Glossary

Rolling reserve

A rolling reserve is a share of volume that the provider temporarily holds back as protection against chargebacks and refunds.

With a rolling reserve the provider withholds a percentage of every payment — for example 5–10% — and releases it after an agreed period, usually 90–180 days. The reserve rolls: each day the amount held on the matching day in the past is released.

It is not a fee — the money comes back. But it is out of your working capital, which matters for a fast-growing business. Reserves are most often required from new merchants without processing history and from high-risk niches.

Reserve terms are negotiable: the percentage can drop after a few clean months or be replaced with a fixed deposit.

Calculate your processing cost →

Related terms

ChargebackA chargeback is a forced reversal of a payment initiated by the buyer's bank when the customer disputes a t…High-risk merchantA high-risk merchant is a business that banks and providers classify as elevated risk due to chargebacks, r…SettlementSettlement is the transfer of funds for accepted payments to the merchant, minus fees, reserve and refunds.

Payments glossary →

Can't find your GEO?

Submit a request — an operator will check providers that are not yet listed in the public catalog.

Get matched