Merchant Services for Escort Agency
Credit card processing companies typically shy away from this industry for a variety of reasons. From a business point of view, the industry itself can be very lucrative and banks nonetheless, avoid processing transactions in this industry. One of the reasons why banks avoid processing visa and MasterCard for agencies are because of the rest of chargebacks and resulting losses the bank will incur for clientele and customers avoiding paying for services they may have actually engaged in. Prostitution is illegal business in most states however and it must be perfectly clear between customers and their companion that there is no sexual encounters permitted in exchange for payment. The agency website should state is clearly and prominently that the services being offered and rendered are for companion services only. In many cases processing credit card is important and convenient for this small business type. In many cases service fees are charged an hourly rates and can be substantial when added up, few customers carry large amounts of cash around it pay for companion services, this is where the convenience of credit card transactions is important.
How We Assist
If you were to walk in your local bank and explain your business model and ask the bank manager how to go about accepting credit cards, they probably would show you the exit door. Unfortunately most banks do not process your type of business model and consider it a high-risk merchant account designation. The bank manager probably has no leeway in policy as your industry is listed on a prohibited business type model. However, that's where we come in, we do have the bank merchant processing services willing to allow you to accept credit cards at your agency. We currently work with several domestic "adult friendly" banks that are willing to process this high-risk business model. So long as you are providing legal services and are legit we can get you approved and will setup your payment gateway. The bank may ask for a rolling reserve, this is sort of an escrow account of for example five or 10% that is held by the bank to cover potential losses and future chargebacks. The reserves are periodically released to your account every few months. You should probably expect some type of rolling reserve, however if you are an established agency and are processing credit cards already you may not need to have a reserve.
Rates
Rates for processing an escort service are likely going to be on the higher-end of merchant account rates. For one thing there is more risk involved for the bank and secondly banks know that the service provider has few options for companies that are willing to process their business model. You should probably expect to pay about 3 to 4% to accept credit cards like visa & mastercard at your agency. If you are processing for a long time and have an established history you may also be able to negotiate these rates a little more.
Realistic Approval Times
Be wary of other companies offering lower rates or fast approval times. They are promising you a dream that they will not be able to fulfill. You may find yourself cut off abruptly after being approved by another bank. Sometimes, you may be talking to a salesperson or an operator that they be promising you something that is unrealistic. A typical honest timeframe is probably about 1-2 weeks. A good bank will do its due diligence when approving customers for transaction processing. This may include credit reports and a site inspection of your business. A bad bank will approve everyone, then abruptly cancel their service and hold their funds for long periods of time. If a new client came to you, you will likely review their information and check them out before making companion appointments, expect the bank to do it homework to and verify all your information before approving you as a customer. So realistically, it'll probably take 5 to 10 business days for your account to be approved. Have all your documentation ready about your business including perhaps a website with information on it and be ready to fill out your application and supply documentation about your business.
Countries USA, EU, Canada
Although we are located in the United States we also have options for agencies either independent or business service providers in other countries in the EU, Europe. We have local banks in the UK and throughout Europe that we work with that will process your payment and billing needs. So if you are based in any of these countries: Canada, UK, Ireland, Spain ,France, Germany, Italy, Russia, Bulgaria, Romania, Poland, Portugal, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Netherlands, England, Belgium, Switzerland, Scotland, Ukraine, Romania, Greece we also have merchant account solutions for you!
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