Which businesses are termed as high risk merchant accounts by credit card processors?

High Risk Merchant Accounts are characterized by the added risk of high volume sales, potential chargeback and refunds, fraud, insolvency and no credit history thereby increasing the financial risk undertaken by the bank or other processors.
Here are some of the businesses termed as high risk merchant accounts:

  • Online Casinos: Online casinos and merchants involved in other gambling and gaming business activities.

  • Sports wagering: Merchants involved in betting and wagering in all kinds of sports such as football, soccer, hockey, basketball, baseball, tennis, autoracing, golf and boxing.

  • Ewallet/e-cash: Businesses involving digital cash, e-wallets are a convenient way to make small to large purchases online are termed as high risk merchant accounts.

  • Adult entertainment: Online adult entertainment has over the years become a well-organized and profitable industry. The adult entertainment merchants offer all kinds of erotica in the form of DVDs, videos, escort listing directories and many more.

  • Online cigarette/tobacco: All brands of cigarette and tobacco from the cheapest to the most expensive are offered by online tobacco merchants along with some amazing discounts come under high risk merchant accounts.

  • Replica Products: Replica merchants make available all kinds of imitation products such as stylish hand baggage, classy time pieces, elegant stationery, fashionable clothes, functional electronic items and gorgeous jewelry.

  • Travel: Online travel merchants offer a diverse range of online travel services such as booking of online tickets, railway passes, hotels, sight-seeing packages and the likes.

  • Online pharmacies: Online pharmacies are those that sell prescription medicines, drugs and health products, approved by the FDA or the generic version. These businesses are also termed as high risk merchant accounts.

Other Businesses that need High Risk Merchant Accounts

Other businesses that come under high risk merchant accounts would include, but are not confined to, Cellular Phones & Beepers, Collection Agencies, Downloading of Software, Horoscope, Fortune Tellers, Infomercials and Investment Opportunities.

Yet, some credit card processing companies, like Instabill.com cater to the businesses considered high risk merchant accounts, helping them increase their revenue and sales, by giving them the ability to accept payments online.