How We Rate and Compare Providers
Vetted Pay compares high-risk payment processors to help merchants find a provider that fits their business and is realistically likely to approve them. Here is how we do it, and how we are compensated.
How we evaluate providers
Every provider on this site is assessed against the same five criteria, and every provider gets a published “watch-outs” section — including the one we operate.
Approval flexibility
Which industries the provider underwrites, and whether they will look at merchants who are MATCH-listed or have been terminated before.
Transparency of pricing and reserve terms
Whether the pricing model and rolling reserve range are published or stated on request — and whether the numbers survive contact with a signed agreement.
Contract terms
Contract length, auto-renewal windows, early termination fees and what triggers them.
Gateway and platform compatibility
Which gateways, carts and subscription-billing platforms the provider supports, and whether card-on-file data can be migrated under PCI rules.
Responsiveness and support quality
How quickly underwriting responds, whether a merchant gets a named contact, and what support looks like once a dispute or reserve question comes up.
How we are compensated
Vetted Pay may receive a referral fee from providers listed on this site — including MerchantCore Payments, which we also operate — when a merchant is matched or successfully approved through our platform. This is how the site remains free for merchants to use.
Does compensation affect our rankings?
MerchantCore Payments is a provider we operate directly, and it appears on this site alongside independent providers. We have noted that clearly wherever MerchantCore Payments appears so you can weigh it alongside our evaluation criteria.
Beyond that disclosure, we apply the same criteria to every provider, and we publish a watch-outs section for every listing — including MerchantCore Payments. A comparison site where every provider is flawless is not a comparison site, and the watch-outs are the part we would most want a merchant to read.
What we do not do
We do not publish approval rates, reserve percentages, settlement terms or pricing figures we have not verified against a signed provider agreement. Where a provider does not disclose a term, we say so rather than estimating — you will see “not disclosed — confirm directly” on several listings, and that is a deliberate choice.
We also do not sell your details as a standalone list. Information submitted through the match form is shared with providers for the purpose of matching you, as described in the consent you give on that form and in our privacy policy.
Keeping this current
Provider terms, card network programme rules and UAE regulation all change — the CBUAE perimeter in particular has moved recently. We re-check listings on a scheduled basis and stamp each page with a review date, and we would rather show a “confirm directly” than a figure that has quietly gone stale. If you find something out of date, tell us.
Frequently asked questions
Often, yes. Vetted Pay may receive a referral fee when a merchant is matched or approved through the site, including through MerchantCore Payments, which we operate. That is disclosed above every ranked table and on the match form itself.
Because hiding it would be worse. MerchantCore Payments is assessed against the same criteria as every other listing, carries the same published watch-outs, and is flagged wherever it appears so you can weigh that context. We would rather you compare it sceptically than not know.
From provider agreements, published terms and direct confirmation with each provider. Where a term is not disclosed, we print that rather than estimating. Final pricing, settlement and reserve terms are always set at underwriting and depend on your own profile.
Last updated: · Reviewed by: Daniel Whitfield, Payments & Underwriting Editor
Not sure which provider fits your business?
Answer a few questions and we will route you to a provider that is realistically likely to approve you. Free, no obligation, under two minutes.