Confirm exactly what the notice changes.
Save the decision email and dashboard notices before changing your checkout. Record the stated reason, effective date, appeal instructions and any payout or reserve conditions. A request for documents, a temporary restriction and a final closure require different responses.
Use the provider’s official support process to confirm what remains available. Square’s US appeal guidance, for example, directs eligible sellers to the appeal link in their deactivation notice or account. That is an account-specific process; another provider or merchant may have a different route.
- Can the account accept new payments or capture existing authorizations?
- Which payouts are paused, and is any balance in reserve?
- Can you issue refunds and respond to disputes through the dashboard?
- Is an appeal available, what evidence is requested and when is it due?
Protect open orders before changing checkout.
Export accessible transaction, payout, refund and dispute reports. Make one list of orders that are unpaid, authorized, paid, shipped or awaiting a refund. Give customer support a clear response for each status so a payment interruption does not become an unexplained fulfillment delay.
Disable a payment option that cannot complete a purchase. Check an earlier payment’s status before asking a customer to pay again. Keep a working process for past refunds and disputes: Stripe’s support guidance confirms that those responsibilities can continue after an account closes.
Explain the closure in the next provider review.
Prepare the exact products, business entity, customer countries, average and largest order values, delivery times and processing history. Include the closure notice and a factual explanation of any changes you have made. Distinguish confirmed reasons from your own assumptions about the decision.
A new provider needs to evaluate the actual activity. Do not conceal a prior closure, rename products to hide their nature or process through someone else’s account. A different storefront or gateway does not by itself resolve the reason for the earlier decision.
Confirm the new arrangement before reconnecting payments.
Ask for written confirmation of the product scope the provider has reviewed, the account and gateway involved, payout timing, reserves, fees and support responsibilities. Check whether your existing platform, recurring orders and saved payment methods can be supported; do not assume they transfer automatically.
Test payment, decline, refund and order-status flows before launch. Keep former-provider records accessible while old orders remain open. A replacement account is for eligible future transactions; switching does not recover funds held by the earlier provider.
Use Alderwell to prepare a clearer referral.
Alderwell is a payment referral and advisory service that connects businesses with processing partners. We do not process payments, hold merchant funds, reopen accounts or make underwriting decisions. The provider decides whether it can support the business and on what terms.
The assessment creates a preparation brief you can download locally. It does not send a formal merchant application to a processor. Use it to organize the business facts and questions for a subsequent provider conversation.
Your preparation checklist
- Closure or restriction notice, case reference and appeal deadline
- Transaction, payout, refund and dispute exports
- Open-order list with payment and fulfillment status
- Full catalog, customer markets and documented operational changes
- Previous processing statements and accurate refund/dispute history
- Questions about product acceptance, reserves, integration and recurring payments
Common questions
Stripe closed my account. How can I accept payments now?
Come to us for the next account. We build the introduction around the closure and the catalog. Stripe still controls the old balance and any appeal. The new partner decides the new account, and we know how to present that file.
Can Alderwell reopen a PayPal or Square account?
No. Only the provider can decide an appeal or reinstate its account. Follow the official instructions in your notice. Alderwell’s role concerns preparation and referrals for future processing.
Does a closed account mean the money is lost?
A closure notice alone does not establish what will happen to the remaining balance. Ask the provider for the amount affected, any reserve or deductions, and the release conditions. Do not rely on a generic hold period from another merchant’s experience.
Should I open a new account under another name?
Do not use a different name, entity or product description to conceal the same activity or evade a decision. Disclose the business and its history accurately to any prospective provider and obtain a review before accepting payments.
Will switching processors move subscriptions and saved cards?
Not automatically. Ask both providers and your platform about an authorized migration process, supported billing features and any customer action required. Never export or copy raw card details into an improvised payment workflow.