Double Glazing Merchant Accounts: The Ultimate Guide

Double Glazing Merchant Accounts and Payment Processing

Double glazing companies have a very different payment profile from ordinary retailers.

A customer may agree a contract worth several thousand pounds, pay a deposit today and then wait weeks for:

• Survey
• Manufacture
• Delivery
• Installation
• Snagging
• Final completion

During that period, the payment provider is exposed to a transaction for goods and services that have not yet been fully delivered.

That is one of the main reasons double glazing and other installed home-improvement businesses can face more detailed merchant-account underwriting.

The challenge becomes greater where the business:

• Takes large deposits
• Has long manufacturing lead times
• Processes high-value card transactions
• Offers consumer finance
• Takes payments in customers’ homes
• Uses staged payments
• Has significant outstanding orders
• Experiences cancellations or installation disputes
• Processes substantial monthly card volumes

For established installers, there is another question too:

Does the merchant account agreed when the business was smaller still make commercial sense today?

This guide explains how double glazing merchant accounts work, what acquirers examine and how businesses can improve payment processes without compromising customer protection.

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Quick answer: Can double glazing companies get merchant accounts?

Yes.

Double glazing, window and home-improvement companies can obtain merchant accounts, card terminals and payment gateways.

However, acquiring providers may apply more detailed underwriting because of:

• High average transaction values
• Deposits taken before fulfilment
• Made-to-measure products
• Long installation lead times
• Consumer cancellation issues
• Chargebacks
• Warranty and remedial work
• Business failure risk
• Consumer finance
• Large undelivered order books

The provider will normally want to understand the complete order and payment journey, rather than simply the company’s monthly card turnover.

Why do acquiring banks consider double glazing higher risk?

Imagine a company takes £500,000 of customer deposits during a month.

Only £100,000 of that month’s work has actually been installed.

From an acquiring perspective, the important figure is not simply:

“This merchant processes £500,000 per month.”

There may also be significant future-delivery exposure sitting behind those transactions.

If the business stopped trading before the remaining installations were completed, customers could seek refunds or challenge card payments, making double glazing companies higher risk.

This is why underwriters may examine:

• Deposits held
• Value of outstanding orders
• Average time from payment to installation
• Percentage paid before manufacture
• Supplier commitments
• Financial position
• Refund history
• Chargeback history

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MAS insight: Monthly card turnover does not tell the whole story

Two double glazing businesses processing exactly the same card volume can present completely different acquiring risks.

Business A

• Takes a 10% deposit
• Installs within three weeks
• Takes most of the balance after installation
• Has strong cash reserves
• Low chargebacks

Business B

• Takes 75% upfront
• Installs after 12 weeks
• Uses customer deposits to fund manufacturing
• Has a large outstanding order book
• Higher cancellations

The acquiring exposure is completely different.

This is why a strong double glazing merchant-account application should explain when the customer pays relative to when the work is completed.

The typical double glazing payment journey

The exact process differs between installers, but a typical transaction may involve:

1. Quotation

The customer receives a quotation for:

• Windows
• Doors
• Conservatory
• Installation
• Additional building work

2. Contract

Specifications and contractual terms are agreed.

3. Initial deposit

The customer pays an amount to secure the order.

4. Survey

Final measurements and technical requirements are confirmed.

5. Manufacturing

The windows or doors are manufactured to specification.

6. Further staged payment

Some businesses collect an additional amount after survey or when manufacture begins.

7. Installation

The goods are delivered and fitted.

8. Final payment

The remaining balance is collected after installation or another agreed milestone.

From a payment-underwriting perspective, this is much more informative than simply describing the company as:

“a window installer.”

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Deposits: one of the most important underwriting questions

Taking a deposit is normal in home improvement.

But the size of the deposit can materially affect merchant-account underwriting.

A provider may ask:

• What percentage is taken upfront?
• What is the average deposit?
• What is the largest deposit?
• How long until installation?
• Is a further payment taken before manufacture?
• When is the final balance collected?
• What happens if the customer cancels?
• Is the deposit refundable?
• How much customer money is held against unfinished work?

