A business receives a high risk classification when its Merchant Category Code falls within a restricted group — MCC 5993 (vape), MCC 5999 (firearms), MCC 5912 (CBD, peptides, pharmaceutical), MCC 5967 (adult entertainment), MCC 6051 (crypto and digital assets), MCC 7273 (dating and companionship), MCC 4722 (travel and timeshare), MCC 5968 (subscription continuity), MCC 8099 (telehealth and health services), and MCC 8011 (medical practitioners). Acquiring banks also apply high risk classification when a merchant sells high-ticket goods, ships internationally, operates on a free-trial-to-rebill model, processes offshore transactions, or carries a chargeback ratio that approaches 1.0%.
Opening a high risk merchant account differs from opening a standard low-risk account in three ways. First, underwriting takes 48 hours to 7 business days rather than instant approval, because the acquiring bank reviews licenses, bank statements, processing history, and compliance documentation. Second, pricing ranges from 2.49% to 4.95% rather than the 2.6%–2.9% flat rate offered by aggregators, because the acquirer absorbs additional exposure. Third, the account issues a dedicated Merchant ID (MID) that belongs exclusively to your business, so processing cannot be terminated for serving the industry the account was approved to serve.
2Accept underwrites high risk merchant accounts for CBD, vape, firearms, adult, peptides, telehealth, crypto, subscription, dating, and travel merchants across the United States. Applications are reviewed by a dedicated underwriter within one business hour, approved in 48 hours for standard verticals, and integrated through gateway API, hosted checkout, or Shopify after signing the merchant processing agreement.
