How to Get a Porn Site Merchant Account

The adult pornography and adult porn sites industry is a huge one throughout the United States and the rest of the world, with the industry moving billions of dollars and directly or indirectly employing tens of thousands of people. Like all industries, to make money, adult porn sites merchant accounts must be utilized. This means that these adult porn sites must be able to gain access to tools that allow them to process credit cards, debit cards, and other electronic payments. For many adult porn sites, this can be a challenge, as many merchant accounts do not want to do business with these websites, citing a variety of financial risks and reputation challenges.

These two factors lead to merchant accounts for adult porn sites being classified as "high-risk," meaning that they're subjected to extra fees and processing requirements. Adult porn sites can still gain access to merchant services, but they will likely have to pay more money for access to basic financial services. There are a variety of merchant accounts for adult porn sites that can still give these websites excellent financial services at affordable prices, and it's incumbent upon these website operators that they find the best possible operator of these services. One such example is Zenti, which specializes in providing merchant account services to high-risk vendors, including adult porn sites.

Why Are Adult Porn Sites Classified as High-Risk?

For many reasons, these websites earn a "high-risk" classification. This leads to two very important questions: Why does this happen, and what does it mean in terms of adult porn sites merchant accounts? How will this impact your adult businesses and negatively affect your ability to access an adult merchant account?

The high-risk classification that many adult websites are tagged with means that merchant account providers have found that this industry is more likely to be subjected to fraud, chargebacks, and other problems. As a result, merchant accounts for adult porn sites are often difficult to find. Indeed, more than many other industries, some merchant account simply refuses to work with websites like these.

The challenge is compounded by the fact that many vendors don't do business directly with an adult website or the adult industry in general, citing their adult content. Indeed, the adult entertainment industry, in general, has struggled to gain access to debit and credit card processing.

The struggles for adult sites and webcam sites have intensified of late. In 2020, credit card companies Mastercard and Visa completely dropped Pornhub, citing a major exposé on the company's shady business practices which included making it difficult to remove content and making it far too easy for illegal content to be uploaded to the website. Other websites, such as Paypal and Stripe, have made similar decisions, holding adult websites to different standards than other online businesses. The decision was reversed after Pornhub made major changes to its website, thus enabling access to critical payment gateways. This example shows the power that credit cards can have over adult websites, and it shows how difficult it can be for these websites to gain access to basic financial tools.

There are many reasons that this happens that are specific to the adult industry. These include:

• Fraud — In many cases, individuals who have their credit cards stolen may find that their cards are used by others to access adult websites. This leads to accusations of fraud, chargebacks, and high chargeback ratios. This makes doing business with these websites more expensive for many credit card processors.
• Card-not-present transactions — Card-not-present transactions are common over the internet, but they also lead to a higher risk of fraud. Adult porn sites merchant accounts, which are exclusively made of transactions like these, are thus more likely to process fraudulent transactions, leading to chargebacks and additional expenses.
• Chargebacks — Chargebacks are what occurs when a credit cardholder disputes a charge on a card. This happens when there is fraud. It may also happen even when a charge is placed legitimately but a cardholder attempts to dispute it for a variety of reasons, such as embarrassment over the charge. This, of course, is more likely in the adult industry.
• Foreign currency — Many adult websites attract extensive use of foreign currency, foreign credit cards, or payments that come from offshore accounts. This leads to concerns about fraud.
• Reputational concerns — Simply put, the adult industry has reputational challenges and has had no shortage of legal troubles. This impacts all aspects of the adult industry, even those that are complying with the strict governmental regulations to which it's subjected. This makes merchant accounts more likely to classify these websites as high risk.

All of these factors mean that adult porn sites' merchant accounts can be difficult to create. If you operate such a website, you'll have to look harder before finding a merchant account vendor and payment processor who fits these needs. Zenti is one such example, as the company can work with industries that face any of the above issues.

What Does This Mean for Merchant Accounts for Adult Porn Sites?

The end result for adult porn sites' merchant accounts is simple: Operators of these websites will have to look harder than normal for a merchant account provider who can provide all of these services. If you operate such a website, you'll have to find a payment processor who is comfortable with your industry, experienced in its unique needs, and has built strong enough relationships with other processors, online payors, and credit card companies. You'll also have to find a processor who has experience in working with other high-risk industries, and, preferably, someone who has worked with the adult industry. Finally, you'll have to understand their parameters; many high-risk payment processors may be able to help you process credit cards and other online payments, but there may be some specific concerns that they have with your industry or sub-sections that they won't cover. If this is the case, you need to know ahead of time to make sure that you'll never find yourself in a situation where your merchant account vendor drops you.

