Humboldt Merchant ServicesC58
Merchant Account (ISO) · US businesses in adult, CBD, firearms, credit repair, online pharmacy, gambling, telemedicine, travel or hi…
Overview
Humboldt is one of the few genuinely long-standing high-risk specialists left, and its record backs that up: over thirty years underwriting the verticals most acquirers refuse, two of its own gateways, its own chargeback tool, and a BBB A+ with 15 complaints in three years, which is low for this corner of the industry. Against that, the complaints it does have are the ones that matter most: merchants describing reserve holds of tens of thousands of dollars that they say were not released on schedule, and at least one alleging a monthly minimum of around $5,000 against a promised $25. Humboldt publishes no rate, no monthly fee, no term and no reserve policy, so none of that is checkable before a sales conversation — and it is now a North brand, which means a second opinion from North American Bancard or EPX is not a second opinion at all.
Best for: US businesses in adult, CBD, firearms, credit repair, online pharmacy, gambling, telemedicine, travel or high-volume ecommerce that have been declined elsewhere and want an established underwriter with in-house gateways and chargeback tooling rather than a broker who will shop the file around.
Strengths
- + Over three decades underwriting specialty merchants — North's own site dates it to 1992 and its BBB profile to March 1993. In a segment where most brands are a few years old, that history is the single strongest signal available.
- + BBB A+ and accredited since September 2011, with 15 complaints in the last three years and only 1 closed in the last twelve months. For a high-risk acquirer that is a low number — a mainstream ISO like Merchant One carries 198 over the same period.
- + Two in-house payment gateways built for hard-to-place merchants, so acquiring and gateway sit with one company and one support contact instead of being split across vendors who can each blame the other.
- + Fraudcast, its own fraud and chargeback reduction tool, with detailed reports and email alerts every weekday — plus a portal where you respond to disputes and upload documentation directly. Chargeback control decides whether a high-risk account survives its first year.
- + A genuinely broad approved list: adult, card-not-present, CBD, credit repair and recovery, firearms, high-volume ecommerce, online pharmaceuticals, online gambling, telemedicine and travel, with the company saying it recently added 40 further verticals and will consider any legal US business.
- + Retail, mobile and EMV acceptance alongside ecommerce, and multi-currency conversion online. Many high-risk providers are card-not-present only, which leaves a specialty retailer with a physical storefront stuck.
Trade-offs
- – It is a North brand. North lists Humboldt among its owned companies, and Humboldt's own footer reads "Humboldt Merchant Services is a registered DBA of EPX" — EPX being Electronic Payment Exchange, which North American Bancard acquired in 2014. If you are getting a second quote from North or EPX to check Humboldt's, you are asking the same group twice.
- – No pricing whatsoever is published — no rate, no monthly fee, no termination fee, no reserve policy. Per-account quoting is normal in high-risk, but it means every comparison you make starts with a sales call.
- – The third-party numbers that do circulate are thin. A rate range of roughly 1.00%–4.99%, a $20 monthly fee and a $159 early termination fee each appear in essentially one place, with no corroboration and no confirmation from the company. Do not budget against them.
- – Almost every third-party review of Humboldt still describes it as a subsidiary of Moneris. Moneris did buy Humboldt in 2008, but both North's site and Humboldt's own footer now place it under North, and the review sites have not caught up. Anything else you read about this company may be equally out of date.
- – United States only. Humboldt's own wording is that it can help "as long as your business is legal and based in the United States", so it is not a route to international acquiring.
- – Its BBB profile — the strongest thing in the file — is stale, still carrying the Eureka, California address the company left behind for Tempe, Arizona, and filed under the holding name 5967 Ventures, LLC.
Fees in detail
- Online rate: Not published. Humboldt quotes every account individually — normal for high-risk underwriting, where the rate depends on the vertical, the c
- Contract: Not published. Historical industry records point to one-year terms, and current terms are quoted per account. High-risk agreements also routinely carry a rolling reserve — a percentage of settlement held back for a set number of months — which is not a fee but does directly affect your cash flow. Ask for the reserve percentage and the release schedule at the same time you ask for the rate.
Standard published rate for a domestic online card payment. Confirm current pricing on Humboldt Merchant Services's pricing page.
Startups on RevMRR using Humboldt Merchant Services
RevMRR can't verify revenue through Humboldt Merchant Services yet. Verify your revenue →