A US merchant account for SaaS, when the company is run from outside the US.
Marketing tools, productivity apps, AI tooling: recurring seats and usage-based billing run by a team based outside the US. The IBO package gives the software company a US entity, a US-resident director and a US bank account, delivered the same day, on the White Hat plan.
Why SaaS is underwritten as high-risk when it is run from abroad
Nothing about a productivity app is risky. The billing model, and where the operator sits, is what the underwriter prices.
Software is delivered the moment the card is charged, and the card on file is charged again every month or every year. Every transaction is card-not-present, and each renewal is a charge the cardholder did not approve that day. That is where SaaS disputes come from: a forgotten renewal, a trial that converted, a seat that kept billing after the team stopped using the tool. Acquirers underwrite that exposure, not the product.
Add an operator based outside the United States and the file gets harder: no US entity, no US-resident person to sign the merchant agreement and the personal guarantee, no US bank account for settlements, no US processing history. Aggregators onboard software companies quickly; a country mismatch or a periodic account review can close the account just as quickly. A dedicated MID with an acquirer is the alternative, reviewed with the same questions as any other high-risk merchant account.
The IBO package covers that gap. The product, the code, the customers and the pricing stay yours. What changes is the file the acquirer reads: a US LLC or C-Corp, a US-resident Independent Business Operator (IBO) as director and signer, a US business bank account and documents that match each other. The industries hub places SaaS on White Hat when monthly recurring revenue (MRR) is steady and chargebacks are minimal; this page is the detail behind that line.
What acquirers ask a SaaS company for
What a high-risk underwriter typically requests from a software business run from abroad.
A US entity with an EIN
The merchant of record is expected to be a US company with a federal tax ID, formation documents and an operating agreement or bylaws. A foreign software company applying alone is typically asked for a US counterpart or declined.
A US-resident signer and guarantor
The person who signs the merchant agreement and the personal guarantee is expected to live in the US, hold a US ID, carry a credit file and take the verification call about the product and the billing.
A US bank account for settlements
Settlements are paid to an account in the entity's name at a US bank. A foreign account, a payout wallet or the operator's personal account is typically refused as the settlement account.
Recurring billing that is disclosed
Pricing page, renewal cadence, trial terms, cancellation path and refund policy, all visible before the first charge.
Proof that the product exists and runs
A live application, demo or trial access, documentation, a status page and a support address on the company domain: what the customer gets for the charge, and who answers when it breaks.
How the IBO package answers each line
The same package as every IBOCore vertical, read through an underwriter's checklist for software. Full contents on the inventory page.
One package opens one MID at a time. Bring your own ISO or apply directly.
White Hat plan for SaaS and digital tools: $1,999 setup, then $4,499 per month, billed from 30 days after delivery, for steady MRR and minimal chargebacks. A software offer built on trial-to-continuity, hard trials or rebills customers dispute belongs on Grey Hat instead: $2,499 setup, then 9% of deposit volume. Optional add-ons: document template pack $499 one-time, merchant account consulting $899 per month, bank pages $2,499 one-time.
What stays on you: descriptor, renewals, claims, fulfilment
IBOCore has no opinion on your product or roadmap. These six points are what the acquirer monitors once the MID is live.
- Statement descriptor. Show the product name the customer signed up for, plus a URL or a phone number, identical on the first charge and on every renewal. A descriptor the cardholder does not recognise is a common trigger of an "I do not know this charge" dispute.
- Renewal and cancellation terms. Price, cadence and renewal date disclosed before the first charge, a cancellation path reachable from the account, a confirmation email on every charge and a reminder before an annual rebill. Card networks expect it and underwriters check for it.
- Refund policy. Published, linked from the checkout, applied as written: a refund costs less than the chargeback it prevents.
- Product claims. Describe what the tool does today. No promised features, no earnings or ranking claims for marketing and AI tools, no outcomes the software cannot deliver. A claim the product does not meet is a dispute in the making.
- Fulfilment. For software, fulfilment is access: credentials delivered at the moment of the charge, a status page, a support address that answers before the cardholder calls the bank. Downtime and silent support are where "service not provided" disputes come from.
- Keep the file consistent. The MID is underwritten for the product, the pricing and the billing model in the application. A switch from seats to usage, a new product line, a price change or a new trial mechanic is something the acquirer expects to be told about, not to discover.
What is refused inside SaaS and digital tools
Some are refused at purchase; the others are onboarded on Grey Hat, not on this page. Hiding one behind a plain software licence is a misclassified package.
- Software whose purpose is fraud: account-cracking tools, phishing kits, bot farms, fake-review generators. Anything obviously fraudulent is refused on principle.