A company processing £200,000 per month with a 10% deposit structure can look very different from one collecting almost the entire contract value before work begins.

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Deposits should also reflect fair consumer terms

Consumer contract terms should not simply state that every deposit is automatically non-refundable.

Government guidance says businesses should not rely on unfair cancellation terms and that keeping a deposit or charging for cancellation should broadly reflect the losses caused by the cancellation rather than act as an excessive penalty. 

This is one reason underwriters may examine:

• Terms and conditions
• Cancellation policy
• Refund policy
• Customer contract

rather than simply the merchant statement.

Made-to-measure windows and cancellation rights

Double glazing has an important distinction because windows and doors are often manufactured specifically for an individual property.

Under the Consumer Contracts Regulations, the usual cancellation provisions for distance and off-premises contracts do not apply in the same way to goods made to the consumer’s specifications or clearly personalised. The regulations specifically contain this exception, and government reporting has cited made-to-measure double glazing as an example. 

However, businesses should not translate that into:

“Customers can never cancel a double glazing contract.”

A contract may involve both goods and installation services, and consumers can have other contractual and statutory rights.

The precise position can depend on:

• Where the contract was agreed
• Whether goods are genuinely made to measure
• Whether work has started
• Whether services are included
• Whether the trader has breached the contract
• Whether cancellation terms are fair

Home-improvement businesses should ensure their contracts have been professionally reviewed rather than relying on a generic “non-refundable deposit” clause.

Staged payments can reduce exposure - if they reflect genuine milestones

For larger installations, staged payments can sometimes make commercial sense.

For example:

10% order deposit → 30% after survey/manufacture → 60% following installation

The exact percentages will vary.

From an acquiring perspective, a genuine staged-payment structure can help demonstrate that the business does not collect the entire contract value months before delivery.

However, there is an important distinction between:

genuine milestone payments

and:

splitting one transaction into several card payments simply to avoid an authorisation limit or acquiring control.

The latter can create significant problems.

The merchant should disclose its genuine payment structure to the acquiring provider and ensure the account is configured for the way payments are actually taken.

Taking deposits remotely

Double glazing sales often happen in the customer’s home.

Historically, an installer might:

• Take card details over the telephone
• Enter them into a virtual terminal
• Process the transaction as MOTO

That may still be appropriate in some circumstances.

But another option is a secure payment link.

The salesperson or office can send the customer a link by:

• SMS
• Email

The customer then enters their own payment information into a secure checkout.

Depending on the provider and transaction, this can allow:

• 3D Secure authentication
• Digital receipts
• Cleaner transaction evidence
• Less card information handled by staff
• Easier reconciliation against the job

For high-value transactions, that can be a better customer journey than reading card details over the telephone.

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Taking payments in the customer's home

Some installers prefer a physical card terminal.

A portable or mobile terminal can allow:

• Deposit collection following a home visit
• Balance collection after installation
• Chip and PIN
• Contactless payments within applicable limits
• Digital or printed receipts

However, the business should consider when it genuinely wants to take payment.

Collecting the final balance immediately before an installation team leaves may be commercially efficient, but customer complaints can arise where:

• Work is unfinished
• Snagging remains
• Damage is alleged
• The wrong specification was fitted

The payment process should align with the customer contract and completion procedure.

High-value card payments and declines

Large card transactions can behave differently from ordinary retail purchases.

A legitimate customer trying to pay several thousand pounds may still experience a decline because of:

• Issuer fraud controls
• Available credit
• Card limits
• Authentication issues
• Unusual spending pattern

A decline does not automatically mean the merchant should repeatedly try the card.

A better process may involve:

• Reviewing the decline response
• Asking the customer to contact their issuer
• Sending an authenticated payment link
• Agreeing another legitimate payment method
• Retrying only where appropriate

For installers processing large balances, payment acceptance can be just as important as the headline merchant rate.

