Firearms and ammunition merchant accounts UK
Mainstream acquirers exclude on category despite the legality of regulated UK firearms retail. International card schemes have specific rules.
Legal status (UK)
Tightly regulated under UK Firearms Act. Section 1, Section 5 and Registered Firearms Dealer requirements.
Best way to take Firearms and ammunition payments (UK)
Our pick
MerchantHQ, specialist Firearms and ammunition broker and account team
Mainstream UK acquirers (SumUp, Square, Zettle, Dojo, Worldpay, Barclaycard) decline Firearms and ammunition at onboarding or terminate after launch. We hold a specialist panel of UK high-risk acquirers that underwrite it. As a broker we match you to the right one for your licence, volume and processing history, then stay on as your named UK account team for the life of the agreement.
The acquirer pays our commission on signup, so it costs you nothing on top, and we never sell your details on. We disclose the risk classification upfront so the right underwriter is approached from the start.
Get matched to a Firearms and ammunition acquirerHigh-risk merchants are the most exposed to chargebacks, frozen funds and MATCH/TMF listings, and that is exactly what your MerchantHQ account team handles, for the life of the agreement.
How Firearms and ammunition placements work
Firearms and ammunition routes to specialist regulated-vertical acquirers matched per application rather than a published list. The right underwriter depends on your licence, volume and sub-category, so we approach it individually. We hold the relationships and disclose your risk classification upfront so the right acquirer is contacted from the start.
Typical pricing
- Rate
- 2.5% to 4.5%
- Settlement reserve
- 5% to 10%
Watch outs
- Registered Firearms Dealer status and licence checks required at onboarding.
- Card scheme rules around firearms differ between Visa and Mastercard.
- US-based acquirers will not onboard UK firearms merchants regardless of UK legality.
Director, MerchantHQ
Oliver leads MerchantHQ's terminal testing and acquirer comparison. With a background in UK commercial finance and merchant payments, he oversees terminal reviews, switching guidance and high-risk vertical mapping.
Last reviewed: 26 April 2026