Online Dating Merchant Account

Online dating has become a robust industry over the last 20 years. So many entrepreneurs want to start dating businesses of their own. What they don’t realize is that a successful dating business requires more than an attractive website with plenty of members. There are a lot of backend issues that need to be addressed as well. Some of which include:

• Finding a reliable payment processing provider
• Identifying a particular target audience (e.g., farmer singles, Asian singles, etc.)
• Finding a good web host
• Hiring a skilled website management team

All of these things are important. For now, let’s focus on how you’ll get payments processed from the members who sign up on your dating website. You’ll need a payment processor with a good reputation for avoiding payment processing problems. At IntegralPay, we can help you with the best solutions for keeping your business afloat and avoiding issues along the way.

Choosing an Online Dating Merchant Account

When you get started with IntegralPay for a merchant account, you’ll get asked to identify the type of merchant account you want. You don’t necessarily need to promote your dating website to international audiences. Sometimes a dating vendor will target domestic users only. That is perfectly acceptable to do, but it never hurts to keep the options open. You might find more customers and more opportunities for your customers if you promote your website internationally as well.

No matter which audience you target, an online merchant account is required for processing the credit card payments of your customers.  The merchant account also adds security, speed and convenience for getting payments processed. Just link the account to a payment gateway and then start collecting your customers’ payments.

Some payment gateways do not require you to have a merchant account, such as PayPal. However, a truly professional dating website will not make PayPal their only payment gateway option. Anyone can have a PayPal account, especially people who do not get approved for a merchant account. Suppose you want to show customers that you have a legitimate online business. In that case, it is imperative that you get approved for a merchant account and accept credit payments with it directly.

How to Get a Merchant Account

A traditional business will apply at a bank for a merchant account. However, we don’t recommend this method because banks have a reputation for denying merchant account applications. There have been entrepreneurs with perfect credit scores and financial records who’ve gotten turned down for merchant accounts. Why? Because online dating businesses have been deemed a high-risk industry.

If you’re fortunate enough to have a bank approve your online dating merchant account application, they’ll charge you higher fees for each payment processed. Either way, it is a no-win situation for your dating business. You’re much better off choosing an alternative payment processor through IntegralPay.

Of course, you’ll still need a reliable commercial bank account to connect to IntegralPay’s solutions. If you have trouble finding a bank, you can seek help from us. We have partnered with banks in multiple countries throughout the world.

Why Do Banks Consider Online Dating Businesses to be “High-Risk?”

Certain types of businesses are considered to be “high-risk” if they have a history of chargebacks. Some of the two biggest high-risk online businesses are online casinos and online dating. These types of businesses have the longest track record of customer chargebacks.

A chargeback is when a customer pays for a service but then changes their mind about wanting it. So, they’ll call up their bank and file a chargeback against the payment. Their reason for the chargeback will usually be something like “poor service.” There is nothing you can do about chargebacks once they occur. The customer always has the right to a refund in most of these cases.

The Benefits of Signing Up with IntegralPay

IntegralPay puts the needs of its customers first. If you need to start an online merchant account for an online dating business, we’ll help you along the way. We can even find the best bank to host your merchant account if necessary. That way, you can avoid the hassle of getting rejected by various banks.

If you take IntegralPay’s recommendation, you shouldn’t have to apply at more than one bank because your account has the best chance of being approved the first time out. It doesn’t matter if you already have a low credit score or a history of bad business dealings. We know how to work around these issues to get your account approved.

One of the best ways around these issues is to set up an offshore merchant account. Not only do these accounts offer more payment solutions, but you can also pay fewer taxes as well. The best part is that your offshore merchant account can accept international credit card payments from many different payment solutions and currencies used worldwide.

One popular way to make money with an online dating business is to set up recurring billing for your customers. Recurring billing gives you more assurance that your customers’ payments will come on time each month. You don’t have to rely on your customers to send the payments manually. Recurring billing is supported by our payment gateway.

IntegralPay does everything possible to protect against fraudulent payments and chargebacks. We have solutions, such as Visa Merchant Purchase Inquiry (VMPI), to prevent these situations from happening to your merchant account.

Are You Eligible for an Online Dating Merchant Account?

IntegralPay tries to be as flexible as possible with our clients. We consider each application based on the circumstances of the business owner. You will receive fair treatment throughout the review process. Get started with your online dating merchant account now!

Do you have questions about our review process and merchant account eligibility requirements? If so, contact our team to have all your questions answered.