High risk payment gateway integration – Running a CBD shop, vape store, adult subscription service or firearms business online isn’t for the faint of heart. Payment giants like Stripe and PayPal make it clear in their policies that certain sectors are off‑limits. Their lists of prohibited and restricted businesses include adult content, gambling, tobacco, firearms and other regulated or high‑chargeback industries. If you try to process a payment in these categories your account may be suspended without warning. Likewise, financial institutions classify high‑risk businesses as those that carry higher fraud or regulatory risk—think vape and e‑cigarettes, nutraceutical subscriptions, firearms, adult entertainment, loans, travel, supplements and other sectors prone to chargebacks.
For merchants in these verticals, losing access to Stripe or Shopify Payments isn’t just inconvenient—it can shut down your business. This guide explains why mainstream processors ban high‑risk industries and how to integrate reliable alternatives like Authorize.net, NMI and specialized high‑risk gateways into Shopify or WooCommerce. You’ll also learn about our emergency integration service that can get you live within 48 hours.
Why Stripe and PayPal ban high‑risk merchants
Stripe and PayPal operate under strict anti‑money‑laundering laws and card‑network rules. They prohibit or restrict businesses that sell regulated goods, run subscription models with high refund potential, or operate in markets with elevated fraud or chargebacks. Their acceptable‑use policies ban items like CBD, vaping products, firearms, adult content, gambling, multi‑level marketing schemes and even certain subscription boxes. Payments processors classify these industries as “high risk” because the potential for legal issues or chargebacks outweighs the modest processing fees. When your business triggers these risk flags, platforms like Shopify Payments (which is powered by Stripe) may close your account, freeze your funds or hold payouts for 90 days.
That doesn’t mean you’re out of options. High‑risk merchant accounts and payment gateways exist specifically to serve these industries. The catch: you’ll need to go through additional underwriting, pay higher fees and integrate the gateway yourself. But once configured, a high‑risk gateway offers the stability and flexibility that standard processors cannot.
Understanding high‑risk payment gateways
A high‑risk payment gateway is designed to process transactions for businesses operating in sectors considered risky by banks and card networks. Examples include adult content, alcohol, firearms, CBD, vapes, online gambling, travel, nutraceuticals and any industry prone to fraud or chargebacks. These gateways pair with a high‑risk merchant account—your relationship with an acquiring bank—to handle settlements and chargeback liabilities.
The WP Engine high‑risk payment guide notes that high‑risk gateways should offer robust fraud protection, chargeback mitigation, security compliance (PCI DSS), transparent fees and excellent support. The guide lists dedicated providers such as Authorize.net, CCBill, Payment Cloud (which leverages Authorize.net, NMI, USAePay and other processors), and Zen Payments, all of which explicitly support high‑risk merchants. While payment aggregators like PayPal or Stripe are easy to set up, they frequently freeze accounts when a merchant violates their acceptable‑use policies. Cryptocurrency gateways are another option but come with adoption challenges and compliance concerns.
Options for Shopify: Authorize.net and NMI
Shopify’s own payment solution, Shopify Payments, is essentially Stripe. For high‑risk industries this means automatic denial or sudden account closures. Shopify’s help center recommends using Authorize.net as a third‑party payment provider. To set up Authorize.net on your store you must disable test mode on your Authorize.net account and then connect the payment app via the Shopify admin. On your desktop you navigate to Settings → Payments, click “See all other providers,” select Authorize.net, install the app and connect using your API credentials. The Authorize.net payment app supports credit and debit cards and offers fraud‑prevention tools. Shopify notes that the app can’t process draft orders or upsell offers, so merchants must plan around these limitations.
Until mid‑2025, some merchants used NMI to connect high‑risk payment processors to Shopify. However, Shopify has phased out new NMI integrations. According to NMI, their Shopify plug‑in connects a merchant’s store with their gateway, providing advanced security, fraud prevention and detailed analytics. It offers a seamless checkout within Shopify’s dashboard and supports order status updates and refunds. Because Shopify no longer accepts new NMI installations, merchants seeking NMI must work with a specialized developer or payment service to integrate via custom checkout or headless solutions. If you already have a legacy NMI integration, ensure it stays compliant by updating security protocols and maintaining your merchant account.
Options for WooCommerce: Plugins and custom integrations
WooCommerce, unlike Shopify, doesn’t process payments itself. You can choose from a long list of payment gateway extensions. For high‑risk merchants, WP Engine recommends dedicated gateways like Authorize.net, CCBill, Payment Cloud and Zen Payments. These gateways often leverage multi‑processor platforms—Payment Cloud, for instance, utilises Authorize.net, NMI and USAePay to route transactions and reduce the chance of an outage or ban.
