CBD & hemp merchant accounts.
Hemp-derived CBD is legal at the federal level, but most banks still treat it as off-limits. We place these accounts with acquirers that knowingly board hemp and price it to last.
Request a reviewWhy this category is classified high risk
The 2018 Farm Bill legalized hemp-derived products under 0.3% THC, but banking policy did not move at the same speed. Most sponsoring banks still decline the entire category rather than build a compliance program for it, so a business that is fully legal on paper gets treated as if it were not.
State law is a patchwork. A product that ships freely to one state is restricted or banned in the next, and acquirers have to underwrite for the strictest markets you sell into — not the most permissive.
Ingestibles draw more scrutiny than topicals. Anything a customer swallows invites questions about dosing claims, and unverified health claims are the fastest way to lose an account.
What underwriting will want to see
- Certificates of analysis (COAs) from an accredited third-party lab for every SKU, showing THC content under the federal limit.
- Product pages free of medical or disease claims — no 'cures,' 'treats,' or 'prevents' language anywhere on the site.
- A visible age gate and shipping-restriction logic that blocks states where the product isn't permitted.
- Standard boarding documents: business formation, EIN, ownership, three months of processing and bank statements.
What drives disputes here
Disputes here cluster around subscription surprises and 'product didn't do what the ad said.' Both are preventable at the listing and billing level.
Customers who don't recognize a rebill file a dispute instead of asking for a refund. A recognizable descriptor and a clear cancellation path cut this sharply.
Overstated benefits invite 'not as described' claims. Conservative, accurate copy is a chargeback control, not just a legal one.
Descriptor & billing guidance
Use a descriptor that matches the storefront name customers actually bought from, and put a support phone number in the billing descriptor suffix where the acquirer allows it. For any recurring plan, email a receipt at each rebill with the descriptor spelled out — most CBD disputes are recognition problems, not fraud.
CBD & hemp, specifically
- Can I process CBD payments on a standard processor?
- Usually not for long. Aggregators that quietly allow it tend to freeze funds and close the account once volume shows the true category. A purpose-built hemp account with a sponsoring bank that knows what you sell is the only stable path.
- Do I need COAs for every product?
- Yes. Acquirers want current third-party lab results for each SKU on file, and they may re-request them periodically. Keep them versioned and linked from the product page.
- What about Delta-8 and other hemp isomers?
- These are handled case by case and depend on the acquirer and the states you ship to. Describe exactly what you sell up front — an accurate application is what gets it boarded.
Tell us about your business. We'll tell you who will board it.
Describe what you actually sell and how you deliver it. We'll match you to an acquirer that wants the volume — or tell you plainly if it won't board.