Health & wellness
Nutraceuticals and supplements merchant accounts
Commonly assigned MCC
5499 · 5122 · 5968
The category actually assigned is set by the acquirer at boarding and can differ from these.
The short version
A supplement brand selling one product at a fixed price on a clean page is not, in itself, a difficult account. The vertical's reputation comes from the direct-response end of it: free-trial offers, negative-option continuity, and claims language that would not survive an FTC reading.
Underwriting for nutraceuticals is largely a review of your funnel. The offer structure, the terms disclosure and the cancellation path matter more to the outcome than the ingredient list.
What is actually being priced
What underwriting is looking at.
Negative-option billing drives disputes
Free trials that convert to recurring charges generate disputes months after the first transaction, which is what pushes ratios over threshold.
Claims are read closely
Disease and outcome claims turn a supplement into an unapproved drug in the regulator's reading. Underwriting checks live pages, not the ones you submit.
Cancellation friction is a decline
If a customer can subscribe in two clicks and cancel only by phone, the file has a problem before it reaches the bank.
What we put in place
- Placement for both straight-sale and continuity offer structures
- Pre-submission review of funnels, terms disclosure and cancel paths
- Descriptor strategy so charges are recognisable on a statement
- Chargeback alerts and representment built around subscription disputes
What underwriting will ask you for
Assemble these before you apply anywhere. The list does not get shorter by waiting, and having it ready is the single biggest thing you control about how long this takes.
- Live funnel URLs, including any trial or continuity path
- Terms of sale and the cancellation process as a customer experiences it
- Refund policy and historical refund rate
- Processing statements showing chargeback ratio by month
On this account
What a boarded account in this vertical usually carries.
Also in health & wellness
Tell us about your nutra & supplements business.
We will tell you whether a route exists right now, which acquirers are writing the category, and what your file needs before it goes anywhere.