Premier One Payments
Premier One Payments is a Chatsworth, California-based credit card and check processor founded in 1997 that specializes in underwriting high-risk merchants (credit repair, collections, vape, CBD, firearms, adult, and similar verticals) rejected by traditional banks.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1997
- HeadquartersChatsworth, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Premier One Payments does
Premier One Payments is a Chatsworth, California-based private payment processor founded in 1997 that specializes in credit card and check processing for merchants in industries classified as high-risk by traditional banks and acquirers. The company underwrites verticals that mainstream processors typically decline, including credit repair, debt collection, vape and e-cigarette, CBD, online firearms, adult entertainment, multi-level marketing, crowdfunding, student loan document preparation, tech support, online dating, pawn, dietary supplements, and online gaming. The technology stack comprises a payment processing platform supporting credit, debit, eCheck, and mobile payments for both domestic and offshore merchant accounts, supplemented by load-balancing gateways and multiple Merchant Identification Numbers (MIDS) for high-volume merchants, and check processing routed through the U.S. Treasury's web application infrastructure. A dedicated chargeback defense program provides daily monitoring and reversal management on a subscription basis.
The business model is primarily transaction-based: the company earns a percentage of each transaction plus per-item dollar amounts, layered with monthly flat fees established in the merchant contract and incidental fees for events such as chargebacks. Pricing is quote-based rather than publicly tiered, with the company emphasizing no setup fees, industry-minimum pricing, and free cost comparisons. Go-to-market is direct sales-led with phone, email, and in-person consultation, supported by an ISO & Agents referral channel, a vertical-specific SEO/content footprint on the company website, and a self-reported majority of new clients acquired through word-of-mouth. The company states 97.8% application approval within 48 hours, a 98% client retention rate, and recognition including a 2016 Best Processor Award from Top Credit Card Processors and an A rating from Card Payment Options. The firm is privately held with no disclosed funding rounds, no parent company, and no M&A activity in the source material.
Premier One Payments firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Premier One Payments
- Legal name
- Premier One Payments
- Website
- https://premieronepayments.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1997
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Premier One Payments is a Chatsworth, California-based credit card and check processor founded in 1997 that specializes in underwriting high-risk merchants (credit repair, collections, vape, CBD, firearms, adult, and similar verticals) rejected by traditional banks.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Premier One Payments industry classification
Industry- Product category
- High-Risk Payment Processing
- NAICS
- Financial Transactions Processing, Reserve, and Clearinghouse Activities (52232), Activities Related to Credit Intermediation (5223)
- SIC
- Miscellaneous Business Credit Institution (6159)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Recurring Billing, Subscriptions & Tokenized Payments (CRAFALAH)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- A2A Collections & Direct Account Funding (FSAMAFAH)
Keywords
Where Premier One Payments is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Chatsworth
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Premier One Payments business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Credit Card Processing Fees: Transaction-based fees charged as percentage of transaction plus per-item dollar amount. Fees established when merchant account is set up but can change over time.
- Incidental Fees: Fees incurred when specific situations arise, such as chargebacks. Applied on monthly basis when incidentals occur.
- Monthly Flat Fees: Scheduled monthly flat fees laid out when signing contract with credit card processor
- Chargeback Protection Services: Extra-fee service including daily monitoring, risk and reversal management programs to help merchants contest chargebacks
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | No Setup Fees |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Industry-Minimum Pricing |
| Subscription | Monthly | Chargeback Protection (Extra Fee) |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels4 records
Premier One Payments product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Premier One Payments is a payment processing company that provides high-risk credit card processing, merchant accounts, chargeback protection, and check processing services. The company enables businesses in industries rejected by traditional banks and processors (credit repair, collection agencies, vape, CBD, firearms, tech support, and similar verticals) to process credit/debit card, eCheck, and mobile payments domestically and internationally.
