In recent years, the landscape of online payments has experienced major shifts—especially for Shopify store owners. As more entrepreneurs flock to eCommerce, the importance of reliable payment processing has never been greater.
Yet, a troubling trend has emerged: massive payment facilitators (PayFacs) like Stripe, Square, and PayPal have begun shutting down millions of merchant accounts without warning or clear explanations. These closures leave legitimate businesses stranded, unable to process transactions or receive their funds. This alarming pattern has made one thing clear: relying solely on standard shopify merchant accounts through PayFacs is no longer sustainable for serious merchants.
For many Shopify merchants, the appeal of quick onboarding and “plug-and-play” integrations through PayFacs seems ideal. But those same benefits often come with major trade-offs. PayFacs operate with risk-averse algorithms that monitor and flag accounts at scale—often without a human ever reviewing your business model. This approach may be efficient for low-risk, low-volume operations, but for niche, high-volume, or subscription-based businesses, it becomes a ticking time bomb.
The Problem with PayFacs and the Risk to Your Business
What’s worse, when your shopify merchant accounts are closed without notice, your business doesn’t just lose a revenue stream—it risks reputational damage, customer churn, and months of red tape trying to restore operations. Stripe and other PayFacs are legally allowed to hold your funds for up to 180 days, even if you’ve done nothing wrong. That’s six months of frozen cash flow, potential refunds, and possibly unrecoverable earnings.
So what’s the solution? Enter custom underwriting and dedicated merchant accounts. Instead of being lumped into a faceless algorithm-driven system, your business receives individualized attention from specialists who understand your product, marketing strategy, customer base, and potential risks. This underwriting process ensures that you’re matched with a bank or payment processor that aligns with your vertical—whether you’re in wellness, coaching, eLearning, CBD, or high-ticket dropshipping.
Why Custom Underwriting Is the New Standard for shopify merchant accounts
When we underwrite your business, we go far beyond ticking boxes. We evaluate your entire operation: your traffic sources, return rates, customer service processes, and the promises made in your marketing materials. This deep-dive assessment allows us to tailor a merchant account that not only works but lasts. Because we match you with the right back-end acquiring bank, your account is resilient to sudden freezes, terminations, or risk-based holds.
This doesn’t just lower your chances of future issues—it virtually eliminates them. Our relationships with acquiring banks are based on transparency and mutual trust. When they know we’ve vetted your business and endorse its legitimacy, you’re treated not like a random application, but like a vetted client with a real plan for success.
Benefits Beyond Stability: Lower Rates, Dedicated Support, and Recurring Billing
In addition to long-term account stability, our merchant services offer other tangible benefits. First, you get The Best Rates In The Industry—not the inflated fees charged by most PayFacs. Our rates are negotiated with the acquiring bank directly, which eliminates middleman markups and surprises on your statements.
Second, you’re assigned A Single Dedicated Point Of Contact. No more anonymous help desk queues or robotic emails. You’ll always deal with a knowledgeable rep who understands your business and can respond swiftly to your needs, concerns, and growth strategies.
Third, we provide Recurring Billing capabilities optimized for Shopify. This is critical for subscription-based products or services, which require consistent, reliable billing cycles to maintain cash flow and customer retention.
High-Risk Doesn’t Mean High Hassle—Not With the Right Partner
Many Shopify businesses are considered “high-risk” not because they’re doing anything wrong, but because of the nature of the product or business model. Common examples include digital services, coaching programs, supplements, adult products, and certain financial services. These verticals often face unnecessary shutdowns from PayFacs that don’t take time to understand what’s being sold—or how it’s marketed.
We’re different. Our team specializes in these high-growth sectors. When we underwrite your shopify merchant accounts, we understand the exact regulatory and chargeback frameworks that define your space. This means fewer surprises, fewer interruptions, and more sustainable growth.