Kratom retail merchant accounts UK
Card networks treat kratom as adjacent to controlled-substance verticals despite its UK legality. Mainstream acquirers decline categorically; international card-scheme attitudes vary by region.
Legal status (UK)
Legal in UK; kratom is not a controlled substance under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 and falls outside the Psychoactive Substances Act 2016 in its raw plant form. Specific product claims may engage the Human Medicines Regulations 2012.
Acquirers accepting
- Specialist herbal-retail acquirers
- Selected ISOs with botanical-vertical programmes
Typical pricing
- Rate
- 3.5% to 6.0% blended
- Settlement reserve
- 10% to 15% rolling reserve standard
Watch outs
- Medicinal claims must be avoided to stay outside Human Medicines Regulations 2012.
- Product photography and label review at onboarding is rigorous.
- Mainstream acquirers may freeze accounts post-onboarding if category becomes obvious.
- US-based acquirers will not onboard given conflicting state-level positions.
Last reviewed: 2026-05-18.