What Should a Website Operator Look For in a Merchant Account?

There are nearly countless operators of merchant accounts for adult porn sites out there. Despite the high-risk nature of this industry, many operators have found ways to turn a profit in this business. Your challenge is to find a merchant account that can not only provide you with access to the financial tools you need, but one that can also provide you with world-class quality, additional services, and affordable prices.

There are some basics that you should look for in any merchant account. How do they accept payments? Taking credit cards is obvious, but what other, alternative ways might a merchant account vendor be able to accept payments? For example, do they take payments from offshore accounts? Do they take eChecks or ACH payments? What other forms of eCommerce can they get you access to?

Cryptocurrency is becoming more and more popular within the adult entertainment world, so it may be worth asking if they take crypto payments. You also need to have a conversation with your merchant account provider about potential fees. Any high-risk business will wind up paying more in fees than non-high-risk businesses. This is necessary on the part of the vendor to offset risk and make sure that they have the additional cash to properly manage higher chargebacks and other services. You'll want to compare fees across vendors and make sure that they're reasonable. Processing costs should be reasonable and at least somewhat comparable to the costs that you would pay if you were not a high-risk business. Many merchant account services do not even take cryptocurrency, citing its risks. Fortunately, Zenti does, and it can work to provide you with cryptocurrency merchant account services.

You'll want to inquire about what the process is in order to be accepted by a high-risk merchant account provider. Many merchant account providers will make your adult-oriented business go through additional hoops that you would not have to endure if not for the high-risk nature of your business. This may include providing additional bank statements, higher cash reserves, additional paperwork, more in-depth credit history checks on your credit score, and longer tracking of processing history. This extra work will likely be necessary regardless of what service you choose, but you should at least be aware of what additional information you may have to provide in this type of business to be able to begin processing payments. Some merchant service providers may allow you to get away with lesser work, but it will be difficult.

In the adult website industry, more than most, anonymity is key. You'll want to make sure that any merchant account provider is capable of allowing for anonymous transactions that won't appear obviously on someone's bill. As such, you'll want to work with a merchant account provider to make sure that they're able to utilize a description of your services on a financial statement, making it so that the service description is obvious — thus preventing a chargeback — but not so obvious as to cause embarrassment.

For the same reasons, you'll want to work with a merchant account provider to confirm their security is as robust and protective as possible. This would be the case with any merchant provider, as they possess a series of extremely valuable and sensitive information, including names, contact information, and credit card information. The use of adult websites is typically something that the vast majority of users want to keep out of the public eye. As such, you'll want to ensure that any merchant account provider has robust security plans in place to prevent the leaking of information, and has contingencies in place if there is a data leak.

Are There Other Services an Adult Website Should Look For?

Absolutely. All of the above are simply the basics that are required to do business on the Internet. Adult porn sites merchant accounts may be required, but that doesn't mean that you should stop looking there, as your business may need access to many other services.

You'll need to work with any merchant account provider to ensure that they're able to integrate your payment processing options and software with already existing accounting platforms, ensuring that any transactions are recorded properly. This is necessary for purposes of both record-keeping and taxes.

If done right, merchant account processors can do so much more than merely help you record transactions; they can also be vital for marketing. Does your merchant account provider collect information, such as emails, and then help you use that information for future contact or sales pitches?

What about finances? Many websites seek to expand but lack the capital to do so. A merchant account provider will likely not be able to loan you money, but they may have connections within your industry — or the finance industry in general — that can provide you with a vital lifeline to many services that can help you grow your adult website business.

Some issues are unique to the adult website industry. As you know, individuals must be at least 18 to access pornographic material, and failure to stop illegal access can result in major issues to your website. How can your merchant account provider work within these parameters to ensure that the only people looking at your website are people who are legally allowed to do so?

