CBD and hemp merchant accounts

The category is legal in most places and still declined by most banks. We underwrite on your lab documentation, your claims discipline and your shipping controls.

Why banks decline cbd and hemp

• Federal and state rules differ, THC limits differ, and a bank that cannot tell which rules you follow declines rather than asks.
• Health claims are common in the category and are what regulators act on, so underwriters assume the worst until they read your site.
• The card networks treat CBD as an integrity-risk category, with registration and monitoring the acquirer has to carry.
• Chargebacks on subscription CBD products run above average.

What we need from you

Underwriting reads the site before it reads the application. Have these ready and a complete application goes live in 24 hours.

• Third-party lab reports showing THC content within the legal limit for each product you sell
• Product copy without health claims; what it is, what is in it, how much, nothing about what it does for a person
• Age verification where the product or the state requires it
• Shipping controls for states or countries you cannot sell into
• A billing descriptor that matches your brand
• Formation documents and an EIN or your country's equivalent
• Owner identification (a passport is fine; no SSN needed for non-US owners)
• A voided check or bank letter for the settlement account
• Processing and chargeback history from your current processor, if you have one
• Published refund, shipping and privacy policies, and terms that match how you actually bill

What you get

• An account registered and coded correctly for the category, so a mismatch does not surface as a fine later.
• Routing across more than one merchant account where volume justifies it, so a processor's policy change is not your outage.
• Subscriptions with retries and dunning, on a vault that belongs to you.
• Settlement in two business days, with any reserve stated in the offer.

What we cannot support

Saying it here saves you an application.

• Products above the legal THC limit for the market you sell into
• Sites with health claims in copy, images or customer reviews
• Sales into restricted states or countries without controls in the checkout
• Products the card networks prohibit

Questions cbd and hemp merchants ask

Can I process CBD by card at all?

Yes, through processors who register the category with the card networks and monitor it. That is what we do; most general processors will not.

Do you need lab reports for every product?

Yes. Underwriters read them, and so does the monitoring the card networks require. Keep them current.

Are subscriptions allowed?

Yes, with clear terms at checkout, reminder emails and a cancellation path that works. The vault keeps subscribers if the account ever moves.

Will there be a reserve?

Sometimes. It depends on your history and your product mix, and it is stated in the offer before you sign.