High-risk merchant services
PaymentCloud is a US merchant services provider that places high-risk businesses, including dropshipping, nutraceutical and subscription merchants, with dedicated merchant accounts. It was acquired by Electronic Merchant Systems (EMS) in 2024.
Strengths
Watch out for
Best for
US dropshipping, nutra or subscription merchants who want a high-risk bank placement connected to Shopify or WooCommerce through a gateway.
| Type | High-risk merchant services |
|---|---|
| Pricing model | custom quote |
| Card rate | Not published |
| International | Not published |
| Monthly fee | Not published |
| Setup fee | None (high-risk page: 'no setup fees') |
| Chargeback fee | Not published |
| High-risk businesses | Yes |
|---|---|
| Dropshipping | Yes |
| Reserves | Not published |
| Payout speed | Not published |
|---|---|
| Merchant countries | United States (the site markets to US businesses and lists no other countries) |
| Currencies | Not published |
| Shopify | Third-party gateway |
|---|---|
| WooCommerce | Yes |
| Subscriptions | Yes |
| One-click upsells | Not published |
| Apple Pay | Yes |
| Multiple MIDs | Not published |
| Token portability | Not published |
No rate card is published. The high-risk page says pricing is tiered by transaction type and risk profile, and that merchants with longer processing history can get interchange-plus pricing. The continuity page cites an industry average of 2.95% to 3.95%, not a PaymentCloud rate. The homepage says there are no long-term contracts.
Publishes industry pages for dropshipping, nutraceuticals, CBD, continuity/subscription, adult, firearms, online pharmacy and others. The FAQ says banks want a chargeback ratio under 3% and suggests starting with a $5,000 to $10,000 monthly volume limit; volume over the limit may be held briefly. The continuity page says free trials and negative-option billing are generally not supported.
The homepage promises 'guaranteed funds access' but gives no funding timeline.
PaymentCloud's Shopify guide says merchants connect the merchant account to Shopify through a compatible high-risk payment gateway. Gateways offered include Authorize.net, NMI, USAePay, Fluid Pay, Cybersource, Payeezy, Braintree, Global Payments and PayTrace. The integrations page lists Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce and Magento. Apple Pay is mentioned only for the Braintree gateway option.
PaymentCloud sources · checked 2026-10-21