Finding a merchant account provider that can provide you with the best adult payment options can be a challenge. It is not a challenge that is insurmountable, as many adult entertainment merchants have found ways to find appropriate processing solutions and adult payment gateways. With enough work, you can absolutely find a business that can give you all of these services and options. If you're interested in learning more, reach out today to Zenti](https://zenti.com/contact/), and learn more about how we can help your adult website grow and thrive. account

How to Get a Porn Site Merchant Account

The adult pornography and adult porn sites industry is a huge one throughout the United States and the rest of the world, with the industry moving billions of dollars and directly or indirectly employing tens of thousands of people. Like all industries, to make money, adult porn sites merchant accounts must be utilized. This means that these adult porn sites must be able to gain access to tools that allow them to process credit cards, debit cards, and other electronic payments. For many adult porn sites, this can be a challenge, as many merchant accounts do not want to do business with these websites, citing a variety of financial risks and reputation challenges.

These two factors lead to merchant accounts for adult porn sites being classified as "high-risk," meaning that they're subjected to extra fees and processing requirements. Adult porn sites can still gain access to merchant services, but they will likely have to pay more money for access to basic financial services. There are a variety of merchant accounts for adult porn sites that can still give these websites excellent financial services at affordable prices, and it's incumbent upon these website operators that they find the best possible operator of these services. One such example is Zenti, which specializes in providing merchant account services to high-risk vendors, including adult porn sites.

Why Are Adult Porn Sites Classified as High-Risk?

For many reasons, these websites earn a "high-risk" classification. This leads to two very important questions: Why does this happen, and what does it mean in terms of adult porn sites merchant accounts? How will this impact your adult businesses and negatively affect your ability to access an adult merchant account?

The high-risk classification that many adult websites are tagged with means that merchant account providers have found that this industry is more likely to be subjected to fraud, chargebacks, and other problems. As a result, merchant accounts for adult porn sites are often difficult to find. Indeed, more than many other industries, some merchant account simply refuses to work with websites like these.

The challenge is compounded by the fact that many vendors don't do business directly with an adult website or the adult industry in general, citing their adult content. Indeed, the adult entertainment industry, in general, has struggled to gain access to debit and credit card processing.

The struggles for adult sites and webcam sites have intensified of late. In 2020, credit card companies Mastercard and Visa completely dropped Pornhub, citing a major exposé on the company's shady business practices which included making it difficult to remove content and making it far too easy for illegal content to be uploaded to the website. Other websites, such as Paypal and Stripe, have made similar decisions, holding adult websites to different standards than other online businesses. The decision was reversed after Pornhub made major changes to its website, thus enabling access to critical payment gateways. This example shows the power that credit cards can have over adult websites, and it shows how difficult it can be for these websites to gain access to basic financial tools.

There are many reasons that this happens that are specific to the adult industry. These include:

• Fraud — In many cases, individuals who have their credit cards stolen may find that their cards are used by others to access adult websites. This leads to accusations of fraud, chargebacks, and high chargeback ratios. This makes doing business with these websites more expensive for many credit card processors.
• Card-not-present transactions — Card-not-present transactions are common over the internet, but they also lead to a higher risk of fraud. Adult porn sites merchant accounts, which are exclusively made of transactions like these, are thus more likely to process fraudulent transactions, leading to chargebacks and additional expenses.
• Chargebacks — Chargebacks are what occurs when a credit cardholder disputes a charge on a card. This happens when there is fraud. It may also happen even when a charge is placed legitimately but a cardholder attempts to dispute it for a variety of reasons, such as embarrassment over the charge. This, of course, is more likely in the adult industry.
• Foreign currency — Many adult websites attract extensive use of foreign currency, foreign credit cards, or payments that come from offshore accounts. This leads to concerns about fraud.
• Reputational concerns — Simply put, the adult industry has reputational challenges and has had no shortage of legal troubles. This impacts all aspects of the adult industry, even those that are complying with the strict governmental regulations to which it's subjected. This makes merchant accounts more likely to classify these websites as high risk.

All of these factors mean that adult porn sites' merchant accounts can be difficult to create. If you operate such a website, you'll have to look harder before finding a merchant account vendor and payment processor who fits these needs. Zenti is one such example, as the company can work with industries that face any of the above issues.

What Does This Mean for Merchant Accounts for Adult Porn Sites?

The end result for adult porn sites' merchant accounts is simple: Operators of these websites will have to look harder than normal for a merchant account provider who can provide all of these services. If you operate such a website, you'll have to find a payment processor who is comfortable with your industry, experienced in its unique needs, and has built strong enough relationships with other processors, online payors, and credit card companies. You'll also have to find a processor who has experience in working with other high-risk industries, and, preferably, someone who has worked with the adult industry. Finally, you'll have to understand their parameters; many high-risk payment processors may be able to help you process credit cards and other online payments, but there may be some specific concerns that they have with your industry or sub-sections that they won't cover. If this is the case, you need to know ahead of time to make sure that you'll never find yourself in a situation where your merchant account vendor drops you.

