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What’s the Difference Between a Standard and High Risk Merchant Account?

What’s the Difference Between a Standard and High Risk Merchant Account? A high risk merchant account runs on its own underwriting rules, fee structure, and reserve requirements from day one, distinct from a standard account in more than just name….

Why Was My Vape Merchant Account Application Rejected?

Why Was My Vape Merchant Account Application Rejected? A vape merchant account application gets turned down for reasons that have almost nothing to do with whether your business is legitimate. Most rejections trace back to a handful of specific, fixable…

What Happens to Your Funds When a Processor Closes Your Account

What Happens to Your Funds When a Processor Closes Your Account? “What happens to your funds when a processor closes your account?” is usually one of the first questions that comes to mind once the shutdown notice actually lands, right…

How to Move Off Square Before November 5: A Step by Step Plan for CBD and Hemp Merchants

Quick answer: Square is closing CBD and hemp merchant accounts on November 5, 2026. Mixed catalog merchants have reportedly been told to remove those products by October 15, 2026. The move itself is not complicated. Most merchants are approved in…

Which CBD and Hemp Payment Processor to Switch to After Square

Quick answer: Square is closing CBD and hemp merchant accounts by November 5, 2026, and mainstream processors like Stripe, PayPal, and Shopify Payments do not support CBD or hemp sales at all. That leaves a specialized, high risk merchant services…

Square Is Shutting Down CBD and Hemp Merchant Accounts by November 5, 2026

Quick answer: Square has notified merchants it is exiting the CBD and hemp category. Any account that sells CBD or hemp products are being closed on November 5, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. EST. The shutdown applies no matter the CBD…

Switching Payment Processors for Your CBD or Hemp Brand? Everything You Need to Know

Payment processing tends to get treated as a settled decision once a CBD or hemp brand has years of clean history behind it. But even a fully compliant brand can be terminated with almost no warning, not because of anything…

Starting a CBD or Hemp Brand? Everything You Need to Know Before Choosing a Payment Processor

Payment processing tends to get treated as a formality once a product is legal to sell. For CBD and hemp brands, that assumption is exactly where new founders get blindsided: legal status and processor risk appetite are two very different…

Switching Payment Processors for Your Vape Shop? Everything You Need to Know

Payment processing tends to get treated as a settled decision once a shop is running smoothly. But for an established vape or smoke shop, one chargeback spike or surprise rate hike can turn a processor you’ve trusted for years into…

Opening a Vape Shop? Everything You Need to Know Before Choosing a Payment Processor

Payment processing tends to get treated as a checkbox on the way to opening day. For a vape shop, it’s closer to a gate: many mainstream processors won’t work with the category at all, and the ones that approve a…

Switching Payment Processors for Your Cruise or Charter Vessel Business? Everything You Need to Know

Payment processing tends to get treated as a settled decision once a fleet is running smoothly. But for a growing cruise or charter operation, adding a vessel or expanding a season can be the exact moment a processor decides your…

Starting a Small Cruise or Charter Vessel Business? Everything You Need to Know Before Choosing a Payment Processor

Payment processing tends to get treated as a detail you’ll figure out once the season starts. For a cruise or charter vessel operator, it’s the opposite: the processor you choose determines whether a strong first season builds momentum or gets…

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