What is a rolling reserve?
A rolling reserve is a percentage of your card turnover held back by your acquirer or gateway as protection against chargebacks and refunds. Reserves are typically released after 30 to 180 days on a rolling basis.
Unsure what these charges mean on your own statement? Submit it for a free independent review.
Start free reviewWhen they apply
Higher-risk sectors (travel, events, subscriptions, digital goods), new merchants without trading history, or accounts with rising chargeback ratios.
How to reduce or remove one
Provide trading history, refund policies, delivery evidence, and clean chargeback data. Many reserves can be reduced or removed after 6 to 12 months of good performance.
Key takeaways
- ●Rolling reserves are a cash-flow cost, not a fee.
- ●They're common in higher-risk sectors and for new merchants.
- ●Good performance and a documented policy can get them reduced.