Getting approved
What an underwriter reads, what you need ready, and how long it realistically takes.
- What do underwriters actually look at? Your website, your processing history and your ownership, roughly in that order. A surprising share of declines are settled by what is visible on the site before anyone opens the financial file.
- What documents will I be asked for? Photo ID for every owner at 25% or more, company registration and proof of address, three to six months of bank statements, the same of processing statements if you have them, and a live site with refund, privacy and terms pages.
- How long does approval take? Three to ten business days from a complete file is typical. Categories needing scheme registration add one to three weeks on top before you can process. Almost all delay past that comes from an incomplete file rather than slow underwriting.
- Why was my application declined? Most declines come down to four things: something on the website, the dispute ratio, a mismatch between the business described and the business found, or the acquirer simply having no appetite for that category at the time.
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Five questions, no documents, and an honest answer about whether a provider is likely to board you.