✓15+ Years in High-Risk Payments
✓15+ Banking Partners
★5.0 Google Rating
✓Same-Day Approvals for Retail
In short
The Merchant Guru helps credit repair companies, credit restoration firms and credit services organizations get a credit repair merchant account built around CROA and the Telemarketing Sales Rule. We review your client agreement, billing timing and state registration before you apply, then match you with one of our 15+ banking partners. Because we underwrite up front, we don’t turn accounts off for an unsupported business type.
Updated October 2026
Here’s the strange thing about payment processing for credit repair: the hardest part isn’t getting approved. It’s getting approved for a billing setup you’re actually allowed to use.
Federal law tells credit repair companies when they can charge a client. Card brand rules decide how those charges get monitored. Most processors never explain how the two connect, and that gap is where accounts get frozen, reserves show up without warning, and legitimate businesses end up on the MATCH list.
No hidden fees. Terms clearly outlined in the merchant agreement. Because we underwrite up front, we don’t turn accounts off for an unsupported business type.
By submitting this form, you are acknowledging and consenting to our terms.
We do not distribute your information
If a processor just closed your account or is holding your funds, don’t wait on the form. Call us for a straight read on your options.
Nobody enjoys hearing their industry called “high risk,” so let’s be precise about why. It comes down to four things, and only one of them is about you.
This is the part most processors skip, and it’s the part your bank cares about most. Your billing has to match the rules that apply to how you sell.
| Rule | Who it applies to | When you can charge | What it means for billing |
|---|---|---|---|
| CROA | Every credit repair organization | Not until the services are fully performed | Bill after the work is done, such as monthly for the prior month’s services or per item once it’s completed. You also need a written contract and a three-business-day right to cancel. |
| Telemarketing Sales Rule (TSR) | Companies that sell credit repair over the phone | Not until the promised results are achieved and the client has a credit report showing them, issued more than six months after the results | Phone-sold programs need billing that waits for documented results, and underwriters will ask how you market. |
| State credit services laws | Most states | Varies by state | Registration, bonding and any fee limits in the states where you operate are checked in underwriting. |
Billing models underwriters are comfortable with: post-service monthly billing, per-deletion or milestone billing, and eCheck alongside cards. Clear authorization language and receipts that show what the client paid for keep disputes down.
This is general information, not legal advice. Confirm your obligations with qualified counsel. See the FTC’s Credit Repair Organizations Act and Telemarketing Sales Rule pages.
Credit repair underwriting is document-heavy. Knowing the checklist ahead of time is half the battle.
| Area | What banks want to see | How we help |
|---|---|---|
| State registration | Credit services organization registration and bonding where your state requires it | We check your states before you apply |
| Client agreement | A CROA-compliant written contract with cancellation rights | We make sure it’s ready for your file |
| Billing timing | Charges that happen after services are performed | We set up billing that matches how you’re allowed to charge |
| How you market | TSR compliance if you sell by phone | We document your marketing channels for underwriting |
| Dispute history | Prior processing statements and a healthy dispute ratio | We present your history honestly and explain what changed |
| Classification | The right merchant category code for your business | We make sure you’re classified correctly from day one |
| Documents | Owner ID, three months of business bank statements and your client agreement | We tell you exactly what’s needed up front |
Things that help: consistent cash flow in your bank statements, a low dispute ratio if you’ve processed before, and a clear explanation of how and when you bill.
Things that raise flags: billing before services are performed, phone sales without TSR documentation, and operating in states where you aren’t registered.
The most common credit repair dispute isn’t fraud. It’s “I didn’t get the results I wanted.” Visa’s Acquirer Monitoring Program (VAMP) tracks disputes and fraud across your account, so a run of unhappy clients can put your processing at risk.
A billing descriptor clients recognize, so a charge never looks unfamiliar.
Every charge comes with a receipt that shows what the client paid for that month.
A simple way to cancel keeps “I couldn’t cancel” disputes off your statement.
Alerts that let you refund before a chargeback posts. Learn more
Contracts and onboarding that are honest about timelines and results.
Check where you stand with our chargeback ratio calculator.
Backup accounts, done the right way: a second fully disclosed credit repair merchant account with another bank, so one review doesn’t stop your billing. Splitting sales to stay under card brand limits breaks the rules, so we never set accounts up that way.
A structured review, so there are no surprises after you go live.
Ready? Start your application or call (818) 731-2227.
We’d rather set you up once and correctly than quickly and twice.
We don’t turn accounts off for an unsupported business type, because your business is reviewed before you go live.
Setups built around CROA and the TSR, not a generic checklist.
Credit repair, debt settlement and financial services are core to what we do.
A second fully disclosed account, so one review doesn’t stop your billing.
One consultant who knows your file and picks up the phone.
Most credit repair owners who call me were approved somewhere quickly, then frozen a few months later. Usually nobody asked how they billed until it was too late.
I’d rather have that conversation up front. Tell me how you sell, when you charge and where you operate, and I’ll match you with a bank that’s comfortable with all of it, before you process a dollar.
If you want a straight read on your setup, even if the answer is “you’re fine where you are,” give me a call.
Russell Silva, Founder, The Merchant Guru
Yes, in most cases. We work with banks that underwrite credit repair on purpose. Approval depends on your billing timing, client agreement, state registration, marketing channels and processing history.
Under CROA, not until the services are fully performed. In practice that means billing after the work is done, such as monthly for the prior month’s services or per item once it’s completed.
If you sell credit repair over the phone, it can. The TSR doesn’t allow fees until the promised results are achieved and the client has a credit report showing them, issued more than six months after the results. Underwriters will ask how you market.
Yes, for services already performed. Monthly billing for the prior month’s work is common. Recurring billing needs clear authorization language, recognizable descriptors and easy cancellation.
Yes. eCheck costs less to accept and suits monthly plans, and many credit repair companies run cards and eCheck side by side.
Often, yes. Monthly service fees can be billed through digital wallets once your account is underwritten and your billing timing follows CROA.
In most states, yes. Credit repair companies are usually regulated as credit services organizations, with registration and bonding requirements that vary by state. Underwriters check.
There isn’t a dedicated code for credit repair, so classification varies by processor. Getting it right from day one matters, and we make sure your account is set up correctly.
We underwrite up front, so we don’t turn accounts off for an unsupported business type. Your account still needs to follow card brand rules and keep disputes under control, and we help you do both.
It depends on how complete your file is. Same-day approvals are available on a case-by-case basis and are restricted to certain industries. We’d rather place you correctly than rush into an account that closes later.
No, and be wary of anyone who does. Every bank makes its own decision. What we can do is review your business honestly and build the strongest compliant file possible.
Get a credit repair merchant account built around how you’re allowed to bill. Tell us about your business and a consultant will reach out.
No hidden fees. Terms clearly outlined in the merchant agreement. Because we underwrite up front, we don’t turn accounts off for an unsupported business type.
By submitting this form, you are acknowledging and consenting to our terms.
We do not distribute your information
