The high-risk playbook

Guides to getting approved and staying online

Practical, compliance-first advice from underwriters and payments specialists who place hard-to-bank businesses every day.

Compliance12 min read

The Total-THC Hemp Redefinition: What It Means for Payments

A definitional change is a payments event before it is a legal one. What the total-THC test changes for hemp merchant accounts, and why acquirers move first.

Peptides Payments Compliance TeamAugust 26, 2026

Read the guide

The federal hemp definition is moving from a delta-9 measurement to a total-THC measurement that explicitly includes THCA.
A separate limit applies to finished goods: more than 0.4 mg of total THC per container puts a hemp-derived cannabinoid product outside the definition.
The commencement date is not settled. The provision is dated 12 November 2026, and a Senate stopgap passed on 8 August 2026 would move most of it to 11 December, but that has not been enacted.

Browse guides by industry

Every high-risk vertical we place has its own playbook — approvals, compliance, and how to stay online. Jump straight to yours.

All guides

Compliance11 min

Card Network Monitoring Programs: The Thresholds That Actually Apply

Most published guidance still quotes retired thresholds. Here is how Visa and Mastercard actually measure disputes today — and why the same merchant can be clean under one program and breaching the other.

Compliance Team

Compliance10 min

Merchant Category Codes: Who Assigns Yours, and Who Pays When It Is Wrong

Merchants routinely believe they select their category code. They do not — the acquirer assigns it and carries the liability, which explains almost everything about how underwriting behaves.

Underwriting Desk

Industry Guides8 min

What Are Research Peptides? A Payments-First Primer for Sellers

Before you can process payments for peptides, you need to understand how banks see the category. Here is the payments-first view.

Compliance Team

Compliance7 min

Research Peptide Website Compliance: What Underwriters Read

Your storefront is the single biggest factor in a peptide underwriting decision. Here is what reviewers look for.

Compliance Team

Strategy7 min

Chargeback Prevention for Peptide and Supplement Sellers

Disputes are the top threat to a peptide account’s stability. Here is how to keep your ratio well under the line.

Underwriting Desk

Approval Guides10 min

Reserves Explained: Rolling, Upfront, and Capped

Reserves protect the bank and shape your cash flow. Here is how each type works and how a track record earns lower ones.

Underwriting Desk

Approval Guides5 min

The Documents You Need to Get Approved for High-Risk Processing

A same-day approval usually comes down to one thing: having the right documents ready. Here is the checklist.

Underwriting Desk

Operations6 min

Keeping Your High-Risk Merchant Account Stable

Approval is the start, not the finish. These are the habits that keep a high-risk account online for the long haul.

Partner Desk

Fundamentals6 min

How to Read Your Monthly Processing Statement

Advertised rates hide the real cost. Here is how to read a statement and calculate your true effective rate.

Partner Desk

Strategy5 min

Accepting Crypto Payments as a High-Risk Business

Crypto can be a powerful backup rail for high-risk businesses. Here is how to use it well alongside cards.

Partner Desk

Industry Guides6 min

Nicotine and Vape Payment Processing: What Merchants Need to Know

Vape and nicotine merchants face age-verification rules and card-brand scrutiny. Here is the path to compliant processing.

Underwriting Desk

Industry Guides6 min

THCA Payment Processing and Compliance in 2026

THCA is one of the most scrutinized categories in payments. Here is how to process it compliantly and stably.

Compliance Team

Industry Guides7 min

CBD Payment Processing: A Compliance-First Guide

CBD is legal but still hard to bank. Here is how compliant CBD businesses get and keep stable processing.

Compliance Team

Strategy6 min

Multi-Bank Redundancy: How Smart Payment Routing Keeps You Online

One bank is a single point of failure. Here is how redundancy across several keeps your revenue flowing no matter what.

Partner Desk

Industry Guides7 min

Credit Repair Merchant Accounts: A Compliance-First Guide

Credit repair is legal, valuable, and treated as radioactive by generic processors. Here is how to get a compliant account that stays online.

Compliance Team

Operations8 min

Chargeback Management for High-Risk Merchants

Chargebacks are the number one threat to a high-risk account. Here is how to keep them low and keep your accounts alive.

Compliance Team

Industry Guides7 min

High-Ticket Coaching & Course Payment Processing

High tickets, payment plans, and refund-prone buyers make coaching a high-risk vertical. Here is how creators get accounts that hold.

Underwriting Desk

Fundamentals7 min

High-Risk Payment Processing Rates and Fees, Explained

Why do high-risk rates cost more, and what should you actually be comparing? A clear breakdown with no jargon.

Partner Desk

Strategy8 min

Offshore vs Domestic Merchant Accounts: How to Choose

Offshore is not a last resort and domestic is not always available. Here is how to think about the trade-offs.

Partner Desk

Industry Guides8 min

Forex & Trading Merchant Accounts: What to Know in 2026

Forex and trading businesses combine high disputes with cross-border volume — a combination generic processors avoid. Here is how to get approved.

Partner Desk

Approval Guides6 min

Why Payment Processors Decline High-Risk Businesses (and How to Fix It)

A decline is rarely about your business being bad. It is about mismatch. Here is how to fix the mismatch.

Underwriting Desk

Strategy7 min

Dual Pricing vs Surcharging: What’s the Difference?

Both models pass processing costs along, but they are not the same — and the difference affects your compliance and your customers.

Partner Desk

Industry Guides7 min

Firearms & FFL Payment Processing: A Dealer’s Guide

Selling firearms and ammunition is legal commerce, yet most processors refuse it. Here is how FFL dealers get accounts that hold.

Partner Desk

Compliance7 min

LegitScript Certification: What It Is, Who Needs It, and What It Costs

LegitScript certification unlocks payment processing for many regulated merchants. Here is how it works and how to do it for less.

Compliance Team

Operations9 min

How to Reduce Chargebacks: A Step-by-Step Playbook

Chargebacks are manageable when you attack them in order. Here is the exact sequence we walk merchants through.

Underwriting Desk

Industry Guides7 min

Kratom Payment Processing: How to Get Approved in 2026

Kratom is legal in most of the country and refused almost everywhere it counts. Here is how to get a real, compliant merchant account.

Compliance Team

Fundamentals7 min

High-Risk Payment Gateways Explained: What They Do and How to Choose

A gateway and a merchant account are not the same thing. Here is how they work together and what actually matters when you are high-risk.

Partner Desk

Industry Guides8 min

Nutraceutical & Supplement Payment Processing: A 2026 Guide

Supplements sell on recurring revenue — the exact pattern that makes generalist processors freeze. Here is how to get a nutra account that holds.

Underwriting Desk

Approval Guides9 min

How to Get a Research Peptide Merchant Account (Step by Step)

Research peptide sellers are among the hardest merchants to place. Here is the exact path to a stable, approved account.

Underwriting Desk

Fundamentals8 min

What Is a High-Risk Merchant Account? A Complete 2026 Guide

If a bank has ever called your business "high-risk," here is exactly what that means, why it happens, and how to get approved anyway.

Underwriting Desk

Pre-qualify

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