Credit cards and Section 75

High-value home improvements have another important consideration: Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act.

For qualifying credit-card purchases costing more than £100 and up to £30,000, the credit-card provider can have joint liability with the supplier for certain breaches of contract or misrepresentation.

Importantly, the protection can potentially apply even where the customer only pays part of the purchase — such as a deposit — using the credit card. 

For example, a customer might pay:

£500 deposit on credit card

towards a:

£10,000 window installation

and pay the remainder another way.

Subject to the relevant requirements being met, Section 75 protection may still be relevant to the qualifying purchase. 

Section 75 is separate from a card-scheme chargeback.

But from a wider payments-risk perspective, it helps explain why acquirers pay close attention to high-value, future-delivery industries.

Consumer finance for double glazing and home improvements

Many home-improvement businesses also offer customers finance.

This is separate from the merchant account.

Where the company introduces consumers to third-party finance, it needs to understand whether it is carrying on regulated credit-broking activity and what FCA permissions are required.

This is particularly important for businesses selling in customers’ homes.

The FCA's current guidance says that a firm whose secondary activity is credit broking for its own goods or services may qualify for Limited Permission in certain circumstances — but that route does not apply in the same way where the business is a domestic premises supplier, meaning the sale of the goods or services takes place while physically present in the customer's home. Such firms may require Full Permission depending on their activities. 

The rules changed further in July 2026 for certain Deferred Payment Credit arrangements, so businesses should establish their own regulatory position rather than assume an older finance setup remains correct. 

The payment provider may therefore ask:

• Does the company offer finance?
• Who is the lender?
• Is the installer a broker?
• What FCA status does it have?
• When does the customer pay a card deposit?
• Which parts of the contract are financed?

Payment processing and consumer finance should be considered together.

What documentation will a double glazing acquirer request?

Requirements vary, but businesses should be prepared to provide more than a Companies House number.

Business information

This may include:

• Company registration
• Directors and beneficial owners
• Trading history
• Bank statements
• Financial accounts
• Management accounts
• Trading addresses

Processing information

Providers may ask for:

• Existing merchant statements
• Monthly card turnover
• Number of transactions
• Average transaction value
• Maximum transaction value
• Chargeback levels
• Refund levels
• Current reserve
• Current settlement terms

Order information

This can be particularly important.

The acquirer may want to understand:

• Average contract value
• Typical deposit
• Maximum deposit
• Installation lead time
• Payment stages
• Outstanding order-book value
• Percentage of work completed versus paid for
• Cancellation rates

Customer documentation

Expect scrutiny of:

• Customer contract
• Terms and conditions
• Deposit wording
• Cancellation policy
• Refund process
• Warranty
• Complaints procedure

Finance

Where consumer finance is offered:

• FCA status
• Finance partner
• Broking arrangement
• How finance interacts with deposits

may also form part of the review.

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MAS insight: The undelivered order book can matter more than one month's turnover

This is one of the biggest differences between double glazing and ordinary retail.

Suppose a merchant processes:

£300,000 this month.

That sounds attractive.

But an acquirer may then discover:

• £1.2m of orders are still awaiting installation
• Deposits have already been collected
• Average lead time is 12 weeks
• Suppliers require significant upfront payments

The risk decision changes.

A strong merchant application should therefore be able to explain:

How much customer money have we collected for work that has not yet been completed?

and:

Do we have the financial resources to fulfil those orders?

Established companies with strong balance sheets and a history of successful installation may be able to demonstrate this much more comfortably than a newly launched installer.

Rolling reserves

Double glazing businesses can be asked to maintain a rolling or fixed reserve.

The provider may consider:

• Future-delivery exposure
• Deposit levels
• Financial strength
• Trading history
• Refunds
• Chargebacks
• Installation lead times
• Current order book

A reserve is not simply an additional processing fee.

It affects cash flow.

For example, a business with substantial card turnover could have significant amounts of working capital unavailable if a percentage of every transaction is held for several months.

