Key Takeaways: Puerto Rican Merchant Accounts
- Many U.S. payment processors don’t support Puerto Rican merchants.
- Local banks often lack strong technology and flexibility for high-risk businesses.
- Durango Merchant Services bridges that gap with reliable, compliant processing solutions.
- Services include cross-border payment support, mobile payments, recurring billing, and advanced fraud protection.
- Ideal for merchants who’ve been declined, restricted, or labeled high-risk by other processors.
CREDIT CARD PROCESSING IN PUERTO RICO
Puerto Rico Merchant Accounts
The ability to accept credit and debit card payments is a necessity in today’s economic landscape. Add credit card processing to your business tool belt! Your Puerto Rico merchant account serves as your passport into the world of ecommerce, granting you access to customers around the globe. But choosing the right payment processing account is crucial, especially for merchants in Puerto Rico.
Unfortunately, many of the major payment processing companies do not offer accounts to merchants in Puerto Rico. This forces business owners to turn to local banks for their credit card processing needs. However, these small local institutions are not equipped to provide the same advantages that the larger payment processors offer. These small banks often struggle to get merchants set up to accept payments quickly. They also have less reliable and stable technology infrastructure, causing Puerto Rican merchants to experience ill-timed service outages. Worse still, these smaller financial institutions are often reluctant to work with businesses within industries that are considered “high risk.” A Puerto Rican merchant may struggle to find a payment processing account simply because of his or her business model or the type of products sold.
The Best Credit Card Processing in Puerto Rico
You need to find a Puerto Rico payment processing company that not only offers merchant services to businesses in Puerto Rico, but also has the experience and technology in place to provide quick, seamless, and quality service. Ideally you would find a processor who won’t turn you away for being a high-risk merchant. As a merchant services provider that processes transactions in the U.S and internationally, we maintain top of the line technology and support. This enables your business to get up and running with transaction processing quickly and smoothly. We also have excellent customer support in place in the unlikely event of a snag.
Durango Merchant Services embraces working with merchants in high-risk industries, both in the U.S. and overseas. Our cutting edge electronic security and fraud protection services allow us to stay on top of the changing regulatory environment and industry standards. This ensures that the payment processing solutions we offer to Puerto Rican merchants comply with any new policies implemented by the U.S. or E.U., or the major credit card companies.
Full Feature Credit Card Processing Solutions for Puerto Rico
Whether you’re serving customers around the corner or around the world – or a combination of the two – we can help! You need the features and support to make accepting transactions simple. You need to inspire confidence in your customers. Your account representative can help you select the features you need, including POS systems, online payment gateways, mobile processing, and recurring billing systems.
Merchants find their way to us from many paths. Some have established brick-and-mortar businesses and are looking to expand online or update their payment processing methods. Others are fledgling business owners with no transaction history. Others are trying to get their business off the ground. Some have been rejected for a merchant account by another institution because their industry is high-risk. Still others have had a previous merchant account terminated and are looking for an alternative. Whatever your business, whatever your needs, our account representatives are looking forward to hearing from you! We will help develop a personalized merchant account for your Puerto Rico based business.
How to Open a Merchant Account in Puerto Rico
Opening a merchant account in Puerto Rico isn’t always straightforward—especially if your business sells online, ships products off-island, or falls into a “high-risk” category like supplements, travel, or digital services.
This step-by-step guide walks you through exactly what to expect, from gathering the right documents to passing underwriting and setting up a payment gateway that actually supports Puerto Rican merchants.
You’ll learn how to make your website compliance-ready, how to avoid common reasons applications get delayed, and how to connect your new account to tools like recurring billing, mobile payments, and cross-border transactions.
Whether you’re switching from a processor that dropped Puerto Rico support or starting fresh, this guide helps you go from “application pending” to “approved and processing” with fewer surprises.
Tools Required to Process Payments in Puerto Rico
Things Needed?
Steps to Open a Merchant Account in Puerto Rico
FAQ: Credit Card Processing in Puerto Rico
Why is credit card processing harder in Puerto Rico?
Many big U.S. processors don’t support Puerto Rican merchants, and some treat Puerto Rico as “international,” which limits onboarding. Local banks can be slower to approve and may not handle higher-risk industries well, leading to longer setup times and more documentation requests.
What counts as a “high-risk” business in Puerto Rico?
Industries with higher chargebacks, refunds, or compliance scrutiny—like supplements, travel, subscriptions, ticketing, CBD/hemp, nutraceuticals, or coaching—are often labeled high-risk. Processors also consider factors like card-not-present volume, fulfillment delays, and your refund/terms policies.
I was declined by a processor. Do I still have options to process payments in Puerto Rico?
Yes—specialized providers can underwrite Puerto Rico businesses even if you’ve been declined elsewhere. Be prepared to share clearer documentation, stronger policies, and possibly accept a reserve to get approved.
What documents do I need to apply for a merchant account in Puerto Rico?
Government ID, bank letter or voided check, business registration, recent bank statements, website URL, and sometimes processing history and compliance policies are typical. Some underwriters also ask for fulfillment details, supplier invoices, and a chargeback management plan.
Are settlement times different in Puerto Rico?
Funding can be daily or a few days, depending on risk and bank partners, and some high-risk models may see longer holds. Clarify cutoff times, weekends/holidays, and whether cross-border settlements might add add extra delay.
