Why merchants choose FirstRound
The smarter way
to get paid.
Instant settlement. Lower fees. Zero chargebacks. Built for businesses that move fast and keep their margins.
~3 seconds
to settle
No multi-day holds or weekend delays. Funds land in your account almost immediately.
Up to 97%
lower fees
Replace 2.9% + 30¢ card economics with FirstRound's flat network fee — the savings are dramatic.
Zero
chargebacks
Payments are final once settled, removing the fraud and dispute overhead of cards.
100%
your funds
Non-custodial by design — your money is never pooled, lent, or held by a third party.
How it works
Simple for everyone.
Powerful for business.
From customer tap to merchant payout — three steps, a few seconds. No bank holds, no chargebacks, no waiting.
First Round Payments cut our fees by more than half. Setup was easy, and our customers love how fast it is.
Marcus T.
CEO, Boutique Retail · Detroit
Customer pays
A customer pays at checkout — in-store, online, or by invoice — in the currency they already use.
Network settles
The FirstRound network clears and confirms the transaction in seconds over a non-custodial rail.
You receive
Funds land in your merchant account. You hold the keys — FirstRound never takes custody of your money.
Fee savings
See what you'd stop paying in card fees.
Estimate based on a flat 0.1% network fee versus typical card processing of 2.9% + $0.30per transaction.
$50,000
You'd save · 97% lower
$1,733/ month
≈ $20,800 per year
Estimate only. Actual fees depend on transaction mix, average ticket size, and verified merchant terms. Fees can be further reduced by participating in capital commitment programs.
How to get started
From application to live payments in four steps.
01
Apply
Tell us about your business. Takes a few minutes — no technical setup required to start.
02
Get verified
We run business verification (KYC) and AML checks, typically cleared within a couple of business days.
03
Integrate
Drop in our checkout, generate a payment QR, or send your first invoice. SDKs and a hosted option are available.
04
Go live
Start accepting payments and settling in seconds. Track everything from your merchant dashboard.
Ecosystem · Powered by $FOR
The rail runs quietly in the background.
$FOR is the network asset behind FirstRound's infrastructure. As a merchant, you price and collect in the currencies you already use — the network handles clearing automatically, keeping fees low and settlement fast.
- Network clears and confirms transactions in seconds
- No token management required on the merchant side
- Designed to keep processing costs far below card-network rates
You set the price
$128.40
You receive
$127.37
Apply to become a merchant
Start your application.
Tell us about your business. There's no cost to apply, and most verifications clear within a couple of business days.
- No technical setup to apply
- KYB / AML handled during onboarding
- A specialist will reach out with next steps