An established merchant should therefore understand:

• Reserve percentage
• Holding period
• Reserve cap
• Release schedule
• Circumstances in which the reserve can change

Established installer? Your reserve may be worth reviewing

A business may have accepted a large reserve when it:

• Was newly established
• Had limited processing history
• Had weaker financial information
• Had higher refund levels

Several years later it may have:

• Substantial turnover
• Strong accounts
• Low chargebacks
• Mature installation processes
• A long processing history

That does not guarantee the provider will reduce the reserve.

But it can justify asking whether the original security arrangement still reflects the current business.

Chargebacks in double glazing

Common dispute scenarios can include:

• Installation not completed
• Goods not received
• Goods or services not as described
• Faulty installation
• Deposit dispute
• Customer cancellation
• Refund not processed
• Transaction not recognised
• Duplicate payment

For high-value home improvements, a single dispute can represent thousands of pounds.

Good documentation becomes essential.

What evidence should installers keep?

Useful evidence can include:

• Signed quotation
• Customer contract
• Survey
• Measurements
• Product specifications
• Colour and finish
• Changes requested by customer
• Deposit receipt
• Payment milestones
• Delivery confirmation
• Installation records
• Photographs
• Completion sign-off
• Customer communications
• Snagging record
• Remedial work
• Warranty correspondence
• Refund documentation

This is particularly important where a customer alleges that:

“the windows weren't what I ordered”

or:

“the job was never completed.”

The strongest chargeback response is normally built from records created during the job — not reconstructed after the dispute arrives.

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Snagging and remedial work can affect payment disputes

Double glazing disputes are not always binary.

An installation can be substantially complete while still requiring:

• Adjustment
• Replacement pane
• Sealing work
• Trim
• Door alignment
• Cosmetic repairs

A merchant should have a clear process for:

1. Recording the issue
2. Agreeing remedial work
3. Scheduling attendance
4. Recording completion
5. Communicating with the customer

Poor handling of a relatively minor snagging issue can escalate into a high-value payment dispute.

Warranty claims are different from chargebacks

Customers may have long warranties on:

• Frames
• Glass
• Hardware
• Installation

That does not mean every later warranty problem should automatically result in a refund or chargeback.

Businesses should clearly distinguish:

• Installation defect
• Warranty claim
• Routine adjustment
• Customer damage
• Cancellation
• Payment dispute

A clear aftercare process can reduce unnecessary escalation.

High-turnover double glazing businesses: payments become strategic

For an installer processing significant card volumes, the merchant account should eventually become more than an approval question.

The business should understand:

• Effective transaction cost
• Deposit processing
• Payment-link costs
• Card-terminal costs
• Reserve
• Settlement
• High-value authorisation performance
• Chargebacks
• Job reconciliation
• Finance
• Whether existing pricing still reflects its scale

At this point, the question becomes:

“Is our payment setup still appropriate for the size of company we've become?”

Processing £100k+ per month? Review the whole arrangement

An installer processing £100,000, £250,000 or considerably more each month may be able to justify a wider payment review.

That does not mean simply looking for the provider advertising the lowest percentage.

MAS would look at areas including:

Effective processing cost

What does the business actually pay after:

• Percentage fees
• Fixed transaction charges
• Gateway fees
• Terminal rental
• Authorisation fees
• PCI charges
• Refund charges
• Chargeback fees

Card mix

Are customers mainly paying using:

• Consumer debit
• Consumer credit
• Commercial cards
• International cards

Reserve

How much cash is tied up?

Settlement

How quickly does the business receive funds?

Transaction structure

How much is collected:

• At order
• After survey
• Before manufacture
• At installation
• On completion

Authorisation performance

Are legitimate high-value card transactions being declined?

Payment technology

Would secure payment links or integrated job-management payments improve the process?

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Reporting

Can every deposit and balance be reconciled against the correct customer and installation?

MAS insight: For high-turnover installers, reducing fees is only one opportunity

A cheaper rate is valuable.

