Travel Agency Merchant Account Services

Travel Merchant Account Solutions for High-Risk Companies

Running a travel agency is inherently risky. The chargeback rate is incredibly high. Due to the high-risk nature of this business, most standard merchant account providers will refuse to work with travel agencies and, if they do work with them, the cost for the travel provider can be prohibitively high.

There are several reasons why the chargeback rate for travel agencies is high. Perhaps the main reason is the length of time that runs between the customer making a booking and actually traveling. This means that they have excess time to cancel their bookings. Fraud in this business is also a lot higher since most bookings take place over the telephone or online. This can often result in stolen credit cards being used for the transaction. These will eventually be charged back.

While the high chargeback rate is often enough to have many merchant account providers steer clear, the risk is further heightened by the fact that travel agencies tend to be selling expensive products. Since the merchant account provider is assuming the risk of the transaction, and most really do not want to take on a high-value risk like this. 

Use our fast application to get a custom tailored merchant account that fits your needs.

You Need A High Risk Merchant PRovider

In order to keep the risk of losing your merchant account to the minimum, it is important that you work with a reputable provider of high-risk travel merchant accounts, like us here at eMerchant Authority.

As a high-risk merchant account provider, eMerchant Authority has processes in place to keep the risk of fraud to the absolute minimum. Our processes also ensure that we are willing to take all the risk when payments are received in high-risk transactions.

Some of these processes and tools include:

Anti-fraud tools – The eMerchant Authority travel merchant account integrates several anti-fraud fighting features in your payment gateway. Such features help detect and stop fraud attempts and also help you stay compliant with data privacy and security regulations.

Chargeback mitigation features – When you choose the eMerchant Authority merchant account for travel agency, you’ll benefit from anti-dispute management tools. These tools alert you in case a customer calls their credit card issuing bank to lodge a dispute. This gives you the chance to mitigate a chargeback by giving the customer a refund.

Also, the experience and connections that we have built up over the years here at eMerchant Authority ensure that we can offer this service at a competitive price, which increases the profits travel agents can make on a transaction.

What Are The Downsides To A High-Risk Merchant Account For Travel

If a bank classes your company as high-risk, then you will run into several problems.

For starters; the banks will need to know that you will reimburse their money should something go wrong with the transaction. For this, you may need to submit several pieces of paperwork that should the accounts of your business. If anything appears to be wrong in your accounts, or it does not appear as if you are able to pay any chargebacks back, then the bank may refuse to offer underwriting on your merchant account.

Due to the inherently risky nature of these accounts, the fees for processing the transactions can be higher. The business may also be required to keep some cash in reserve, which means that there will always be a substantial portion of the cash that the business cannot access.

Here at eMerchant Authority, we want to help you to find the right Travel Agency merchant account for your business. While we cannot promise to eliminate all the downsides associated with having a high-risk merchant account, we can promise that we will do our best to find the right account for you. We can find you merchant accounts that your typical bank wouldn’t be able to source.

Apply for a High-Risk Travel Merchant Account With eMerchant Authority

eMerchant Authority works with various acquiring banks and payment processors that are willing to take on the high risk associated with the travel industries. Our travel merchant accounts are reliable, secure, and cost-effective.

Further, the account’s chargeback and fraud protection features ensure that your accounts continue to operate without the risk of being terminated or frozen without notice.

If you’re interested in the eMerchant Authority travel merchant account, you can start the application process today. Contact us and an experienced merchant account manager will help you through the application process.

Some of the documents you’ll be asked to submit during the process include:

• Your travel company details
• Company formation documents such as Articles of incorporation
• At least 3 months of your current bank statements
• Identification of the signer of the account
• Past tax returns documents
• Documents showing the processing history of your business for the last 3-6 months

Other information that can help speed up your application process includes:

Provide details on how you intend to reduce chargebacks and fraud – If your business has been experiencing a high fraud and chargeback ratio, you need to explain why and the measures you intend to take to keep the ratio low.

Be transparent – Ensure you disclose all the information needed during the application process. High-risk merchant account providers perform due diligence and thorough verification of your business, which is why you need to be honest from the very start

Have a healthy cash level – Having enough cash in your business account signifies financial stability. Having a financial failure insurance plan may also help convince your merchant account provider that your business is stable. Although this is not a requirement when you’re opening a travel agency merchant account, most acquiring banks will require you to have extra cash in your account as this acts as a protection layer against chargebacks and other unexpected events.

Follow the guidelines of your payment processor – During the application process payment processors often give you the requirements and guidelines you need to adhere to. Ensure you follow these recommendations to help hasten the approval of your application.

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