PaymentCloud

A merchant-account specialist for high-risk businesses, with quote-based, risk-priced pricing.

In-person rate: Get quote
Online rate: Get quote
Monthly fee: Get quote
Contract: Varies

Best for

High-risk and hard-to-place US businesses that mainstream processors decline.

Pricing breakdown

All prices in USDLast verified June 19, 2026

Every fee we track, grouped by where it applies.

In-person payments

In-person terminal and tap-to-pay transactions.

Transaction rate: Get quote
Risk-priced and negotiated per merchant. Reported ranges: low-risk ~2% + 25c, mid ~2.7% + 25c, high-risk ~3.49-3.95% + 25c.
Monthly fee: Get quote
Reported ~$10-50/mo (commonly $15-30).
Terminal cost: One free terminal; extras quoted
Setup fee: Free
Advertised no startup fee.

Online payments

Online checkout and keyed-in card transactions.

Transaction rate: Get quote
Bundled into the custom quote; not separately published.
Monthly fee: Get quote
Reported ~$10-50/mo (commonly $15-30).
Setup fee: Free
Advertised no startup fee.

Other fees

Chargeback fee: Get quote
Varies by risk; undisclosed. Verify.
Early termination fee: Varies
Exists; amount in contract. Verify.
Refund fee: Get quote
Charged per refund; amount undisclosed. Verify.
PCI compliance fee: Get quote
Charged; amount undisclosed. Verify.

Contract terms

Contract length: Varies
Quote-based; some accounts via processor carry multi-year terms. Verify.
Settlement time: Varies
High-risk accounts may have a 5-10% rolling reserve for ~6 months. Verify.
Recurring billing: Yes
Gateway tokenization and scheduled charges.

Accepted payment methods

Cards, wallets, and other methods supported by PaymentCloud for US merchants.

Cards

Visa
Mastercard
AMEX
discover

Digital wallets

Apple Pay
Google Pay

Other

Strengths and trade-offs

Pros

Approves high-risk and hard-to-place businesses
Free setup and one free terminal advertised
AI-assisted fraud and chargeback tools
Recurring billing via the gateway

Cons

Pricing is quote-only and risk-priced
High-risk accounts can carry a rolling reserve
Contract and fee terms are not published
No POS-first hardware ecosystem

About PaymentCloud

PaymentCloud specializes in merchant accounts for high-risk and hard-to-place businesses that mainstream processors often decline, spanning verticals like CBD, firearms accessories, adult, debt relief, and many more. It underwrites each account individually rather than offering a one-size-fits-all rate.

Because pricing is risk-based and negotiated per merchant, there are no published rates: you get a custom quote, and high-risk accounts can carry a rolling reserve. Setup is advertised as free with one free terminal, and the gateway supports recurring billing and tokenization. It is the pick when other processors say no.

PaymentCloud was founded in 2016 and is headquartered in Sherman Oaks, USA.

How PaymentCloud compares

Side-by-side with the closest alternatives by estimated cost.

Assumes $15,000/mo volume, $50 average transaction, 70% in-person and 30% online.

Compare all providers

	PaymentCloud	Helcim $104/mo est.	Stax $129/mo est.	PayPal $438/mo est.
In-person rate	Get quote	IC + 0.40% + 8c	0% markup + 8c	2.29% + 9c
Online rate	Get quote	IC + 0.50% + 25c	0% markup + 15c	2.99% + 49c
Monthly fee	Get quote	Free	$99/mo	Free
Terminal cost	One free terminal; extras quoted	Card Reader $199; Smart Terminal $349 (or $32/mo)	Quoted (resells Dejavoo/Verifone/Clover near cost)	PayPal Zettle reader ~$29 (first reader); extras ~$79
Contract length	Varies	No contract	Month-to-month	Month-to-month
Settlement time	Varies	Next business day	1-3 business days	1 business day
Est. monthly cost	—	$104/mo	$129/mo	$438/mo
	Visit PaymentCloud	View details	View details	View details