Compliance

Nutraceutical & Supplement Payment Processing in Europe: A Plain-English Guide

An abstract diagram of a payment route for a supplement shop

You sell vitamins, food supplements or natural health products. Everything is legal. Then your payment provider asks for "additional information", holds your payouts, or closes your account.

It happens to a lot of small shops and pharmacies. Here's why, and what to do about it.

Why supplements count as "high-risk"

Supplements aren't illegal. Payment providers flag them for three practical reasons:

Health claims. Card schemes and banks worry about products that promise more than they can deliver. A page that says "cures insomnia" or "fights infections" looks like a medicine claim, and that's what triggers reviews.

Subscriptions. Monthly delivery plans are great for your business. But if customers forget they signed up, they dispute the charge instead of cancelling. Disputes are the number one thing providers watch.

Chargebacks and fraud across the industry. Some sellers in this space run aggressive "free trial" schemes. Providers can't always tell the difference between them and you, so the whole category gets extra scrutiny.

Many mainstream providers go further and put "nutraceuticals" or "pseudo-pharmaceuticals" on their restricted lists. In practice, automated checks can flag an honest vitamin shop just as quickly as a questionable one.

The EU rules that matter for your payments

You don't need to become a lawyer. But two rules come up again and again in payment reviews:

Health claims must be authorised. In the EU, you can only make health claims that are on the approved list under the Health Claims Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006. "Vitamin C contributes to the normal function of the immune system" is fine. "Boosts your immunity against colds" is not. Providers look at your website copy, so keep it within the approved wording.

CBD is a special case. In the EU, CBD used in food or food supplements is treated as a "novel food" and needs authorisation. If you sell CBD oils as supplements, expect providers to ask exactly how your products are classified.

If your website is clean on these two points, you remove the most common reasons for rejection.

What a payment provider will check

Before approving you, a provider will usually look at:

  • Your website: product pages, prices, ingredients, delivery times, terms and conditions, a clear refund policy, and contact details including an Impressum.
  • Your claims: anything that sounds like a medical promise.
  • Your subscription setup: is it obvious the customer is signing up for repeat payments, and is it easy to cancel?
  • Your business documents: company registration, ID of the owners, bank account details, and sometimes supplier information.
  • Your history: previous processing statements, especially your chargeback rate.

Taking payments across Europe

European customers don't all pay the same way. Offering the right local method makes checkout easier and can lower your dispute risk.

  • Cards (Visa, Mastercard) work everywhere and should be your base.
  • iDEAL in the Netherlands is a direct bank payment. Once approved, it can't be charged back like a card payment.
  • SEPA bank transfers and instant payments work across the eurozone.
  • SEPA Direct Debit is popular in Germany and good for subscriptions, but customers can reverse a direct debit through their bank for up to eight weeks.
  • Buy-now-pay-later and wallets each have their own product rules. Check they accept supplements before you switch them on.

Subscriptions without the headaches

If you offer repeat deliveries, these small steps cut disputes dramatically:

  1. Say it plainly at checkout. "You'll be charged €29.90 every 30 days until you cancel." No small print.
  2. Send a reminder before each charge, especially the first one after any discount or trial.
  3. Make cancelling easy. A one-click cancel option in the customer account beats a phone line that's always busy. Customers who can't cancel will call their bank instead.
  4. Use a descriptor customers recognise. Your shop name on the bank statement, not your parent company.

Your quick checklist

  • Health claims match the EU approved list
  • Refund policy, terms and contact details are easy to find
  • Subscription terms are clear before payment
  • Billing descriptor matches your shop name
  • You know your chargeback rate (aim to keep it well under 1%)
  • You have a second payment route in case your main one is paused

This article is general information, not legal advice. Check product-specific rules with your regulator or legal adviser.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use Stripe for supplements?

Stripe prohibits nutraceuticals and pseudo-pharmaceuticals that aren't safe or make harmful claims. Many legitimate shops still get flagged in practice, so if supplements are your core business, a provider that openly supports them is a safer foundation.

Do I need a high-risk merchant account?

Not always. Plain vitamins with conservative claims can sometimes be approved by standard providers. Once you add subscriptions, CBD, weight-management products or strong claims, you'll usually need a specialist.

Why was my payout held even though I did nothing wrong?

Often it's a sudden increase in sales, a spike in refunds, or an automated review of your product pages. Telling your provider in advance about promotions and new products prevents most of these.

How long does approval take?

With documents ready and a clean website, days rather than weeks. Missing information is the main cause of delays.

Ready to get approved?

Talk to SecPaid about a payment set-up built for your category. Most merchants are live within 24 hours.

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