Pay-by-Bank vs Stripe: Which Is Safer for High-Risk Shopify UK Sellers?

Pay-by-Bank / Blog / Pay-by-Bank vs Stripe: Which Is Safer for High-Risk Shopify UK Sellers?

Stripe is a globally trusted name in online payments—but for high-risk Shopify sellers in the UK, it often creates more problems than it solves: compliance bottlenecks, frozen funds, and chargeback exposure.

This guide compares Stripe’s traditional risk model to Pay-by-Bank technology and explains why Wall ID—a UK FCA-regulated provider—is a safer, more reliable alternative for regulated industries.

Key Takeaways:

Stripe treats high-risk verticals like CBD, vape, or supplements as liabilities.
Card-based models are vulnerable to fraud and chargebacks.
Stripe often delays payouts or shuts down high-risk stores without notice.
Pay-by-Bank eliminates chargebacks and enables instant settlements.
Wall ID is a secure, FCA-regulated Shopify Payments alternative designed for high-risk sellers in the UK.

What Makes a Category 'High Risk' in Shopify Payments

Shopify and mainstream processors like Stripe often label industries as 'high risk' when they involve:

Regulatory complexity (CBD, supplements, adult products)
Age restrictions (vape, alcohol, adult)
Higher chargeback likelihood (subscriptions, misunderstood products)

Even if your product is legal in the UK, it may still be banned under card processor rules, leading to account closures and cash flow disruption.

Stripe relies on a card network model built around consumer protections ,not merchant stability. While this makes sense for everyday ecommerce, it breaks down for regulated categories.

Common Stripe issues for high-risk merchants:

Frozen payouts or rolling reserves
Revenue losses due to chargebacks weeks after delivery
Account suspensions for legal but restricted products (CBD, vape, adult, etc.)
Slow compliance support and vague approval guidelines

For high-risk sellers, this leads to financial instability and unscalable operations.

Pay-by-Bank = Instant, Stable, Card-Free Payments

Pay-by-Bank is a card-free, push-payment method. Customers authorize payments directly from their UK bank account via secure open banking APIs.

Why this model is safer:

No chargebacks – the customer initiates the payment, so it can’t be reversed
Instant settlement – no waiting days for card networks to process
FCA-regulated – ensures compliance, encryption, and transaction oversight
Built for high-risk use cases – including CBD, vape, supplements, adult products

Stripe vs Wall ID: Key Differences for High-Risk Merchants

Feature	Stripe	Wall ID / Pay-by-Bank
Supports CBD, Vape, Adult	No	Yes
Chargebacks	Risk present	None
Payout Speed	2–7 days	Instant or ≤ 2 hours
Account Holds	Common	Never
FCA Regulated	Yes	Yes
High-Risk Friendly	Not designed for it	Built for it

Why Wall ID Is the Safer Choice for Shopify UK Stores

If you're searching for a payment gateway that's safe and reliable for high-risk products, Wall ID was built for you. Unlike traditional processors that freeze funds or block regulated categories, Wall ID enables fast, frictionless payments via Pay by Bank—without card network risks.

Wall ID is a trusted, FCA-regulated high-risk payment processor Shopify merchants can depend on:

Fully compliant with UK open banking
Instant payouts, no delays or reserves
No chargebacks or rolling freezes
Supports legally restricted verticals
Seamless Shopify integration

If you’ve ever had a Stripe payout frozen—or been blocked from Shopify Payments altogether—Wall ID offers a stable, transparent alternative.

Speakable

Stripe’s card-based system exposes Shopify sellers to chargebacks and payout delays.

Pay-by-Bank with Wall ID removes those risks—delivering instant, FCA-regulated payments built for high-risk UK stores.

If you're searching for a safe, reliable payment gateway for high-risk products like CBD, vape, or adult categories—Wall ID was built for you.

See How to Install Pay by Bank on Shopify

FAQ

Is Stripe safe for high-risk Shopify sellers?

It’s safe for low-risk industries, but not recommended for CBD, vape, or adult products due to account freeze risk.

Why is Pay-by-Bank better for regulated products?

It doesn’t rely on card networks, so there are no chargebacks or payment holds—and it's legal in the UK.

Can I use Pay-by-Bank on Shopify?

Yes—Wall ID integrates seamlessly as a Shopify payments alternative UK merchants can activate quickly.

What happens to chargebacks with Pay-by-Bank?

There are no chargebacks with Pay-by-Bank. Since the customer authorises the payment directly from their bank, it can't be reversed like a card transaction.

Is Wall ID FCA-regulated?

Yes, Wall ID is fully authorised and regulated by the UK Financial Conduct Authority, ensuring secure and compliant open banking payments.

About the Author

This article was written by the team at Wall ID, a UK-based provider of secure, FCA-regulated Pay-by-Bank solutions for high-risk Shopify merchants. With deep experience in regulated verticals like CBD, vape, nootropics, and adult products, Wall ID helps sellers overcome Stripe restrictions, avoid chargebacks, and unlock instant payments without card network risk. If you’ve faced payout freezes or account bans with Stripe, Wall ID was built to give you a safer, more scalable alternative.