2A Processing — Firearms Credit Card Processing
Firearms retailers get dropped by mainstream payment processors regularly — usually without warning, often with a rolling reserve on the way out, and almost always at the worst possible moment. FFL-BRO includes card processing through a firearms-aware gateway instead, so being federally licensed to sell what you sell is not treated as a reason to close your account.
What it costs
- 3.2% + $0.35 per transaction, e-commerce
- $19.95 per month
- $25 per chargeback
Gateway fees are included in that rate rather than billed separately, which is the line item that usually makes a cheaper-looking quote stop being cheaper. There is no high-risk surcharge for being an FFL.
Rates are quoted per merchant and confirmed at underwriting. A shop needing advanced fraud tooling or 3-D Secure, or one running unusually high ticket values, may be priced separately for those pieces — we will tell you that before you sign rather than after.
Why a specialist gateway
General processors write firearms into their prohibited or high-risk categories, and enforcement tends to arrive as an account closure rather than a conversation. That is survivable for a hobby business and serious for a shop with staff, stock on order and customers waiting on transfers.
Processing through a gateway that already understands this industry means underwriting looks at your actual business rather than a category code — and it means the account is not a surprise waiting to happen.
What underwriting will want
Firearms accounts go through a more thorough review than a typical retail application, and it takes longer. Expect to provide:
- A copy of your federal firearms licence
- Recent business bank statements
- A live storefront with published refund, return, shipping and privacy policies
- A working checkout page the underwriter can actually walk through
- Expected average ticket and monthly volume
Most of that is the same paperwork you already keep. The checkout page is the one that stalls applications, because a bank will not approve an e-commerce account it cannot see working.
How it fits the platform
Processing is included from Essentials+ upward, wired into the storefront checkout and the counter so a card sale and its bound book entry are one action rather than two systems to reconcile. PRO adds the point of sale and gun-show handling on the same account.
Essentials at $79/mo covers records and compliance without processing — if you are not taking cards through the platform, you do not need this.
Common questions
Can I keep my current processor?
Yes. Nothing in FFL-BRO requires you to switch. Dealers usually move because their existing processor has already caused a problem, not because we asked.
How long does approval take?
Longer than a general retail account. Firearms files go through a more senior underwriting tier, and the timeline depends on how quickly the documents above come together. Anyone promising you a fixed number of days has not read the file.
Is there a limit on transaction size?
Accounts are set up with a ceiling based on your stated average and high ticket. If you sell high-end custom firearms, say so during the application — the limit can be set accordingly, and it is far easier to agree up front than to raise mid-sale.
Can I pass the fee to the customer?
Surcharging is governed by card brand rules and by your state. It is a question worth asking before you build it into your pricing, and the answer is not the same everywhere.
Talk it through
Processing is worth a conversation rather than a signup form, because the rate is only part of it — the reserve, the ticket ceiling and the underwriting timeline all matter. Get in touch, or see the whole platform first with a demo.