Stripe rejected us because of "high-risk" app

Payments & Revenue
1

Just got rejected by Stripe for our app. They labeled us “high-risk” without much explanation. Feels like a setback after all the work we’ve put in.

Anyone else deal with this? Curious how others handled payment processing after a Stripe rejection.

2

Been dealing with this for years. Here’s what works:

  1. Get specific feedback from Stripe. Push for details on why you’re high-risk.

  2. Adjust your model based on that feedback. Small tweaks can make a big difference.

  3. Try other processors. Braintree, PayPal, and Square are good starts. Each has different risk tolerances.

  4. Beef up your fraud prevention. Strong KYC and solid chargeback handling go a long way.

  5. Consider a high-risk merchant account. More expensive, but they’ll take on riskier businesses.

Don’t give up. I’ve seen plenty of ‘high-risk’ apps find solutions and scale. It’s just part of the game.

3

Ugh, Stripe rejections are rough. Had a similar issue with a dating app a couple years back.

We ended up going with Braintree. They were more flexible and their risk assessment process seemed less opaque.

One thing that helped: we tweaked our onboarding flow to capture more user info upfront. It lowered our chargeback rate, which made payment processors happier.

Also, don’t be afraid to shop around. Different processors have different risk appetites. What’s high-risk for one might be fine for another.

Keep at it. There’s usually a way through these roadblocks if you’re persistent.

4

Look into other payment providers. Some are more open to different app types. Maybe tweak your business model a bit too.

5

Try Square or Paypal. They helped me.

6

Been there, it’s frustrating. Square and PayPal are solid options to look into.

I’d also suggest reaching out to Stripe for more details on why they labeled you high-risk. Sometimes you can make small tweaks to your business model to get approved.

Don’t give up! There are always other payment solutions out there.