the price.
Get a Merchant Account With an Acquirer That Accepts You
The acquiring bank decides whether your business can take card payments, at what limits and with what reserve. Acquirers differ a lot in what they accept, so the fastest way to a merchant account is applying to one whose policy already fits your business. That is what we match you on.
How it works
01
Tell us about your business
Your company, owners, industry, markets, volumes and processing history, in one online application.
02
Matched on underwriting policy
Your profile is checked against acquirers' hard criteria, such as category, licence, country and volume, and matched with one whose policy accepts you.
03
Your merchant account is prepared
Complete onboarding with your documents and payout account. Your merchant account is prepared and you start taking card payments.
What the acquirer decides
- Whether your industry, company country and markets are accepted.
- Your processing limits, volume cap and maximum transaction.
- Any reserve, and when held funds are released.
- When and in which currency you are paid out.
- How chargebacks are handled and charged.
- Your registration with the card schemes, where your category requires it.
For the background, read what an acquiring bank is and what a merchant account is.
Why acquirers say yes to some businesses and no to others
Commercial judgement
Processing history, chargeback and refund rates, time to delivery and financial strength. These shape your pricing, reserve and limits once you pass the hard criteria.
Your own merchant account or a payment facilitator?
A payment facilitator signs you up as a sponsored merchant under its own acquirer relationship. It is quick to start, but you share its account, and processing can be stopped quickly if your business changes. Your own merchant account takes more paperwork at the start, but gives you more stable terms, your own limits and a direct relationship with the acquirer as you grow.
What to have ready
- Company registration, ownership structure and identification for directors and owners.
- A live website with terms, refund policy, prices and contact details.
- Any licence your industry or markets require.
- Expected monthly volume, average and largest transaction.
- Processing statements and chargeback figures, if you already process.
- A business bank account in the company's name.
When your history makes acquirers hesitate
Underwriting looks backwards as much as forwards. These are the situations that most often change an acquirer's answer, and what each one means for your application.
No processing history
How new businesses get card processing without processing history: what providers check instead, what to prepare, where applications stall and how limits grow.
Declined by payment providers
Why payment providers decline businesses, the most common reasons applications fail, and what to fix before you apply again so the next application is accepted.
Merchant account terminated
What to do after a merchant account termination: get the reason, check the MATCH and Visa lists, prepare your file and get processing again.
Chargeback rate too high
The Visa and Mastercard chargeback limits, what happens when you cross them, what brings your rate down fastest, and how to keep processing.
Merchant account under review
Why payment providers put merchant accounts under review, what usually triggers it, how long it takes and what to send so payouts and processing resume.
A rolling reserve was requested
Why payment providers ask for a rolling reserve, what it does to your cash flow, which terms to agree in writing and how to get it reduced.
Every acquirer checks Mastercard's MATCH list and Visa's equivalent before it signs you. Read what the MATCH list is if you have been terminated before. In a high-risk category? See high-risk merchant accounts or merchant accounts by industry.
Check which acquirers may fit your business
Acquiring criteria differ by business, country and market. Answer four questions to start.
Four questions about your business
Industry, company country, customer markets and estimated monthly volume, that is all we need to begin.
Common questions
What is a merchant account?
A merchant account is the account an acquirer opens for your business so you can accept card payments. The acquirer underwrites you, registers you with the card schemes, carries the risk of your chargebacks and settles the money from your card sales to your bank account.
How long does it take to get a merchant account?
It depends mostly on how complete your application is. Missing company documents, an unfinished website or unclear volume figures are the usual causes of delay. Having your documents, licences and processing history ready from the start is the fastest route.
Can I get a merchant account with no processing history?
Yes. New businesses are accepted every day. Without statements, the acquirer judges your website, your business plan and the people behind the company instead, and usually starts with a lower limit or a reserve that eases after a few clean months.
Is Ecompayer an acquiring bank?
No. Ecompayer matches your business with an acquirer that accepts your profile, through one online application, and prepares your merchant account with it. The acquirer holds the account and settles your money.
Get a merchant account that fits your business
Add your business details once. We match you with an acquirer that accepts your profile and prepare your merchant account so you can start taking payments.
Check my payment optionsNothing is shared with a provider until you submit your onboarding pack. Approval is always the provider's decision.