Integration with WooCommerce typically involves installing a plugin from the WooCommerce marketplace or uploading a custom plugin. The WP Engine guide explains that integrating a high‑risk gateway can range from “simple plugin installation to more complex coding or API integration”. After installation, merchants must configure API keys, test in a staging environment, and ensure compliance with PCI DSS. WooCommerce merchants should choose a gateway that explicitly supports their industry and evaluate fees, chargeback policies, currency support and geographical coverage.
When custom development is necessary
Off‑the‑shelf plugins or payment apps sometimes won’t cut it. Complex subscription logic, bundles, or multi‑currency requirements may demand a custom integration. High‑risk merchants also need to implement robust fraud rules, recurring billing logic and tokenization for saved cards. Standard plugins may not handle these edge cases. In such cases, our developers create a middleware layer that interfaces with the gateway’s API (e.g., Authorize.net’s API Login ID and Transaction Key or NMI’s hosted payment page) and handles tokenization, recurring billing and webhooks. We then inject the transaction into Shopify or WooCommerce’s order system so that inventory, taxes and customer records stay synchronized.
Example implementation (WooCommerce + Authorize.net)
Obtain a high‑risk merchant account. Before you can use Authorize.net, you need a merchant account underwritten for your industry. Providers like Payment Cloud or Zen Payments can help with this.
Install the Authorize.net WooCommerce plugin. Install from the WooCommerce marketplace or via the WordPress dashboard.
Configure credentials. In WooCommerce → Settings → Payments → Authorize.net, enter your API Login ID and Transaction Key. Enable live mode and set accepted card types.
Enable advanced features. Turn on tokenization for saved cards (so recurring customers don’t re‑enter details), AVS and CVV checks for fraud prevention, and eCheck (ACH) payments if supported.
Test transactions. Run test orders in staging to ensure success and failure paths work correctly.
Deploy to production and monitor. Once live, monitor chargeback ratios and adjust fraud filters. Keep your PCI compliance documents up‑to‑date.
Example implementation (Shopify + Authorize.net)
Open an Authorize.net account and confirm it’s approved for your industry.
Disable test mode in your Authorize.net merchant interface, since Shopify cannot process payments while test mode is on.
Deactivate Shopify Payments and select See all other providers in Shopify → Settings → Payments.
Install the Authorize.net payment app and click Connect, then enter your API Login ID and Transaction Key.
Verify and test transactions in your store, ensuring checkout, refunds and subscription flows work as expected.
Consider custom checkout if your products require dynamic bundles or complex subscription logic. With Shopify, customizing the checkout may require Shopify Plus or a headless implementation.
Best practices for high‑risk payment integration
– Choose the right gateway for your industry. Not all gateways support every high‑risk sector. Check the provider’s approved industries list and ensure they process the products you sell.
– Enable advanced fraud tools. High‑risk transactions attract fraud. Enable Address Verification Service (AVS), CVV checks, velocity limits, IP blocking and 3D Secure where possible.
– Use tokenization for recurring billing. Tokenizing cards reduces PCI scope and improves the customer experience. Authorize.net supports customer profiles and saved payment methods; NMI and PaymentCloud offer similar features.
– Keep data synchronized. For subscription products or membership programmes, ensure your e‑commerce platform updates orders, inventory and billing status when the gateway processes a renewal. Use webhooks or APIs.
– Understand fees and contracts. High‑risk gateways charge higher per‑transaction fees and monthly gateway/merchant account fees. Compare rates, reserve requirements and early termination clauses before signing.
– Comply with local regulations. High‑risk products often involve additional licensing, age verification and shipping restrictions. Make sure your checkout process enforces these rules.
Why a custom integration is worth it
The moment Stripe or PayPal suspends your account, your revenue stops. Building a relationship with a high‑risk payment processor and integrating their gateway properly is the only way to guarantee business continuity. The process is more involved than simply installing a plugin; you must secure the right merchant account, configure the gateway, and integrate it into your store’s checkout flow while maintaining PCI compliance. But once set up, you own your payment flow: you decide how to route transactions, manage refunds and handle subscriptions. High‑risk gateways also provide more advanced fraud tools, flexible settlement schedules and support for higher ticket values.
Our Emergency Integration Service is designed for businesses in crisis. If your account has been shut down, we can typically get you live again within 48 hours by spinning up a new merchant account, configuring a high‑risk gateway like Authorize.net or NMI, and integrating it into Shopify or WooCommerce. We handle everything from API keys and webhooks to checkout testing and compliance documentation.
Ready to reclaim your revenue? Contact us to book a consultation and download our “High‑Risk Payment Gateway Migration Checklist.”
