Get approved in as little as 24 hours. No setup fees, no hidden costs.
Get Started FreeHigh-Risk Industries · CBD
A CBD merchant account is essential for every legal hemp business. Card brands and acquiring banks classify CBD as high risk, so mainstream providers routinely decline or freeze CBD sellers without warning. PayKings underwrites high-risk CBD merchant accounts and CBD credit card processing in as little as 24 hours, so you can accept payments online and in-store without interruption.
Be approval-ready
What CBD underwriters ask for
Declined elsewhere?
Searching for payment processors that allow CBD? Aggregators like Stripe, Square, and PayPal prohibit hemp-derived products because card-brand rules and their sponsor banks classify CBD as high risk — sudden freezes, fund holds, and terminations are the norm.
PayKings checks every box and never surprise-terminates compliant CBD merchants.
Stripe
Prohibits hemp
Square
Prohibits hemp
PayPal
Prohibits hemp
PayKings
Underwrites CBD
Your terms, before you sign
5–15%
Typical CBD rolling reserve — standard for the industry and disclosed up front.
24 hrs
Approvals in as little as 24 hours once underwriting has your documents.
Quoted
Your rate, reserve terms, and settlement schedule — before you sign, not buried in the fine print.
A CBD merchant account with PayKings starts at interchange plus 0.80%, with every fee disclosed in the merchant service agreement before you sign, and most CBD merchants should plan for a rolling reserve of 5–15%.
| Cost item | What to expect |
|---|---|
| Pricing model | Interchange-plus, markup from 0.80% |
| Rolling reserve | 5–15%, standard for CBD and disclosed before you sign |
| Funding | Next-day funding |
| Fee disclosure | Every fee listed in the merchant service agreement before you sign |
CBD processing costs more than low-risk retail because acquiring banks price in regulatory and chargeback exposure. Your exact rate depends on four things: processing history, monthly volume, product mix, and chargeback ratio. We quote your rate, reserve terms, and settlement schedule before you sign, and our chargeback management tools help you lower your risk profile — and your fees — over time.
Most merchants are approved within 24 hours once underwriting has four documents: three months of bank statements, prior processing statements if you have them, a government-issued ID, and Certificates of Analysis (COAs) showing 0.3% THC or less.
Eligibility is straightforward. If you sell hemp-derived products that meet the federal 0.3% THC threshold set by the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 — oils and tinctures, gummies, capsules, topicals, or pet CBD — we can underwrite you. Our team matches your business to an acquiring bank that accepts hemp merchants and guides you through document submission, underwriting, and integration. Once approved, we connect your payment gateway or POS so you can start accepting cards right away.
High-risk specialists like PayKings accept CBD businesses; mainstream processors — Stripe, Square, and PayPal — prohibit hemp-derived products under their acceptable use policies.
| Processor | CBD policy |
|---|---|
| PayKings | Underwrites CBD and hemp merchants; most approved within 24 hours |
| Stripe | Prohibits hemp-derived products |
| Square | Prohibits hemp-derived products |
| PayPal | Prohibits hemp-derived products |
The difference is the bank behind the account. CBD-friendly processors partner with acquiring banks that underwrite hemp merchants for the long term, so your account stays open instead of being frozen or terminated without warning.
Apply
Getting set up
Begin with our straightforward online application to start your merchant account setup process.
Provide essential documents to support your merchant account application.
Our experts guide you through the underwriting process to ensure a smooth and efficient approval.
Begin accepting payments seamlessly and focus on growing your revenue.
Why PayKings
Comparing the best CBD merchant processor options comes down to four things:
Mainstream providers like Stripe, Square, and PayPal decline CBD outright, and even high-risk competitors such as Easy Pay Direct and PaymentCloud can take days to place an account. PayKings approves most CBD merchants in as little as 24 hours.
Every account includes chargeback management software plus a Dedicated Account Manager who knows the CBD industry.
Our CBD merchant services go beyond a merchant ID, so you can process payments securely and efficiently — without interruptions:
Rates & approval
CBD credit card processing costs more than low-risk retail because acquiring banks price in regulatory and chargeback exposure. Your rate depends on:
PayKings quotes your rate, reserve terms, and settlement schedule before you sign — and our chargeback prevention tools help you lower your risk profile, and your fees, over time.
Approval for a high-risk CBD merchant account doesn't have to take weeks. Our underwriting team matches your business to an acquiring bank that accepts hemp merchants, reviews your documents, and issues approvals in as little as 24 hours.
Once approved, we connect your payment gateway or POS so you can start accepting credit cards right away.
What we underwrite
The same underwriting covers hemp credit card processing and hemp oil merchant processing, so whether you need a CBD oil merchant account for a single product line or a full hemp catalog, one PayKings account handles it all.
What's included
Sell everywhere
The difference
Built for the businesses other processors turn away.
FAQ
Everything you need to know about high-risk payment processing
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