But an installer could save money in several other ways:

• Lower reserve
• Faster settlement
• Lower payment-link or gateway costs
• Better terminal pricing
• Better high-value payment acceptance
• Reduced chargebacks
• More automated reconciliation
• Better integration between payments and job-management software

At meaningful scale, these can be as important as a small change in the acquiring percentage.

Switching double glazing merchant accounts

An established installer may have considerably more negotiating power than it had when the account was first opened.

A review may make sense where:

• Turnover has increased
• Processing history is strong
• Chargebacks are low
• The provider has increased pricing
• A large reserve remains
• Settlement is slow
• Card-terminal costs are high
• The business now takes more remote payments
• The gateway is outdated
• The merchant is approaching contract renewal

But there is one important rule:

Do not cancel the existing account until the replacement provider has completed underwriting.

Double glazing is not a sector where a salesperson's initial quotation should be treated as approval.

The new provider should understand:

• Deposit structure
• Lead times
• Average contract value
• Order book
• Finance arrangements
• Chargeback history

before the existing service is terminated.

Use your Card Payments Summary Box when comparing costs

Established merchants may have access to a Card Payments Summary Box containing useful information about current pricing and commercial terms.

For a switching review, MAS would ideally look at:

Card Payments Summary Box + three recent merchant statements

alongside information about:

• Average order value
• Deposit structure
• Lead time
• Reserve
• Settlement

This allows the payment cost and the underwriting exposure to be considered together.

What about IC++ pricing?

Higher-volume installers may also want to understand whether their current pricing structure remains appropriate.

IC++ pricing separates elements such as:

• Interchange
• Card-scheme fees
• Acquirer margin

This can offer greater transparency than a simple blended rate.

But IC++ is not automatically cheaper.

A fair comparison should use the merchant’s real card profile.

Payment links for final balances

Payment links can also work well for final balances.

For example:

1. Installation team confirms completion
2. Office generates the final invoice
3. Customer receives a secure payment request
4. Customer completes payment online
5. Payment automatically reconciles against the job

This can avoid:

• Taking card numbers by phone
• Waiting for a bank transfer reference
• Manual payment matching

For higher-value balances, the customer may still need to deal with an issuer decline or limit, so there should be a clear process rather than repeated card attempts.

Bank payments and open banking

Card does not have to be the only way customers settle large balances.

Some businesses may also use:

• Bank transfer
• Pay by Bank/open-banking payments

Account-to-account payments can be particularly useful for large final balances.

The payment mix should be designed around:

• Customer preference
• Cost
• Reconciliation
• Consumer protection
• Finance
• Operational requirements

rather than forcing every installation through one payment method.

Multiple acquiring providers

Not every double glazing company needs more than one merchant account.

For a large national or multi-brand installer, however, a second properly underwritten relationship may sometimes provide resilience.

The purpose should be legitimate operational continuity.

Multiple accounts should never be used to:

• Hide turnover
• Conceal chargebacks
• Avoid volume limits
• Circumvent a reserve
• Route transactions rejected by another provider

Each acquirer should understand the business it is processing.

What happens if a double glazing merchant account is declined?

Do not immediately apply everywhere.

First establish the reason.

It could be:

• Provider does not support the sector
• Deposits too high
• Lead times too long
• Weak financial position
• New business
• Excessive chargebacks
• Large future-delivery exposure
• Poor website or customer contracts
• Unclear finance arrangements
• Previous termination

The correct response depends on the reason.

A provider with no appetite for double glazing is very different from an acquirer declining because the merchant has £2 million of unfunded outstanding orders.

What if the merchant account has been terminated?

The first step is again to understand why.

Collect:

• Termination correspondence
• Merchant statements
• Chargeback reports
• Reserve information
• Outstanding order information
• Financial information
• Current contracts

A replacement provider will normally want an honest explanation.

MAS also has a separate guide to terminated merchant accounts and replacement processing.

