NETbilling review: your own merchant account from 1.4%

How much NETbilling costs

Online processing starts at 1.4% + 6¢ per transaction, with the note that merchant account fees may vary. The terms of service add a setup fee, per-transaction fees and a monthly gateway fee, all set at sign-up and charged on top of the bank discount fee. NETbilling also offers a zero-fee program as an alternative.

The setup fee is not refunded once your account is set up on NETbilling’s servers. Invoices are due within five days, and repeated late payments can lead NETbilling to require a reserve of an amount it decides.

A merchant account in your own name

NETbilling does not bill under its own name like CCBill or Segpay: it helps you secure a merchant account held directly with a bank, then supplies the gateway. It says it works with dozens of acquiring banks worldwide but names none, and publishes no license.

Adult is listed among the high-risk industries it serves, alongside gaming, CBD, dating and firearms. Its clients are in the US, Canada and the EU.

Card payouts and reserves

Card sales are deposited daily into your own bank account, “over 300 pay days per year”. The bank pays you on the schedule set in your agreement with it, and any card reserve is the bank’s, set when the account is approved.

NBCheck eCheck processing

On eChecks, NETbilling holds the money itself for seven calendar days before paying out. It also keeps a risk reserve ranging from a fixed dollar amount up to an average of 10% of the previous 30 days of sales. Underwriting takes two to three business days, and customers see “nbcheck.com” on their bank statement.

Customers have 60 days to dispute an ACH debit. NETbilling puts the average eCheck cost below 5%, with recurring billing supported.

Tools for membership and cam sites

NETbilling works with NATS, Elevated X, Pennywize and PPV Live Webcams, and manages member areas itself. Its fraud filters block repeat free trials and cancel a sale if the email receipt cannot be delivered within 12 hours. Chargebacks must be entered by hand, after which the customer goes onto a negative database shared by all NETbilling merchants.

Its own call center in Valencia handles your customers 24/7/365 by phone or live chat, with no overseas outsourcing. Customer data can only be exported once, after the account is closed with no balance due.

Who runs NETbilling

NETbilling, Inc. is based at 27451 Tourney Road in Valencia, California, and led by co-founder and CEO Mitch Farber. A VP of Operations at MindGeek Canada signs a testimonial on the home page.

Strengths and limitations of NETbilling