Pharmaceuticals Merchant Accounts & Credit Card Processing

Pharmaceutical Merchant Services & Credit Card Processing for Online Pharmacies And the Pharma Industry!

Many Banks Have Stopped Providing Merchant Accounts to the Pharmaceuticals Industry But We Have Domestic Solutions!

Due to risks associated with banned substances and high chargeback rates in the Pharmaceuticals industry, many US banks consider pharmacies to be a high risk business and have stopped providing merchant accounts to businesses in the Pharma industry.

In fact, even many of the International high risk merchant accounts will not underwrite Pharmaceutical businesses.

Many merchant account providers do not understand the issues surrounding the Pharma industry and will provide a merchant account that will eventually be terminated, which is not only highly disruptive to any business, but it also makes it more difficult to qualify for a merchant account in the future, since the termination would have to be disclosed on future merchant applications.

CyoGate does offer credit card processing solutions specifically for merchants in the online and mail order Pharmaceutical industry and we do have both domestic US and international solutions available. There are slightly higher credit card processing fees and a reserve fund is commonly, although not always, required for Pharmaceutical merchant accounts due to the high risk of chargebacks associated with the industry. However, you can rest assured that you will not have your merchant account terminated simply for being in the Pharmaceuticals business.

For more information on our Pharmaceutical merchant accounts, please contact us today, or apply for a merchant account using the button below.

Why Online Pharmacies Are High Risk

Online pharmacy businesses face stringent underwriting scrutiny. The primary concern is regulatory: selling prescription medications without a valid prescription is a federal violation, and controlled substances are DEA-regulated. Even legitimate pharmacies — those requiring valid prescriptions and operating under NABP guidelines — face difficulty because processors can't easily distinguish compliant operators from non-compliant ones at application time.

Types of Pharmaceutical Businesses We Support

• Licensed online pharmacies — NABP-compliant, prescription-requiring pharmacies operating under state license
• Compounding pharmacies — licensed operations with proper DEA registration where applicable
• OTC medication retailers — businesses selling non-prescription health products
• Supplement and nutraceutical companies — see our nutraceutical merchant accounts page
• Veterinary pharmacy and pet medication — online pet medication retailers with valid licensing

Required Documentation

Pharmaceutical applications require: state pharmacy license(s), NABP certification or equivalent, DEA registration (where applicable), a full product list, prescription verification procedure documentation, and standard merchant application materials. International operators must provide equivalent jurisdictional licensing. Complete compliance documentation significantly strengthens your application.

Managing Non-Delivery Chargebacks

International shipping is a significant chargeback source — customs holds, shipping delays, and address issues generate non-delivery disputes that are difficult to win. Requiring trackable shipping, proactive delay communication, and clear delivery timeframe disclosures at checkout all reduce this chargeback category. Chargeback prevention monitoring helps intercept these disputes before they formalize.

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Retail & Internet Merchant Accounts

An Internet Merchant Account is sometimes referred to as a "MOTO" (Mail Order & Telephone Order) Account because they all require the ability to process a credit card payment when there is no physical credit card present to be swiped. A standard retail "swipe" merchant account does not allow processing of these "card-not-present" transactions.

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High Risk Merchant Accounts

If the domestic banks are denying your merchant application because they believe your industry is considered high risk, CyoGate can help! We have an offshore network of merchant processing partners that enable us to provide low cost, high risk merchant solutions to a much wider range of businesses and industries.

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Internet Payment Gateway

The CyoGate Internet Payment Gateway offers one of the quickest and most cost effective ways to accept and process credit card and electronic check payments online. Our payment gateway works with most existing merchant accounts and supports hundreds of popular web shopping carts and eCommerce platforms.

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