Merchant Accounts with SharPay
Accept Global Payments Without Limits
With a SharPay merchant account, your business can accept payments worldwide — even in industries that traditional banks avoid. Whether you run an online store, a subscription service or a regulated project that most banks decline, SharPay provides underwriting that reads your file, global coverage and terms built around your model.
Open your merchant account today and start scaling without payment barriers.
What Is a Merchant Account?
There are two types of merchant accounts:
- Standard merchant account
- High-risk merchant account
Industries We Support
SharPay is more than just a provider. We are your payment partner, helping your business grow in any market.
Cross-Border and Multi-Currency Models
Digital Products and Services
Content and Subscription Platforms
Online Education and Memberships
Travel, Events and Ticketing
Subscriptions and Recurring Revenue
E-commerce and Marketplaces
What We Do Not Accept
Key Benefits of SharPay Business Merchant Accounts
✅ Flexible conditions
✅ Card issuing
✅ 24/7 support
✅ Global acceptance
✅ Fast onboarding
✅ Security first
How It Works: Features and Capabilities
A SharPay merchant account gives you everything you need to run payments seamlessly:
Payment Methods
- SEPA and SWIFT transfers and global banking.
- Cryptocurrency support for instant global settlements.
Transaction Management
- Refund and chargeback handling tools.
- Automated settlement to your business account.
Integrations & API
- Plugins for e-commerce and CMS platforms.
- Crypto payment rails with conversion to fiat.
Payout Options
- Card withdrawals to your team or clients.
- Crypto settlements for fast global distribution.
How to Open a Business Merchant Account
Opening a merchant account with SharPay is simple and fast:
Apply online — fill out the application form.
Submit documents — company registration, KYC/AML docs, processing history.
Compliance check — our specialists review your documents and data.
Integration — connect your website, platform, or app.
Start accepting payments worldwide.
The timeline depends on how complete your document package is and how complex your vertical is.
Merchant Account Pricing and Fees
How much does accepting payments cost?
MDR is 3% to 5% plus 0.50 EUR per transaction. The spread depends on your model: a subscription business and a cross-border platform with delayed delivery carry different risk, so they are not priced the same.
We look at individual arrangements for your business — describe your model and we will quote your rate.
Acquiring terms
- MDR — 3% to 5%, by vertical
- Transaction fee — 0.50 EUR
- Settlement in EUR via SEPA — 0.20%
- Settlement period — T+7
- OCT payout to card — 4% plus 1.00 EUR per transaction
- Refund penalty — 50 EUR
- Chargeback penalty — 100 EUR
Limits
- Per transaction — 10 to 2 500 EUR
- Daily — 200 000 EUR
- Monthly — 2 000 000 EUR
Account fees
- Account opening — 1 000 EUR
- Account closure — 100 EUR
- Reactivation — 100 EUR
- Internal payments — 10 EUR
- SEPA, incoming and outgoing — 10 EUR + 0.30%
- SWIFT EUR, incoming — 50 EUR + 0.35%
- Faster Payments and CHAPS (UK) — 15 GBP
What is the rolling reserve?
A share of your turnover held back to cover chargebacks and refunds. The standard is 10% held for 180 days. Individual arrangements are possible depending on your profile.
When do I get my money?
Settlement runs on T+7 — funds from a transaction reach you seven days after it clears. The rolling reserve is released on its own schedule, 180 days from each transaction.
Where card acquiring does not work
We operate in Europe, Canada and selected other regions — the current list is on the How it works page. Cross-border Visa and Mastercard acquiring is unavailable in jurisdictions under full sanctions and severely restricted where targeted sanctions apply to specific banks or entities.
Low, Middle and High Risk: What Actually Changes
Most providers sort businesses into two boxes. You are either low risk or high risk. Reality sits in between far more often than that, and the tier you land in decides your pricing, your reserve and your settlement cycle.
Low risk
Same-day delivery, few disputes, one market. Standard terms, light compliance, and in most cases no reserve. Ordinary retail lives here.
Middle risk
Delayed delivery, subscriptions, cross-border payments or a regulated niche. Nothing about the business is dangerous, but an underwriter slows down. With SharPay that means fees from 1.8% and connection from 5 days when your document package is complete, on transparent terms with no hidden charges. A reserve may apply and depends on your profile.
