Guides and playbooks for USA payments—built for high-risk merchants (iGaming/sports fantasy where permitted, FX/CFD, crypto/VASP, adult, nutraceuticals, subscriptions, travel). We cover card acquiring (auth → clearing → settlement, MCC/MIDs, network tokens, chargebacks), ACH/eCheck (WEB debits, account validation, returns), real-time rails (RTP and FedNow), open banking/bank-account verification, and major APMs (Apple Pay, PayPal, wallets). Expect practical advice on approval-rate uplift (local US routing, smart retries/cascading), fraud/chargeback controls, 3DS usage (optional in the US), KYC/KYB & AML/KYT, sanctions screening, and compliance with PCI DSS, Reg E (error resolution for EFT), FinCEN MSB rules and state MTL licensing (when applicable). We also include payout rails (ACH, wires, RTP), reconciliation/webhooks, tax/VAT basics for cross-border US sales, and vendor selection tips.
Authoritative outbound resources related to USA Payments:
Nacha — ACH Network & WEB Account Validation Rule
Federal Reserve – FedNow Service
CFPB – Regulation E (EFTA)
FinCEN – MSB/AML obligations
Looking for merchant account setup or integration?
Visit our dedicated page → USA Payment Solutions
Scope. This guide covers accepting cards via PayPal only (no wallets) for EU-registered projects selling to US payers. You’ll learn what the setup is, what PayPal and partners check, which industries it fits, and how to squeeze more approvals with smart retry logic US issuers and hygiene. So, you will learn about PayPal card processing USA.
A European online project gets a rush of US buyers… and approvals sag, i.e. cross-border declines US cards: causes, fixes, and routing that actually works. That’s the classic cross-border decline pattern: the issuer sees “US cardholder → non-US merchant/acquirer,” becomes stricter, and says no. The cure isn’t one trick—it’s better data, smarter retry logic US issuers, and (when warranted) local routes or US-native rails.
Cross-border declines US cards: causes, fixes, and routing that actually works Read More »
TL;DR. If a European merchant pushes a lot of US-issued cards through an EU acquirer, the traffic looks cross-border to the issuer and approval rates drop. Local US acquiring and US-native rails (ACH, RTP, FedNow) usually lift conversions and cut costs. Visa also expects correct merchant location data in the auth/clearing stream and on site, which is easier when you process domestically. Rule of thumb: when 70–80%+ of your payers are US, US domestic becomes a near must-have. You need to think about US domestic acquiring for EU merchant.