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Wider home-improvement businesses

Many of the same payment issues affect businesses selling other high-value installed products, including:

• Doors
• Conservatories
• Orangeries
• Roofing
• Garage doors
• Built-in home improvements

However, each sector has its own payment and fulfilment profile.

For example, MAS maintains separate guidance for areas such as:

• Kitchens and bathrooms
• Solar installations

rather than assuming every home-improvement business should be underwritten identically.

What should you compare between providers?

Sector appetite

Does the acquirer knowingly support double glazing?

Deposit limits

Is the proposed deposit structure acceptable?

Lead times

Does the provider understand the manufacturing and installation period?

Monthly processing limits

Can the account support expected growth?

Maximum transaction size

Large balances should be disclosed.

Pricing

Compare:

• Transaction percentage
• Fixed transaction cost
• Gateway fees
• Terminal charges
• Refund fees
• Chargeback fees

Reserve

Understand:

• Percentage
• Cap
• Holding period
• Release process

Settlement

When will funds arrive?

Payment methods

Does the provider support:

• Card terminals
• Ecommerce
• Payment links
• MOTO where required
• Digital wallets

Reporting

Can deposits and final payments be matched to the same job?

Contract

Check:

• Minimum term
• Notice
• Exit fees
• Hardware agreements

How Merchant Advice Service helps double glazing businesses

Merchant Advice Service helps businesses with more complex payment requirements understand their options.

New double glazing merchant accounts

MAS can review:

• Business history
• Turnover
• Deposits
• Lead times
• Transaction values
• Payment methods
• Financial information

before considering potential acquiring routes.

Established installers reviewing costs

For businesses already processing cards, recent merchant statements can help identify:

• Actual processing cost
• Gateway charges
• Terminal fees
• Reserve
• Settlement
• Pricing model

High-turnover installers

For businesses processing significant volumes, MAS can also consider:

• High-value authorisation performance
• Payment links
• Staged payments
• Reporting
• Reconciliation
• Reserves
• Payment architecture

Switching providers

Existing processing history can make it easier to understand how another provider may view the business.

The new facility should be approved and tested before the old one is closed.

Declined applications

Where another provider has said no, understanding the reason is useful before another application is made.

Terminated accounts

MAS may help businesses understand what replacement providers are likely to examine.

Final approval, pricing and reserve terms remain with the acquiring provider.

What should you send MAS?

A useful initial enquiry includes:

• Company name
• Website
• Years trading
• Monthly card turnover
• Average order value
• Maximum order value
• Deposit percentage
• Typical installation lead time
• How remaining balances are collected
• Current payment provider
• Current gateway or terminals
• Chargeback rate
• Refund rate
• Current reserve
• Previous declines or terminations
• Whether consumer finance is offered

High-turnover installer?

Where possible, also provide:

• Three recent merchant statements
• Card Payments Summary Box
• Number of monthly transactions
• Card mix
• Settlement period
• Outstanding order-book value
• Current reserve balance
• Typical deposit-to-completion timeline
• Main reason for reviewing the account

That helps MAS determine whether the opportunity is primarily:

lower processing cost, better cash flow, better payment technology, reduced reserve — or a combination of all four.

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What happens after contacting MAS?

MAS will normally first try to understand:

1. What the business sells
2. How much each job is worth
3. How customers pay
4. How much is taken before installation
5. How long fulfilment takes
6. Current processing history
7. Chargeback and refund profile
8. Financial position where relevant
9. Payment technology
10. What the merchant wants to improve

For high-turnover businesses, the review may also include:

• Current processing cost
• Reserve exposure
• Settlement
• High-value declines
• Gateway or terminal fees
• Payment-link use
• Reconciliation

Where a suitable route exists, MAS may introduce the business to an appropriate payment provider or specialist partner.

This article provides general payments information and does not constitute legal, consumer-credit or regulatory advice. Consumer rights, cancellation terms and finance permissions depend on the specific contract and business model. Businesses should obtain appropriate professional advice where required.