High risk
Dispute-prone verticals, heavy regulation or a difficult processing history. Pricing is individual: MDR 3% to 5% by activity, 0.50 EUR per transaction, euro settlement over SEPA at 0.20%, settlement T+7, and a standard rolling reserve of 10% held for 180 days. The document pack is larger and the review is deeper.
The practical point: many providers skip the middle entirely. A business that belongs at 1.8% gets quoted high-risk rates because nobody looked closely. Ask which factor in your model produced the quote. If nobody can name one, that is an answer too.
We also consider individual solutions for your business.
Rolling Reserve: What It Is and When It Changes
A rolling reserve is a share of your turnover that the provider holds for a set period. It covers refunds and disputes that arrive after the money has already been paid out to you. Our standard is 10% held for 180 days, with individual arrangements possible depending on your profile.
Three things are worth understanding before you sign anything, with any provider.
It is working capital, not a fee. The money is yours and it comes back on schedule. But a tenth of six months of revenue sits outside your cash flow, so it belongs in your planning rather than in a footnote.
The percentage and the period are agreed in advance. Both go into the contract before you start, never announced after the first dispute.
It can be revisited. When your dispute ratio drops and stays low, the terms are reviewed. That conversation is far easier when you bring the numbers to it.
A low headline rate next to a heavy reserve is not a cheap offer. Read the two lines together.
Business Models We Onboard Most Often
Industry labels explain less than people expect. What decides your terms is how money moves through the business. These models come up most often in our underwriting.
Online retail with pre-orders or long shipping
Furniture, equipment, made-to-order goods. The gap between payment and delivery is what gets priced, not the product.
Subscriptions and SaaS
Monthly billing, free trials, plan changes mid-period. Recurring billing with retries on failed charges is part of the account, and a renewal reminder is the cheapest dispute prevention there is.
Travel, events and ticketing
Money taken months before the service happens. Clear cancellation terms matter more here than in any other model.
Marketplaces
One payment split between several sellers, each with their own refund policy. Payouts to partners run under the same agreement as collection.
Online education
Course access sold once and used over months. Access logs are what defend the disputes.
Digital products and services
Instant delivery leaves no shipping proof, which makes disputes harder to defend. Evidence has to be built into the product from day one.
Models outside this list are reviewed on request, case by case.
Payment Gateway and Merchant Account
A merchant account and a payment gateway are two different things that only work together. The gateway is the technical layer that takes card data from your checkout, encrypts it and passes it on. The merchant account is where the money lands before it moves to your company bank account.
What our gateway gives you
- a hosted payment page and an API for your website, platform or app
- plugins for common CMS and e-commerce systems
- Visa and Mastercard acceptance worldwide, plus SEPA and SWIFT settlement
- crypto payment rails with conversion to fiat
- 3-D Secure, anti-fraud screening and real-time monitoring
Payment gateway for high-risk businesses
Standard gateways decline risky verticals by category, without looking at the file. We underwrite the case instead: your licence, your ownership structure, your processing history. Complex models are routed through the same infrastructure as any other merchant — the difference is in the reserve and the rate, not in whether you get access.
White-label gateway
If you want to run the gateway under your own brand, that is a separate product: gateway, card issuing and IBAN accounts under your branding. See our White-Label payment solutions page.
Requirements, Timeline and Countries
What documents we ask for
We request the full corporate package, because approval depends on being able to confirm the business is legal and transparent:
- certificate of incorporation and articles of association
- licences covering your activity in every market you serve
- ownership and control structure, with UBO identification
- AML policy and the officer responsible for it
- processing history, if you have been live elsewhere
How long onboarding takes
Onboarding time is individual. It depends on how complete your document package is and how complex your vertical is. A complete package in a straightforward vertical moves through underwriting fastest — an incomplete one stalls regardless of the industry.
Countries we serve
We work with companies registered in Europe. Applications from companies registered in the United States or the United Kingdom are not accepted. The current list of supported countries is on the How it works page.
What to put in your first message
The sooner we can see the real business, the sooner compliance can answer. Please include:
- company name, jurisdiction and registration details
- the website where you sell
- what you sell and how it is delivered
- how you accept payments today and through which provider
- actual turnover for the last three months and your average ticket
- your current chargeback and refund ratio
- the licence for your activity, if it is a licensed one
If your case does not fit the standard path, write to us anyway and describe it as it is — we will tell you on what terms we can work and which model would fit.