Product overview
Premier One Payments operates as a unified payment processing platform serving high-risk industries. The core offering consists of High Risk Credit Card Processing and Merchant Accounts, which together enable businesses to accept major credit cards and various payment methods. The platform is supplemented by Chargeback Protection services (for fraud prevention and dispute management) and Check Processing (including eCheck and ACH options). Credit Card Processing Hardware (POS terminals, wireless machines, and virtual terminals) is available as an add-on. The company specializes in serving traditionally high-risk industries including credit repair, collection agencies, vape/e-cigarette, CBD oil, online firearms, adult entertainment, travel agencies, tech support, multi-level marketing, auto warranty, crowdfunding, dietary supplements, student loan consolidation, background checks, online dating, pawn shops, and online gaming. The company claims 28 years of experience, 97.8% application approval within 48 hours, no setup fees, and support for both domestic and offshore merchant accounts.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- High Risk Credit Card Processing
Quantifiable outcome
- 97.8% of merchant applications approved within 48 hours
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Premier One Payments
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments9 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Premier One Payments technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Premier One Payments partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Premier One Payments competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Durango Merchant Services: Specialized high-risk merchant account provider offering credit card processing for similar verticals including adult, CBD, nutraceuticals, and firearms — directly comparable to Premier One's niche positioning and ISO/agent model.
- Paysafe: Specialized payments platform serving hard-to-place verticals including online gaming, adult, and iGaming — a more capitalized direct peer that competes for the same hard-to-place merchant relationships.
- High Risk Pay: Direct ISO competitor focused on high-risk merchant processing across vape, CBD, credit repair, and similar verticals; competes head-to-head on speed of approval, chargeback management, and pricing.
- National Processing: High-risk and hard-to-place merchant account specialist with comparable multi-vertical coverage and chargeback mitigation services; one of the more established direct competitors to Premier One.
- Instabill: Long-standing high-risk payment processor serving adult, online dating, nutraceuticals, and other Tier-3 verticals; directly comparable customer base, underwriting approach, and ISO-style GTM.
- Easy Card Pay: High-risk ISO offering merchant accounts and chargeback solutions across nutraceuticals, CBD, firearms, and subscription verticals — comparable technology stack and tier positioning to Premier One.
- SMB Compass: High-risk merchant processing and small business funding provider with overlapping vertical coverage including CBD, vape, and credit repair; competes on similar onboarding speed and no-setup-fee positioning.
Broad incumbents
- Authorize.Net: Established payment gateway serving small-to-mid merchants; serves as an adjacent incumbent whose lower-risk SMB merchant book contrasts with Premier One's high-risk focus, but competes for any merchant segment where the risk classification is ambiguous.
- Stripe: Dominant online payment processor with expanding capabilities in higher-risk segments (e.g., Stripe Radar, financial services add-ons); a broad incumbent whose incremental moves into regulated verticals threaten ISO-style niche players.
- Block (Square): Mainstream payment processor and acquirer progressively expanding into specialized verticals; represents the well-capitalized incumbent threat that could compress pricing for ISO-style high-risk specialists over time.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Premier One Payments social profiles
Digital presencePremier One Payments financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Premier One Payments leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Premier One Payments funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Premier One Payments M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Premier One Payments
What does Premier One Payments do?
Premier One Payments is a payment processing company that provides high-risk credit card processing, merchant accounts, chargeback protection, and check processing services. The company enables businesses in industries rejected by traditional banks and processors (credit repair, collection agencies, vape, CBD, firearms, tech support, and similar verticals) to process credit/debit card, eCheck, and mobile payments domestically and internationally.
Is Premier One Payments a public or private company?
Premier One Payments is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Premier One Payments founded?
Premier One Payments was founded in 1997. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Premier One Payments based?
Premier One Payments is headquartered in Chatsworth, United States, in the North America region.
How does Premier One Payments make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Credit Card Processing Fees are the primary driver. The others are incidental Fees, monthly Flat Fees and chargeback Protection Services.
Who are Premier One Payments's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Durango Merchant Services, Paysafe, High Risk Pay, National Processing, Instabill, Easy Card Pay and SMB Compass. Broad incumbents are Authorize.Net, Stripe and Block (Square).
Does Premier One Payments have an API?
No public API is recorded for Premier One Payments.
What industry is Premier One Payments in?
Premier One Payments's product category is High-Risk Payment Processing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRAFALAH, Recurring Billing, Subscriptions & Tokenized Payments, with a secondary code of FSAMAFAH, A2A Collections & Direct Account Funding. Its NAICS code is 52232 and its SIC code is 6159.