Merchant processing
Smoke shops, vape shops, CBD stores, firearms retailers, pawn shops and hookah lounges. Matched to processors that approve your category, not ones that close you later.
✓ Matched to processors that approve your category. Rates are quoted to your business.
Short answer: Many mainstream processors and payment apps decline or later close accounts for smoke shops, vape shops, CBD stores, firearms retailers, pawn shops and hookah lounges. Merchant Fund Express works with processors that approve these business types, matches equipment to the approving processor and helps prepare the licences and documents underwriting asks for.
Key facts
Related: CBD Store Credit Card Processing: High-Risk Accounts · Firearms Retailer Credit Card Processing · Hookah Lounge Credit Card Processing · Pawn Shop Credit Card Processing: High-Risk Accounts · Smoke Shop Credit Card Processing: High-Risk Accounts · Vape Shop Credit Card Processing: High-Risk Accounts
"High risk" is a processor's label, not a judgment of your business. It usually means one or more of: products with age limits or changing laws, more chargebacks than average, online sales across state lines, or a category some payment companies avoid by policy. Mainstream payment apps often decline these businesses in their terms, or approve them and close the account later.
Merchant Fund Express works with processors that approve these categories on purpose. Your equipment is matched to the processor that approves you, we prepare the application with you, and you keep one number to call afterwards. Processing is quoted to your business, with a free review of your current statement.
Call (305) 384-8391. Tell us what you sell, how you sell it (counter, online, delivery) and roughly how much card volume you run. If you already process, have a recent statement nearby for a free review.
We work with processors that knowingly accept this business type instead of ones that close accounts once they notice what you sell. Your equipment is matched to the processor that approves you.
We tell you exactly which licenses, IDs and statements the application needs, so underwriting is not a slow back-and-forth.
Once approved, your terminal or gateway is set up and tested, and you keep one number to call when something needs attention.
Merchant Fund Express also arranges business funding. Several of the categories on this page are restricted for funding on the bank-style tier, which is set by industry code; the revenue-based tier reviews some of them case by case. See eligible industries. Processing approval does not depend on funding, and we will tell you which one we can help with on the first call.
Reviewed by the Merchant Fund Express team on October 12, 2026. Official pages checked as of that date.
No honest provider can. We match you to processors that accept your category and tell you up front what they need.
Many restrict these categories in their terms, and accounts can be closed after the fact with funds held. A processor that underwrites the category up front is more stable.
No. Pricing depends on your category, volume and history. Call for a quote and a free statement review.
Not for these categories. Equipment is matched to the processor that approves you.
Call Merchant Fund Express. We match you to a processor that approves your category, prepare the application with you and stay reachable after you go live.