Why Choose SharPay for High-Risk Merchant Accounts
SharPay is built for businesses that banks reject on principle. We do not judge a business by its category — we underwrite the file. Underwriting works with legal businesses only, and checks that your activity is properly authorised in every market you serve.
- Complex models — subscriptions, marketplaces, cross-border sales and businesses that deliver long after payment, the cases standard acquirers decline.
- Global payments — SEPA, SWIFT, Visa, Mastercard and crypto settlement on one platform.
- Conditions built around your model — the processing rate, the rolling reserve and the limits are set from your vertical, your volume and your risk profile.
- Integrated cards — issue branded payment cards and crypto cards for payouts.
- Underwriting that reads your file — a compliance team that works with high-risk documentation every day.
Your business deserves more than a rejection letter. With SharPay you get a partner that reads your file, understands your model and prices the risk instead of refusing it.
If Your Merchant Account Was Terminated
Losing an account is not the end of your business, but the next application is harder than the first. Acquirers can see the termination, so hiding it does not work.
What usually causes it
- chargeback ratio above the scheme threshold
- a mismatch between the declared business model and the real traffic
- expired or missing licences for a market you were serving
- volume growing far past the approved limits
What to prepare before reapplying
Bring the termination letter, your chargeback data for the last six months, the fix you have put in place, and current licences. An application that explains the problem and shows the remedy is underwritten faster than one that omits it.
We have written in more detail about a processor closing an account without warning, about the real cost of a rolling reserve and about opening a high-risk merchant account.
FAQ
What is the difference between a standard and a high-risk merchant account?
A standard account serves low-risk retail with light compliance. A high-risk account covers verticals with higher chargeback exposure or regulatory load — it carries a rolling reserve, closer monitoring and individually set pricing.
Do you work with unlicensed businesses?
No. Underwriting works with legal businesses only, and checks that your activity is properly authorised in every market you serve.
How much does a merchant account cost?
Account opening is 1,000 EUR. The processing rate is quoted individually from your vertical, volume and risk profile.
Which companies can open an account?
Companies registered in Europe. We do not accept companies registered in the United States or the United Kingdom.
What is a rolling reserve and how much is held?
It is a share of your turnover held back to cover chargebacks and refunds. The size is set from your turnover and agreed before you go live.
Which payment methods can I accept?
Visa and Mastercard worldwide, SEPA and SWIFT transfers, Faster Payments and CHAPS in the UK, and cryptocurrency settlement.
What is middle risk, and how do I know if I am in it?
Middle risk covers legal, clean businesses that an underwriter still slows down on: delayed delivery, subscriptions, a large cross-border share or a regulated niche. Pricing starts from 1.8% and connection from 5 days with a complete document package. If you were quoted high-risk rates for an ordinary subscription business, ask which factor produced that quote.
Can my risk level change after onboarding?
Yes, in both directions. A clean year of processing with a low dispute ratio is the usual way down. A spike in chargebacks moves you the other way, and it moves faster.
Where does my company need to be registered?
In Europe. The current list of supported countries sits on the How it works page, because it changes from time to time and we would rather keep one source than five.
How does high-risk credit card processing work?
We accept Visa and Mastercard for businesses that card schemes treat as high risk. The rate depends on your vertical, a rolling reserve may apply, and payouts arrive in EUR via SEPA. Exact terms are set after we review your business, so you know them before the first transaction.
Do you open ecommerce merchant accounts?
Yes. Online shops, subscriptions, SaaS, marketplaces and digital products are the businesses we onboard most often. For the checkout itself, see payment processing: plugins, a hosted payment page or a direct API.
Do you offer offshore merchant accounts?
No. We work with companies registered in Europe, and applications from companies registered in the United States or the United Kingdom are not accepted. The current list of supported countries is on the How it works page.
Is a merchant account the same as a credit card merchant account?
In practice, yes. It is the account through which card payments, credit and debit, are accepted and settled. A SharPay merchant account also takes SEPA and SWIFT transfers and crypto settlement.
What is the difference between an acquirer and an issuer?
The issuer is the bank that gave your customer their card. The acquirer handles credit card acquiring on the merchant’s side: it accepts the payment and credits the money. With a SharPay merchant account, acquiring is arranged for you, so you deal with one provider.
A merchant account is the backbone of any online business. Without it, you can’t grow, expand internationally, or provide customers with the payment options they expect.
SharPay gives you everything you need: fast onboarding, global payments, support for high-risk industries, and integrated solutions like cards and crypto.
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