High-risk payment processing
Higher-risk businesses, with the rules in public
Declined somewhere else? Read exactly what we accept, what we review and what we decline before you apply, so you know where you stand. Candor merchants process through Stripe, so Stripe's rules apply too.
The short version
What "high-risk" means.
Banks call a business high-risk when its payments are more likely than average to end in disputes, fraud or legal trouble. It isn't a judgment of your character. It's a prediction about chargebacks, and whoever processes your payments carries the loss if a business disappears owing money. For Candor merchants, that's Stripe.
The usual reasons are free trials and subscriptions, products with health claims, regulated goods such as CBD, high prices, long delivery times, sales across borders, or a past account closure.
Higher-risk accounts cost more to run, so they're priced after review. You get your price in writing on your Candor account page and agree to it before you set up your account. Every other fee is the same as on our public pricing.
Two things rule a business out, whatever it sells: Stripe generally can't accept a business on Mastercard's MATCH list or Visa's VMSS list, and it may decline a business whose Stripe account it has closed before. Candor can't override either.
What we accept
The list, in full.
Stripe processes payments for Candor merchants, so its list of prohibited and restricted businesses applies too, and Stripe has the final say.
- Accepted
Ecommerce, SaaS, digital products, online courses, coaching, agencies and professional services.
- Extra review
Subscriptions and free trials with clear terms; supplements and nutraceuticals that are safe and make no misleading claims; high-ticket offers, but not get-rich-quick schemes; travel booking, but not airlines, cruises or timeshares; and hemp-derived CBD that meets the federal hemp definition, with lab certificates and Stripe's approval. From December 11, 2026, the federal definition counts total THC, including THCA, and excludes products with more than 0.4 mg of THC per container or with cannabinoids synthesized outside the plant; products with cannabinoids the plant can't produce at all are excluded from November 12, 2026. Congress has moved these dates before, so we check them again before each one takes effect.
- With certification
Telehealth and pharmacy, only with LegitScript certification and Stripe's approval.
- Not yet
Crypto exchanges and legal firearms, which Stripe supports only with its approval.
- Never
Illegal goods or services; marijuana sales that are illegal under federal law; prescription drugs without a valid prescription; research chemicals or peptides sold for human use; counterfeit goods; adult content; gambling; pyramid schemes, and multilevel marketing paid on recruitment; get-rich-quick schemes; debt relief and credit repair; sanctioned people or countries; and selling under someone else's account.
What we ask for
The documents, before you start.
Having these ready speeds things up. Candor reviews every new account. Stripe verifies your business and collects ID and bank details in its own secure forms, never by email.
- Business registration and your EIN
- Photo ID for every owner with 25% or more
- Your business bank account, which Stripe verifies
- Your last 3 to 6 months of processing statements, if you take cards today
- A live website with prices, a refund policy, terms and contact details
- Product details: ingredients and lab certificates for supplements and CBD, LegitScript certification for telehealth and pharmacy
- How you sell: your ads, your affiliate terms, and your trial and cancellation flow if you offer one
- How you deliver: supplier, shipping times and tracking
- If a processor closed your account: its letter or email, and what you changed since
Reserves and holds
Who can hold money, and how you'll hear.
Reserves
Candor sets no reserves. Stripe, which covers losses on Candor accounts, can hold back part of your balance as a reserve if it sees a risk, such as a jump in disputes. It tells you directly, by email, and your Candor dashboard shows what it needs from you. Tell us too, and we'll help you respond.
Holds
Candor can't pause your payouts. Stripe can slow or pause payouts, or pause payments, while it checks something. Send Stripe what it asks for, and tell us: we aim to reply within one business day.
Ending an account
Candor ends an account immediately only for fraud, illegal or prohibited sales, or when Stripe or a card network requires it. Otherwise you get 30 days' notice. Stripe can also close an account under the Stripe Connected Account Agreement; if it does, we tell you what we know.
Card network limits
The numbers that decide whether you keep an account.
Visa and Mastercard monitor every business's fraud and dispute rates and fine the bank when a business crosses their limits. The bank passes that on. We watch your rate and contact you long before the limits.
| Program | What it counts | Limit |
|---|---|---|
| Visa (VAMP) | Fraud reports plus disputes, divided by online Visa payments, once a business has 1,500 or more of them in a month | 1.5% |
| Mastercard (ECM) | Chargebacks divided by the previous month's Mastercard payments, once a business has 100 or more chargebacks in a month | 1.5% |
| Candor warning | Disputes and fraud reports divided by the month's payments | 0.5% |
| Candor action plan | Same | 0.9% |
| Candor account review | Same | 1.2% |
Visa's limit has been 1.5% in the US since April 1, 2026, down from 2.2%. While a business is over it, Visa can charge $8 per fraud report or dispute, after a 90-day grace period for businesses it hasn't flagged in the past 12 months. Mastercard charges nothing in a business's first month over its limit. From the second month, fines start at $1,000 and rise in steps the longer it stays over: up to $100,000 a month at the 1.5% level, and up to $200,000 a month, plus $5 for each chargeback over 300, at its higher level of 3% and 300 chargebacks. Stripe watches the same numbers and can act on its own.
The MATCH list
If a processor reported you.
MATCH is Mastercard's list of businesses whose accounts were closed for reasons such as fraud, excessive chargebacks or data breaches. Most processors decline businesses on it, and a listing lasts five years. Visa keeps a similar list, VMSS.
Stripe, which processes payments for Candor merchants, generally can't accept a business on either list unless there's an extenuating circumstance, such as identity theft. If you're on one, say so on the form, and we'll tell you straight away whether there's a way forward. Candor doesn't make MATCH reports; the processor's bank must, when it closes an account that meets Mastercard's criteria.
After a freeze
Moving to Candor from a closed or frozen account.
One limit first: Candor merchants process through Stripe. If Stripe closed your account or is holding your funds, its decision applies to a Candor account too, and we can't override it.
Get your records
Download your last 3 to 6 months of statements and any closure or hold notice before you lose access.
Don't open a second account to get around it
Splitting one business across accounts to hide volume or disputes breaks card network rules and can get a business added to MATCH. We'll decline it, and so will Stripe.
Talk to us and tell us what happened
Use the contact form before you open an account, so we can set a custom price if you need one. A frank account of what went wrong and what you changed counts for more than a perfect history.
Plan for your saved cards
For now, Candor takes payments through payment links, which don't use saved cards. If you bill saved cards today, talk to us before you switch.
Start with a clean dispute rate
Clear billing names, delivery tracking, easy cancellation and fast refunds keep disputes down from day one, and we warn you at 0.5%.
Know where you stand first.
Read the full rules, then talk to us or open an account. If we can't take your business, we'll tell you why.