The high risk merchant account provider has a lot to take into consideration. With a regular merchant account, your bank acts as the middleman in collecting your funds and depositing them into your account. A small fee is charged for this service. With a higher risk merchant account, the bank involved needs to be account for the integrity of the funds and keep in mind that they could be left the responsible party. The credit card being used could be fraudulent or stolen and the debit card could have insufficient funds,

Some banks will tailor these types of accounts to specifically meet your needs or due to a bad credit history on your part, will simply refuse to do business with you. Although the merchant offering North American Bancard Agent Program you a high risk account may tout his service as having 'the lowest rates,' be assured that you are going to pay a considerable amount more for this service. Many high risk merchant accounts will charge a set-up fee that can range from a few hundred dollars to nearly a thousand dollars. The amount they will charge per dollar, or their percentage rate charge, will also exceed the norm. Some may add handling fees.

The best advice for the retailer requiring the services of a high risk merchant account is to shop around. Do not accept the first offer you happen on. The rates will differ immensely.