Get approved in as little as 24 hours. No setup fees, no hidden costs.
Get Started FreeMerchant Solutions · Ways to Accept
A retail merchant account stands between your card reader and your bank: it accepts the card payment, clears it with the networks, and settles the funds into your business bank account. We underwrite accounts for standard and hard-to-place retailers and pair each one with the POS hardware and software to run the counter.
At a glance
What it is
In the store
When a customer checks out, the card reader captures the payment, the gateway routes it for authorization, and the bank approves the funds — all before the receipt prints.
Checkout
Customer rings up
Card reader
Captures payment
Gateway
Routes securely
Bank
Authorizes funds
Receipt
Sale complete
Who can apply
You can apply if you run a registered business with a business bank account. Underwriting looks at your industry, your processing history or projections, and your chargeback record — not just a credit score. Owners with past declines have merchant account options for bad credit, and we place categories mainstream processors avoid, including jewelry and precious metals merchant services.
To apply, have ready:
A POS merchant account connects your point-of-sale terminal to the card networks and settles funds into your business bank account. We pair each account with compatible countertop terminals and card readers, or integrate with hardware you already own through our gateway and API.
If a mainstream processor has declined you for in-store processing, our high-risk POS systems exist for exactly that situation. At the counter you can accept:
Getting set up
It covers your business, your bank account, and what you sell.
Processing statements if you have them, sales projections if you do not.
If your file is missing a document, we name it and explain why underwriting needs it.
Most merchants are approved within 24 hours.
What's included
In store and online
Retail payment solutions should cover more than the counter. The same PayKings gateway that powers your countertop terminal can process web orders, so in-store and online sales settle into one merchant account with unified reporting.
Selling online as well? See our ecommerce payment processing solutions. If you run memberships or subscriptions alongside the register, you can accept recurring payments on the same account.
Pricing starts at interchange plus 0.80%, and every fee is disclosed in the merchant service agreement before you sign. Reserves and terms are set out the same way: you read them first, then you decide. You should not learn what your processing costs after your first settlement.
Want numbers before you apply? Get a retail merchant account quote.
Our chargeback tools cut disputes with detailed receipts and complete transaction records, and card-not-present orders can add 3D Secure authentication. Every PayKings retail POS system comes standard with:
The difference
Built for the businesses other processors turn away.
Brick-and-mortar retail
FAQ
Everything you need to know about high-risk payment processing
See how PayKings supports adjacent verticals and the payment solutions that pair with them.
