# Shut out by high-risk payment processors? Accept crypto with no account to close Stripe, PayPal and Square turn away whole industries, and close accounts they decide are high risk, often holding the balance for months. A high-risk merchant account will take you, at a price. Crypto is a third option, and it needs no processor at all: OpenReceive is free software, customers pay your own wallet, and there is no account for anyone to close. ## What makes a merchant "high risk" Card networks and processors judge risk by chargebacks, refunds, regulation and reputation. Businesses that commonly end up on their restricted lists include: - Nutraceuticals and supplements - Research peptides - CBD and hemp - Vapes and e-cigarettes - Adult content - Online games of chance and skill - VPNs, privacy tools and hosting - Subscriptions and high-ticket coaching - Travel and ticket resale - Firearms accessories If you sell any of these, you have probably met the pattern: approval, a few good months, then a review, a closed account and funds held while the processor waits out the chargeback window. ## Who holds your money? Two different kinds of thing: - **Payment processors, which are companies:** Stripe, PayPal and Square, high-risk merchant accounts, and hosted crypto processors. The company approves you, receives the payment, keeps its fee and pays you out. It can hold a reserve, freeze the balance or close the account. - **Software, not a processor: OpenReceive.** It makes the invoice in your own wallet, and the customer pays it there. Nobody approves you, holds a reserve, or can close an account. A USDT or USDC payment goes through the swap provider you pick, which sends Bitcoin on to your wallet. Your wallet provider and swap provider have terms of their own, so read them. ## Your options Payment processors: | | Stripe, PayPal, Square | High-risk merchant account | Hosted crypto processor | |---|---|---|---| | Takes high-risk businesses | Rarely | After underwriting | Some, after review | | Reserve held back | When they decide to | Rolling reserve is common | Varies | | Chargebacks | Yes | Yes | No | | Can close your account | Yes | Yes, and list you on MATCH | Yes | | Paid to your wallet | No | No | No, it receives the payment first | | Customers can pay by card | Yes | Yes | No | Software, not a processor: | | OpenReceive | |---|---| | Takes high-risk businesses | There is no application: it is software you run | | Reserve held back | None | | Chargebacks | No | | Can close your account | There is no account | | Paid to your wallet | Yes | | Customers can pay by card | No: keep a card account for cards | ## Fee per payment US list prices from each processor's own pricing page, checked 23 October 2026: | Processor | Fee | |---|---| | PayPal Checkout | 3.49% + 49¢ ([PayPal fees](https://www.paypal.com/us/business/paypal-business-fees)) | | Stripe | 2.9% + 30¢ for domestic cards ([Stripe pricing](https://stripe.com/pricing)) | | BitPay | 2% + 25¢ under $500k a month ([BitPay pricing](https://www.bitpay.com/pricing)) | | Most crypto processors | 1% ([compared here](/learn/best-bitcoin-payment-gateways)) | | High-risk merchant account | No list price: quoted after underwriting, with higher rates, monthly fees and a reserve | Not applicable: OpenReceive is software, so nothing in it takes a share of a payment. Your wallet, a swap provider and the Lightning network may charge small fees of their own. A **high-risk merchant account** is a card account from a bank that specializes in these industries. Expect an application with processing history, higher rates, a rolling reserve (a share of each day's sales held for months) and a contract. A terminated merchant can be placed on Mastercard's MATCH list, which makes the next account harder to get. A **hosted crypto processor** removes chargebacks, but it is still a company that reviews you, keeps a restricted list and holds your funds until it pays out. **OpenReceive** is not a processor. It is a free, open-source library that runs inside your own store or app and makes each invoice in your own wallet. Nobody approves you, nobody holds a reserve, and there is no account to close. ## Use crypto alongside cards Most customers still pay by card, so crypto rarely replaces your card account. It keeps you selling when the card account is under review or gone, and every crypto sale is final: there are no chargebacks to count against you. Many high-risk merchants offer both, with a small discount for paying in crypto. ## Why it settles in Bitcoin Customers can pay in Bitcoin, or in USDT, USDC, ETH or SOL through a swap provider you choose. Every payment reaches your wallet as Bitcoin over Lightning, in seconds. That matters for high-risk merchants. USDT and USDC can be frozen at any address by the companies that issue them: [Tether froze $1.26B of USDT in 2025](https://blocksec.com/blog/1-26-billion-frozen-usdt-blacklisting-on-ethereum-and-tron-in-2025). Bitcoin in your own wallet has no issuer that can freeze it. ## Start in four steps 1. **Get a wallet code.** It is receive-only: it can create invoices but cannot spend. [Get one free](/get_a_nwc_code_to_receive_payments). 2. **Add OpenReceive to your store or app.** There are plugins for [WooCommerce](/integrations/woocommerce), [PrestaShop](/integrations/prestashop), [Magento](/integrations/magento) and more, and packages for Node, Python, PHP and Rails. See [how to accept crypto payments](/learn/how-to-accept-crypto-payments) for the full list. 3. **Add stablecoins (optional).** [Connect a swap provider](/set_up_swap_provider). 4. **Go live.** Pay yourself a small invoice, then deploy. ## Questions ### What is a high-risk payment processor? A processor that accepts businesses mainstream processors turn away, in exchange for higher fees, reserves and stricter contracts. Crypto payments to your own wallet are the alternative that needs no processor at all. ### Is OpenReceive a payment processor? No. OpenReceive is free software you install in your own store or app. It makes the invoice in your wallet; it never receives the payment, so there is no application, no reserve and no account. Your wallet provider and swap provider have terms of their own, so read them. Following the law where you sell is up to you, as it is with any payment method. ### Can customers dispute a crypto payment? No. A Lightning payment is final once it settles. Refunds are up to you: you send the customer a payment from your wallet. ### Do I have to keep Bitcoin? No. You can hold it, pay suppliers with it, or sell it on an exchange. Keep a record of each payment's value when received for your taxes. ### Can I still take cards? Yes. OpenReceive adds a crypto option to your checkout and leaves your other payment methods alone.