- A "billing platform" or "payment tool" that runs other businesses' sales through your MID. That is transaction laundering: acquirers terminate the MID for it, and on IBOCore's side it is a misclassified package.
- Crypto exchange, custody, custodial wallet or on-ramp functionality wrapped as software. Exchanges and custody are refused outright; software around crypto, such as tax tools, is onboarded as crypto-adjacent on Grey Hat, not here.
- Adult content platforms, cam software and real-money gambling software: dedicated acquirer categories outside the IBOCore infrastructure.
- Pirated or counterfeit software and tools built on stolen code or stolen content. Counterfeiting is treated as fraud, not as a grey area.
- Continuity mechanics sold as a software licence: hard trials, negative-option rebills, a "lifetime deal" that quietly renews. That billing belongs on subscription and continuity; misclassifying it suspends the package.
How to get the US merchant account file for your SaaS
Four steps, the same as every IBOCore package. No KYC on you, no notary, no travel.
- 01
Step 01
Contact a representative on Telegram
Send the app URL, the pricing page, where you process today, your MRR and monthly volume. IBOCore reviews every merchant on business proofs before granting dashboard access.
- 02
Step 02
Choose the package and the White Hat plan
Pick an available entity in the inventory. Software with steady MRR and minimal chargebacks is a White Hat fit: $1,999 setup, then $4,499 per month. Your representative confirms the classification before you pay.
- 03
Step 03
Pay the setup fee
USDT or USDC on ERC20 or TRC20. Monthly billing starts 30 days after delivery, not at payment, so the acquirer onboarding runs before the first monthly invoice.
- 04
Step 04
Receive the package and apply for the MID
The documents, the bank access and the director's contact arrive on Telegram the same day. Apply with your own ISO or directly; the director takes the verification call. Acquirer onboarding then typically takes 3 to 10 business days; that timeline is the acquirer's, not a promise of approval.
Packages are permanently in stock and delivered the same day the payment confirms. Names are masked until you sign in.
US merchant accounts for SaaS, frequently asked
The follow-up questions a software operator asks before a first package.
Is a SaaS with monthly billing White Hat or Grey Hat?
Steady MRR and minimal chargebacks put SaaS on White Hat: $1,999 setup, then $4,499 per month. An offer built on trial-to-continuity, hard trials or rebills customers dispute is subscription-heavy billing and belongs on Grey Hat: $2,499 setup, then 9% of deposit volume. Describe your billing on Telegram before paying: your representative confirms the plan, and misclassification suspends the package.
Can I keep my current subscription billing system and connect the new MID?
Nothing in the package prevents it. The MID is opened for the US entity and you connect the acquirer's gateway to the billing system you already run. What must change is the visible file: the company name on invoices, receipts and terms, the descriptor, and a support address on the company domain.
Does usage-based or metered billing change the underwriting?
In one way: the amount varies per cycle, so the acquirer wants the pricing logic disclosed. A public rate card, overage caps or alerts, a usage view in the account and an invoice the customer can predict before the charge. Usage-based products sit on the hub's SaaS card, so the White Hat condition is unchanged: steady MRR and minimal chargebacks.
We sell annual plans. Does that change anything?
It raises the average ticket and the service window. The acquirer is exposed for the whole prepaid term if the service stops, so it typically asks about refund terms, proration, renewal reminders and the annual versus monthly split. The plan follows the billing pattern and the dispute rate, not the billing interval; your representative confirms it before you pay.
Does the package include the software's billing, tax or licensing setup?
No. The package covers the entity, the director, the bank account, the documents, a professional email, a US residential proxy and support on Telegram. Your billing system and sales tax on your software are outside it. The entity's own US tax obligations are handled by the director's accounting stack; IBOCore does not give tax or legal advice.
Related reading
Industries we serve
Every vertical mapped to its plan, and the verticals IBOCore refuses.
Read moreSubscription and continuity
The Grey Hat sibling: trial-to-continuity, monthly boxes and rebill-driven offers.
Read moreInfo-products and courses
The other digital White Hat vertical: courses, communities, one-shot or multi-payment pricing.
Read moreUS merchant account
What a US merchant account requires from an international merchant, line by line.
Read moreLive inventory
The packages available right now, delivered the same day you pay.
Read moreWhite Hat or Grey Hat
How the billing model decides the plan, with the price of each.
Read moreGet the US merchant account file for your SaaS today.
White Hat package, fresh entity, vetted director, full bank access, same-day delivery. Open the inventory or ask on Telegram first.
No KYC on you, no notary, no travel.