How underwriters evaluate your website

Underwriters review your website as part of your merchant account application. They focus on three areas: card scheme compliance, user experience, and traffic.

Card scheme website requirements

The first thing an underwriter checks is whether your website meets card scheme website requirements. This includes the information you display across your site, your Terms & Conditions, Privacy Policy, Contact Us page, and checkout. If your website does not meet these requirements, your acquirer will ask you to make changes before approving your application.

User experience

Underwriters browse your website as a potential customer would. They check that the commercial mechanics make sense. Acquirers process hundreds of applications and know what a legitimate, functioning business looks like.

To pass this check, your website should provide a strong customer experience. Make sure your product or service descriptions are clear and detailed. Explain the materials, dimensions, and specifications of your products. Let customers easily select different sizes, colours, and variants. Show pricing, taxes, and fees before checkout, and provide realistic delivery estimates.

If you sell across the EEA or internationally, underwriters will also expect your website to match the markets you target. This means offering multi-currency support, applying the correct VAT treatment by region, showing accurate shipping constraints, and displaying terms and conditions that reflect local regulatory requirements.

A well-designed, thoughtfully structured website shows that your operation is credible and that you understand your business and your customers.

Traffic evaluation

Underwriters use external tools, including Similarweb, SEMrush, Ahrefs, and Webshield, to independently verify your website traffic and digital footprint. If you project significant sales volumes, they will expect digital evidence that supports that scale. You do not need to show huge traffic numbers to get approved but you do need to show that your traffic sources are real.

To support this, prepare evidence of your customer acquisition activity, such as invoices or screenshots from paid advertising campaigns, copies of affiliate agreements if relevant, or a brief explanation of your SEO strategy. Presenting your marketing approach clearly removes ambiguity for the underwriter and strengthens your application.

Not sure if your website is ready? Visit our website and chat with our team for a free compliance review before you apply.