What Should a Website Operator Look For in a Merchant Account?

There are nearly countless operators of merchant accounts for adult porn sites out there. Despite the high-risk nature of this industry, many operators have found ways to turn a profit in this business. Your challenge is to find a merchant account that can not only provide you with access to the financial tools you need, but one that can also provide you with world-class quality, additional services, and affordable prices.

There are some basics that you should look for in any merchant account. How do they accept payments? Taking credit cards is obvious, but what other, alternative ways might a merchant account vendor be able to accept payments? For example, do they take payments from offshore accounts? Do they take eChecks or ACH payments? What other forms of eCommerce can they get you access to?

Cryptocurrency is becoming more and more popular within the adult entertainment world, so it may be worth asking if they take crypto payments. You also need to have a conversation with your merchant account provider about potential fees. Any high-risk business will wind up paying more in fees than non-high-risk businesses. This is necessary on the part of the vendor to offset risk and make sure that they have the additional cash to properly manage higher chargebacks and other services. You'll want to compare fees across vendors and make sure that they're reasonable. Processing costs should be reasonable and at least somewhat comparable to the costs that you would pay if you were not a high-risk business. Many merchant account services do not even take cryptocurrency, citing its risks. Fortunately, Zenti does, and it can work to provide you with cryptocurrency merchant account services.

You'll want to inquire about what the process is in order to be accepted by a high-risk merchant account provider. Many merchant account providers will make your adult-oriented business go through additional hoops that you would not have to endure if not for the high-risk nature of your business. This may include providing additional bank statements, higher cash reserves, additional paperwork, more in-depth credit history checks on your credit score, and longer tracking of processing history. This extra work will likely be necessary regardless of what service you choose, but you should at least be aware of what additional information you may have to provide in this type of business to be able to begin processing payments. Some merchant service providers may allow you to get away with lesser work, but it will be difficult.

In the adult website industry, more than most, anonymity is key. You'll want to make sure that any merchant account provider is capable of allowing for anonymous transactions that won't appear obviously on someone's bill. As such, you'll want to work with a merchant account provider to make sure that they're able to utilize a description of your services on a financial statement, making it so that the service description is obvious — thus preventing a chargeback — but not so obvious as to cause embarrassment.

For the same reasons, you'll want to work with a merchant account provider to confirm their security is as robust and protective as possible. This would be the case with any merchant provider, as they possess a series of extremely valuable and sensitive information, including names, contact information, and credit card information. The use of adult websites is typically something that the vast majority of users want to keep out of the public eye. As such, you'll want to ensure that any merchant account provider has robust security plans in place to prevent the leaking of information, and has contingencies in place if there is a data leak.

Are There Other Services an Adult Website Should Look For?

Absolutely. All of the above are simply the basics that are required to do business on the Internet. Adult porn sites merchant accounts may be required, but that doesn't mean that you should stop looking there, as your business may need access to many other services.

You'll need to work with any merchant account provider to ensure that they're able to integrate your payment processing options and software with already existing accounting platforms, ensuring that any transactions are recorded properly. This is necessary for purposes of both record-keeping and taxes.

If done right, merchant account processors can do so much more than merely help you record transactions; they can also be vital for marketing. Does your merchant account provider collect information, such as emails, and then help you use that information for future contact or sales pitches?

What about finances? Many websites seek to expand but lack the capital to do so. A merchant account provider will likely not be able to loan you money, but they may have connections within your industry — or the finance industry in general — that can provide you with a vital lifeline to many services that can help you grow your adult website business.

Some issues are unique to the adult website industry. As you know, individuals must be at least 18 to access pornographic material, and failure to stop illegal access can result in major issues to your website. How can your merchant account provider work within these parameters to ensure that the only people looking at your website are people who are legally allowed to do so?

Finding a merchant account provider that can provide you with the best adult payment options can be a challenge. It is not a challenge that is insurmountable, as many adult entertainment merchants have found ways to find appropriate processing solutions and adult payment gateways. With enough work, you can absolutely find a business that can give you all of these services and options. If you're interested in learning more, reach out today to Zenti, and learn more about how we can help your adult website grow and thrive.