Payment options for dispensaries, 2026 edition.
What you can offer at the counter and online, what each option needs, and where the rules differ between THC and CBD products.
The short answer
- THC products cannot go on Visa, Mastercard or American Express. The card networks do not allow those sales, whatever your state allows.
- For THC sales the realistic choices are cash at pickup or delivery, and pay by bank (ACH) through a cannabis payment provider. Vendors disagree about PIN debit, so ask your bank and provider in writing.
- CBD, hemp and accessory sales are different. A high-risk card processor that underwrites those products can take cards online.
- MMJ eCommerce Card Payments fits stores whose terminal and merchant account cover what they sell and allow keyed entry. It is not a payment processor.
Why cards are different for cannabis
State licenses decide what you may sell. Card networks decide what may run on their rails, and they follow federal law. Most marijuana is still a Schedule I substance federally, so the networks keep it off their systems.
"Dispensaries cannot accept Visa, Mastercard, or American Express for cannabis purchases."Meadow, Dispensary cashless payments guide, October 9, 2026
In April 2026 the DEA moved FDA-approved marijuana products and marijuana sold under qualifying state medical licenses to Schedule III, according to law firm summaries of the final order. Adult-use marijuana stayed in Schedule I. We found no card network policy change after that order, so plan as if cards remain closed to THC sales.
Online processors set their own rules on top. Stripe lists "Cannabis products" and "Cannabis dispensaries and related businesses" as prohibited, and treats CBD with negligible THC as restricted. WooPayments says "CBD and other hemp-derived products cannot be sold using WooPayments."
The options, one by one
1. Cash at pickup or delivery
Still the default. Customers reserve online and pay when they collect or when the driver hands over the order. Flowhub expects that "Cash will remain part of cannabis retail for the foreseeable future." The costs are your own: counting, safes, armored pickup, and a smaller average basket.
Online: reserve only. What you need: a checkout that takes the order without payment, and a clear pickup or delivery window.
2. Pay by bank (ACH)
The customer links a bank account once and pays from it, in store, online or on delivery. The money moves bank to bank, not over the card networks. Flowhub calls it "the clearest compliant digital option available today", and its own data shows a $93.50 average digital order against $49.25 in cash.
Providers named most often in 2026 include Dutchie Pay by Bank, Aeropay, CanPay, POSaBIT Pay and Flowhub Pay. Most sell through their own POS or online ordering stack. Fees are generally not published; Meadow estimates "roughly 1% to 1.5% per transaction". ACH payments can still be returned under bank rules, so ask each provider who carries that risk.
Online: yes, if your provider supports your website. Few offer a WooCommerce plugin today, so check before you sign.
3. PIN debit
The customer pays with a debit card and PIN at the counter. Sources disagree here. Meadow describes PIN debit as "the fastest compliant way to take a cashless payment at the counter". Flowhub says "traditional debit card processing is not ok for cannabis." When two industry vendors publish opposite answers, get your bank and provider to confirm in writing how the transactions are coded before you rely on it.
4. Cashless ATM
The terminal runs the payment as an ATM withdrawal, rounded up, with the difference given back as change. Meadow puts the cost at "roughly $3 to $5 per transaction, paid by the customer" and notes that "card network policies prohibit processing point-of-sale purchases as ATM withdrawals", with some providers leaving the market. Treat it as the option with the most risk of being switched off.
5. Card processors for CBD, hemp and accessories
Products that are not marijuana, such as hemp-derived CBD within the federal THC limit, smoking accessories, apparel and seeds, can often be sold by card through a high-risk processor that underwrites them. On WooCommerce these usually connect through an Authorize.Net or NMI gateway plugin. Rates are mostly quoted privately, and reserves and monthly fees are common. Our CBD and hemp processor guide covers this in detail, including the October 2026 Square change.
6. Card details taken online, charged on your terminal
Some stores already have a card terminal or virtual terminal whose account covers what they sell and allows keyed (card-not-present) entry, but no online gateway. They can take the card at checkout and charge it on that terminal, the same way they take a phone order. This is what MMJ eCommerce Card Payments does: the card is encrypted in the customer's browser, unlocked only with your passphrase, and deleted after you charge it.
This does not change what your terminal may be used for. If your merchant account does not cover a product, keying the card yourself does not make that sale acceptable to the card networks.
Side by side
| Option | Online | In store | Typical cost | Works for THC |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cash | Reserve only | Yes | Handling and security | Yes |
| Pay by bank (ACH) | Yes, with a provider | Yes | About 1% to 1.5% (Meadow estimate) | Yes, through cannabis providers |
| PIN debit | No | Yes | About 2.5% to 4% plus $0.50 (Meadow estimate) | Sources disagree |
| Cashless ATM | No | Yes | $3 to $5, paid by the customer | Network rules prohibit it |
| High-risk card processor | Yes | Yes | Quoted privately | No, CBD and hemp only |
| Card Payments (MMJ eCommerce) | Card taken at checkout | Charged on your terminal | $49 a year, plus your terminal's rates | No, only what your account covers |
Which mix fits your store
- Licensed THC dispensary on WooCommerce. Take reservations online and collect cash at pickup or on delivery. Add pay by bank when a provider supports your website and your POS.
- Dispensary on a cannabis POS with its own ordering. Use the POS vendor's pay by bank product. Our POS and menu guide lists who offers what.
- CBD, hemp, smoke or vape shop. Apply to a high-risk processor that underwrites your products and connect its gateway to WooCommerce.
- Shop with a terminal account that covers its products, but no online gateway. Take card orders online with Card Payments and charge them on your terminal.
Already have a terminal that covers your products?
Card Payments lets customers pay by card at checkout while you charge the card on that terminal. $49 a year for one store. Not a payment processor.
Questions
Can a dispensary accept credit cards online?
Not for THC products. Visa, Mastercard and American Express do not allow those sales. CBD, hemp and accessory sales can be taken by card through a processor that underwrites them.
How do most dispensary customers pay in 2026?
Cash is still the largest share: Flowhub reports cash fell from 65% to 59% of gross receipts in one year. Online, most dispensaries take reservations paid at pickup, and pay by bank (ACH) is the main digital option, offered by providers such as Dutchie, Aeropay, CanPay, POSaBIT and Flowhub.
Is pay by bank the same as ACH?
Yes. Pay by bank products move money from the customer's bank account over the ACH network instead of the card networks.
Is MMJ eCommerce a payment processor?
No. MMJ eCommerce makes WooCommerce plugins. Card Payments takes the card details at checkout so you can charge them on your own terminal. You need a terminal and merchant account that cover what you sell and allow keyed entry.
Sources
- Meadow, "Dispensary cashless payments", dated October 9, 2026. getmeadow.com/blog/dispensary-cashless-payments
- Flowhub, "Dispensary payment processing guide", updated August 2026. flowhub.com/dispensary-payment-processing-guide
- Stripe, Prohibited and restricted businesses, last updated September 22, 2026. stripe.com/legal/restricted-businesses
- WooCommerce, WooPayments CBD policy. woocommerce.com/document/woopayments/our-policies/cbd
- Taft Law, "DEA Reschedules FDA-Approved and State-Licensed Medical Marijuana to Schedule III", April 2026. taftlaw.com
- Provider pages: Dutchie Pay by Bank, Aeropay, CanPay, POSaBIT, Flowhub Pay.
All sources checked October 12, 2026. Figures are the vendors' own unless stated. This guide is general information, not legal or financial advice.