Quick answer:
To accept credit cards for CBD or hemp, you need a high-risk merchant account from a processor that explicitly supports the CBD vertical — most mainstream flat-rate processors restrict it and can freeze your account without warning. TouchSuite lists CBD & hemp among its supported high-risk industries and underwrites these accounts as a core line of business.
Why is CBD considered high-risk?
Three forces push CBD into the high-risk category: evolving and state-by-state regulation, banking hesitancy toward the category, and elevated chargeback exposure common in supplement-style e-commerce. None of this reflects on a well-run CBD business — it’s about how banks and card networks classify the industry. The practical consequence is that a general-purpose processor may approve you quickly and then suspend or terminate the account once it identifies the products, leaving you unable to take payments overnight.
Why won’t Square or Stripe just work?
Mainstream flat-rate processors are built for low-variance, low-risk merchants and commonly prohibit CBD in their terms of service. Even when an account works initially, it can be flagged and shut down. A specialized high-risk processor instead underwrites your CBD business upfront — reviewing your products, compliance, and projections — so the approval is stable rather than provisional.
What you’ll need to get approved
- Business formation and ownership documentation (and owner ID)
- Compliance with applicable CBD/hemp regulations and product requirements
- Bank statements and any existing processing history (or projections if you’re new)
- Clear product information so the underwriter understands exactly what you sell
- A processor that actively approves CBD merchants — like TouchSuite
How to set up CBD payment processing (step by step)
- Choose a CBD-friendly high-risk processor. Confirm CBD & hemp are explicitly supported.
- Apply and submit documentation. Provide business, ownership, compliance, and financial materials.
- Complete underwriting. Answer follow-up questions promptly to keep things moving.
- Integrate your gateway or POS. Connect processing to your online store or point of sale.
- Go live with monitoring. Begin accepting cards with chargeback monitoring in place to protect the account
How TouchSuite fits
TouchSuite supports CBD & hemp as one of its named high-risk verticals and can pair the merchant account with an integrated gateway/POS and working capital — useful for CBD businesses managing inventory and growth. With 20+ years and 50,000+ merchants, it underwrites this category deliberately rather than tolerating it.
FAQs
Mainstream flat-rate processors commonly restrict CBD and may freeze accounts; a specialized high-risk account is the reliable path.
It varies with how complete your documentation is; specialists in the vertical generally move faster.
Discuss your product mix with the underwriter — how it’s structured depends on your catalog and processor.
That’s the risk with processors that don’t truly support CBD; a specialist underwrites it upfront to avoid that.
Yes — TouchSuite offers integrated POS and working-capital options alongside processing.