Update: WhatBoysWant Facing Payment Problems

Dear Friends,

I’m heartbroken to share some devastating news. WorldLine NV/SA (Mastercard/Visa) has terminated our merchant account, citing that our business doesn’t align with their risk appetite and could impact their reputation. Despite our low chargeback and fraud rates, they’ve provided no clear explanation for this decision.

As a result, we will no longer be able to accept payments after January 31, 2026, which threatens the survival of WhatBoysWant.

I’m actively exploring every possible solution to keep our site running. I’ll keep you updated on any progress and appreciate your support during this challenging time.

UPDATE: I'm in discussions with a company working on a solution for our payment issues, and I'm hopeful they'll resolve it.

Yours,

Frans

Surely there are numerous other providers of financial services? Who do other porn sites use? Who does Onlyfans use, for example?

Quote:

Originally posted by darkstar001

Surely there are numerous other providers of financial services? Who do other porn sites use? Who does Onlyfans use, for example?

WorldLine is one of the few in Europe accepting Visa/Mastercard for adult industry transactions. After over 20 years of service, they’ve abruptly decided to terminate our merchant account. I hope there are other options, but the situation currently looks grim.

This hits me hard, I’m at risk of losing everything since I can no longer cover my bills. I am already scaling a lot of stuff down.

Frans, I’m really sorry to hear what happened, that’s a tough situation after so many years of hard work.
You might want to take a look at CCBill as they have long-standing experience handling payments in the adult industry and support both Visa and Mastercard.

Can we pay you by Pay Pal, or some other means?

This will truly be a sad sad day!!!

Well that sucks. I hope you are able to figure something out (and keep your sanity).

I’m not an expert in this by any means, but here’s what I know, fwiw:

OnlyFans primarily uses Stripe, but that isn’t really an option here since adult content is generally never processed on Stripe besides OnlyFans. OF is an exception due to the size of that business

Corepay is registered in both the US and Europe and would probably be where I would start.

PayPal doesn’t touch adult content, so that one is out.

CC Bill and Verotel both process payments for adult sites, but my understanding is that the fees are higher than others.

OnlyFans also uses Merrick and Harris, but I don’t know anything about either place.

Very sad news. But if anybody can find a way, Diz can.

Quote:

Originally posted by saycheese.

Frans, I’m really sorry to hear what happened, that’s a tough situation after so many years of hard work.
You might want to take a look at CCBill as they have long-standing experience handling payments in the adult industry and support both Visa and Mastercard.

I'm considering them as an alternative, but their fees are quite high, mainly due to the elevated chargeback and fraud rates typical of most adult sites. This is an issue WhatBoysWant doesn't face, assuming they accept WhatBoysWant as a customer.

Quote:

Originally posted by Southernboy10

Can we pay you by Pay Pal, or some other means?

I've occasionally used PayPal for users experiencing issues with credit card payments on here.

Quote:

Originally posted by dariusslay

Well that sucks. I hope you are able to figure something out (and keep your sanity).

I’m not an expert in this by any means, but here’s what I know, fwiw:

OnlyFans primarily uses Stripe, but that isn’t really an option here since adult content is generally never processed on Stripe besides OnlyFans. OF is an exception due to the size of that business

Corepay is registered in both the US and Europe and would probably be where I would start.

PayPal doesn’t touch adult content, so that one is out.

CC Bill and Verotel both process payments for adult sites, but my understanding is that the fees are higher than others.

OnlyFans also uses Merrick and Harris, but I don’t know anything about either place.

To be honest, I'm at a breaking point right now. I'm doing my best to stay positive, but it's a struggle to keep myself together and sane.

If WhatBoysWant were making around $100k a month, switching would be easy, but we only hit about ~10% of that on a good month. Our Payment Service Provider informed me they're seeking a new acquirer, as 60% of their clients received the same termination letter.

Major payment processors like PayPal and Stripe only accept adult businesses with very high revenue, which is why large adult sites can use them.

I'm exploring CorePay, CCBill, and Verotel as options. Any additional suggestions are greatly appreciated!

Thank you so much for your input and help with recommendations.

Quote:

Originally posted by DEMO

This will truly be a sad sad day!!!

Absolutely, my friend...

Quote:

Originally posted by exocet

Very sad news. But if anybody can find a way, Diz can.

I desperately wish that were true and I could find a solution. I'm exhausted, broken, and haven't had any time for myself in far too long...

Well, we would be very sad to see the site cclose but if it is best for your sanity, then maybe you should quit?
That said, to quote Joni Mitchell, "You only know what you got once its gone" and so losing your excellent site may make users more willing to pay a bit more if you get hit with higher charges in the event you continue.

Crowdfunding as well maybe? No doubt hypocrisy will always make life for adult services difficult!

Quote:

Originally posted by Southernboy10

Well, we would be very sad to see the site cclose but if it is best for your sanity, then maybe you should quit?
That said, to quote Joni Mitchell, "You only know what you got once its gone" and so losing your excellent site may make users more willing to pay a bit more if you get hit with higher charges in the event you continue.

Crowdfunding as well maybe? No doubt hypocrisy will always make life for adult services difficult!

My stress isn't just from work, it's the current circumstances piling up, and I haven't had a vacation in nearly six years.

I've been discussing about this issue with friends and industry contacts, and I'm determined to apply to every payment service provider I can find.

what is the monthly operating cost without profit/etc? Like to keep it running, payment system or no......

Can you switch to mainly crypto rails? I think there are different stable coin integrations or just accept BTC, ETH, SOL directly. Can't be deplatformed with permissionless payment platforms. This is litterally a perfect example of why public blockchains are so important when payment processors act as morality police.

Quote:

Originally posted by Southernboy10

Can we pay you by Pay Pal, or some other means?

Pay pal charges a higher % than the majority of processors - somewhere around 4% per transaction plus other fees. Some options come up when I search for "process credit cards for adult content in Europe" - Tipalti - Segpay - AllSecure - etc ..

Quote:

Originally posted by donottrackmeplease

Can you switch to mainly crypto rails? I think there are different stable coin integrations or just accept BTC, ETH, SOL directly. Can't be deplatformed with permissionless payment platforms. This is litterally a perfect example of why public blockchains are so important when payment processors act as morality police.

You are correct, I do believe this is one of the exact things crypto was meant to do, fast payments and very low fees

What can we do to help??