First Card Payments

What First Card Payments does

First Card Payments is a US-based, founder-owned payment services provider specializing in high-risk merchant accounts for verticals that mainstream processors typically reject or de-platform. Founded circa 2000 and operating from Miami (headquarters) and Los Angeles, the firm leverages direct executive-level relationships with more than 30 banks and ISOs to place merchants in adult services, CBD/hemp, firearms, debt relief, credit repair, nutraceuticals, online dating, continuity subscriptions, aviation, bail bonds, coins/collectibles, and other regulated or reputationally challenged categories. The product surface centers on card acquiring supplemented by ACH/eCheck processing, a secure payment gateway, chargeback mitigation tools, dual pricing (customer choice pricing) that allows merchants to pass processing fees to consumers, merchant cash advances, and adjacent resold services such as Nextiva business telephony and Panama-based call center capacity.

The underlying technology stack is conventional for an Independent Sales Organization rather than a fintech platform: encrypted payment gateway with virtual terminal support, ACH/eCheck network connectivity (including Check 21 for non-NACHA bank-to-bank flows), and integrations with eight vertical-specific CRMs in the debt and document-preparation segments. No public API, mobile app, or proprietary AI components are disclosed, and compliance certifications, patents, and regulatory actions are absent from the source data.

The commercial model is sales-led and consultative, pairing dedicated account consultants with each merchant and supported by an affiliate/referral channel. Revenue is generated through transaction-based processing markups (with higher rates for riskier categories), residual account fees, ACH/eCheck transaction fees, referral commissions from Nextiva, and professional services revenue from the Panama Call Room partnership. Pricing is quote-based with no application, setup, or early termination fees, and month-to-month agreements are emphasized as a client-friendly retention tool.

Name

First Card Payments

Legal name

First Card Payments

Website

https://firstcardpayments.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

First Card Payments is a US-based, founder-owned payment services ISO that secures high-risk merchant accounts across 24+ verticals, including adult, CBD, firearms, and debt relief, using relationships with 30+ banks and ISOs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

High-Risk Merchant Account Services

NAICS

Financial Transactions Processing, Reserve, and Clearinghouse Activities (52232)

SIC

Finance Services (6199)

akta.pro primary industry

Card-Present Acquirers (Retail & POS Focus) (FSAMABAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

A2A Checkout & Merchant Acceptance Solutions (FSAMAFAF), Recurring Billing, Subscriptions & Tokenized Payments (CRAFALAH)

Keywords

• High-risk merchant accounts
• Payment processing services
• ACH eCheck processing
• Credit card processing
• Chargeback prevention

Headquarters

HQ city

Miami

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Payment Processing Fees: Transaction-based fees charged on every payment processed through merchant accounts. Fees vary by industry risk level, transaction type (card-present vs card-not-present), and volume. High-risk industries pay higher processing markups.
2. Merchant Account Services: Monthly account fees, setup fees, and ongoing service charges for maintaining merchant accounts. The company offers month-to-month agreements with no early termination fees.
3. ACH and eCheck Processing: Fees charged for ACH and eCheck transactions processed through the payment network. ACH offers lower fees than credit card processing.
4. Nextiva Partnership Referrals: Referral commissions from Nextiva business phone services, where First Card Payments introduces clients and saves them up to 65% on monthly telecommunications.
5. Panama Call Room Services: Call center solutions with packages billed by employee, by appointment set, or by deal. Revenue from providing English-speaking call center agents in Panama.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

First Card Payments provides high-risk merchant account services that enable businesses in industries declined by mainstream processors (such as adult services, CBD, credit repair, debt relief, firearms, airlines, bail bonds, and online dating) to accept credit card, debit card, ACH, and eCheck payments. The company leverages relationships with 30+ banks and ISOs to secure approvals, offers a secure encrypted payment gateway, dual pricing, chargeback protection, and merchant cash advances, supported by 24/7 customer service and dedicated account consultants.

Product overview

First Card Payments is a payment processing company specializing in high-risk merchant accounts, offering a core platform with integrated payment acceptance capabilities alongside specialized sub-brands for 24+ distinct high-risk industries. The portfolio includes the core High-Risk Merchant Accounts platform with access to 30+ bank and ISO partnerships, supplemented by Payment Gateway, Chargeback Protection, Dual Pricing, ACH & eCheck Solutions, and Merchant Cash Advances as key modules. Industry-specific sub-brands cover Adult Entertainment, Airlines/Jet Charter, Auto Transport, Auto Warranty, Bail Bonds, Business Consulting, CBD, Coins & Collectibles, Continuity Subscriptions, Credit Repair, Debt Relief, Debt Consolidation, Document Preparation, Dropshipping, Educational Seminars, Firearms, Health & Beauty, Jewelry, Online Dating, Moving Brokers, MOTO, Nutraceuticals, Online Pharmacy, Travel Agencies, and Ticket Brokers. Additional services include Nextiva-powered Business Phone Services and Panama Call Room for offshore customer support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Save up to 25% on processing markup fees
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments14 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• NextivacoreGTM or Marketing PartnerFirst Card Payments partners with Nextiva to offer business phone services to their merchant clients. FCP acts as an introduction channel, helping businesses save up to 65% on monthly business phone services by connecting them directly with Nextiva representatives. This partnership provides additional value to merchants while generating referral revenue for FCP.
• Panama Call RoomcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFirst Card Payments partners with a call center in Panama to provide professional, English-speaking call center agents for their merchant clients. The Panama operation offers cost-effective staffing with American-educated workers who are bilingual and familiar with American culture. Services include lead generation, appointment setting, sales, customer service, and back-office chat support. Packages available: pay by employee, by appointment set, or by deal.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• National Processing: Mid-market and high-risk merchant services provider offering card processing, ACH, and gateway solutions across multiple verticals including those served by FCP.
• Soar Payments: High-risk payment processor specializing in adult, CBD, firearms, and credit services. Comparable niche focus and consultative sales motion.
• Maverick Processing: High-risk merchant account provider with vertical specialization in firearms, adult, CBD, and credit services. Comparable consultative, multi-bank sales motion.
• Easy Pay Direct: High-risk merchant account and ACH processing provider serving recurring billing, supplement, and adult verticals. Comparable ACH/eCheck and subscription focus.
• PaymentCloud: High-risk merchant account provider covering CBD, adult, subscription, credit repair, and similar verticals. Comparable in target market, multi-bank routing approach, and vertical sub-brand strategy.
• Durango Merchant Services: Specialized high-risk merchant account provider serving adult, CBD, firearms, nutraceutical, and other controversial verticals. Directly comparable to FCP in niche focus, underwriting model, and pricing structure.
• HighRiskPay: High-risk merchant account provider with a multi-bank/ISO routing model and vertical specialization in adult, CBD, and nutraceuticals. Direct peer in target market and product.
• EMB (Electronic Merchant Brokers): Long-established high-risk merchant services provider with a multi-bank underwriting model serving adult, firearms, travel, and nutraceutical verticals. Direct competitor for FCP's core verticals.

Broad incumbents

• Stripe: Mainstream payments incumbent that explicitly declines many of FCP's verticals (adult, CBD, firearms). Defines the 'rejected by mainstream' customer set FCP serves.
• Square (Block): Mainstream payments incumbent that has retreated from certain high-risk verticals (firearms, CBD). Represents the addressable demand FCP monetizes.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/fcpays
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/first-card-payments

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about First Card Payments