Accept payments for adult entertainment

Stripe explicitly prohibits 'pornography and other obscene materials' in their terms of service, while PayPal bans 'sexually oriented digital goods.' These policies reflect US-centric corporate values and risk aversion rather than legal requirements: adult content featuring consenting adults is entirely legal. Traditional banks similarly cite 'reputational risk' to avoid the sector. This systematic exclusion forces legitimate adult businesses to specialized processors like Bridge Pay who understand the sector's compliance requirements and provide appropriate infrastructure.

We support a range of adult business models including: subscription content platforms (similar to OnlyFans, Fansly), clip and video-on-demand sites, live webcam/streaming platforms, adult e-commerce (toys, novelties, lingerie), dating and hookup platforms, fan subscription services, and creator monetization tools. Each business type has specific requirements: subscription platforms need robust recurring billing, webcam sites need real-time payment capability, and e-commerce needs standard cart integration. Our team evaluates each application based on the specific business model.

We require robust age verification appropriate to your business model and target jurisdictions. For platforms serving UK users, Online Safety Act compliance will require effective age assurance. EU Digital Services Act similarly mandates minor protection measures. We accept implementations from leading providers including Yoti, Jumio, AgeChecker, and others, and review your setup before activation. For e-commerce (physical products), date-of-birth verification at checkout may suffice. For content platforms, document or biometric verification is increasingly required. During file review, an analyst confirms which verification method is accepted for your situation.

Cardholder statements show a generic business descriptor rather than your adult-oriented brand name. For example, instead of 'ADULTSITE.COM,' statements might show 'DIGITAL MEDIA SERVICES' or similar neutral descriptor. This is critical for reducing chargebacks: many adult chargebacks result from cardholders wanting to hide purchases from partners or family members reviewing statements. Discreet billing can reduce chargebacks by 30-50%. We work with you to create appropriate descriptors that satisfy card network requirements (descriptors can't be misleading) while maintaining privacy.

We apply a 15% rolling reserve during the initial 6-month period, held for 180 days on a rolling basis. This is standard for high-risk sectors with elevated chargeback potential and protects against dispute losses. After 6 months of clean trading history (chargebacks below 1.5%, no compliance issues), we review for reserve reduction, typically to 10% initially, with potential for further reduction or elimination for established merchants with excellent metrics. The reserve remains your money and is released on schedule.

Adult transactions face elevated chargeback rates (1.5-2%) primarily due to 'friendly fraud': legitimate purchasers disputing charges to hide activity or reclaim discretionary spending. Bridge Pay provides comprehensive chargeback management: discreet billing (reduces chargebacks 30-50%), real-time alerts for rapid response, adult-specific dispute response templates, integration with prevention services (Verifi, Ethoca), and a dispute kit for complex cases. The kit also lists the practices that reduce chargebacks: clear purchase confirmations, membership management and responsive customer service.

Absolutely: subscription billing is core to many adult business models. Bridge Pay supports flexible recurring billing including: monthly/annual subscriptions, tiered membership levels, pay-per-view alongside subscriptions, usage-based billing, and trial periods with automatic conversion. Our API provides subscription management, dunning for failed payments, and webhook notifications for subscription events. We also support one-click purchasing for returning customers (with appropriate authentication) to reduce checkout friction.

We do not accept any content involving minors (real or depicted), non-consensual content, bestiality, extreme violence, or content illegal in the UK/EU. All performers must be verified as 18+ with documented consent. Deepfake/synthetic adult content involving real individuals without consent is prohibited. Our terms of service provide detailed content guidelines, and we require merchants to implement content moderation procedures. Violations result in immediate account termination. We evaluate edge cases individually, if you're uncertain whether your content qualifies, contact us before applying.

Yes, we support split payment and payout functionality for platforms with creator ecosystems. You can configure automatic revenue splits (e.g., 80% to creator, 20% platform fee) with payouts to creators via bank transfer, PayPal, or other methods. Our API supports payout scheduling, minimum thresholds, and tax documentation requirements. For platforms with large creator bases, we can discuss volume terms and payout infrastructure optimization. This is particularly relevant for OnlyFans-style subscription platforms.

The UK Online Safety Act imposes duties on platforms hosting user-generated content, including age verification requirements for pornographic content. Ofcom guidance continues developing, but robust age assurance will be required: likely document or biometric verification rather than just date-of-birth entry. The EU Digital Services Act requires platforms to implement measures protecting minors, with specific obligations for 'very large platforms.' Both regulations increase compliance requirements but don't prohibit adult content. Bridge Pay requires age verification infrastructure as part of merchant approval and checks it against evolving requirements during file review. Platforms serving UK/EU users should implement robust verification now rather than waiting for enforcement.