OpenGate
Apply now

Free to apply. A human answer within 1 business day.

Prescriptions, telehealth fills, certification

A payment gateway for licensed online pharmacies, built around the prescription flow.

OpenGate is a payment gateway for licensed online pharmacies that need a merchant account for prescription, over-the-counter and refill orders. Pharmacies are licensed, audited and essential, and still most processors refuse them. We underwrite the license, the prescription flow and the catalog controls, then take the file to acquirers that fund pharmaceutical retail.

Apply to start processingHow it works

At a glance

Online Pharmacy

Sector
Wellness & pharma
Payment methods
Cards (Visa/Mastercard) · 3DS2 routing · Recurring billing
Documents in the file
6
First answer
Within 1 business day

Why processors refuse

Why mainstream PSPs refuse online pharmacies

A pharmacy's license, prescription flow and catalog controls are exactly what a payment processor cannot verify on its own. Most banks answer that problem by refusing the vertical, and the refusal has five standard causes.

  1. Licensing verification

    Every jurisdiction licenses pharmacies differently, and a bank must confirm the seller's license before the first charge. Most banks do not have staff who can read a pharmacy license.

    How OpenGate handles it

    License copies are required at onboarding, and we list which registrations the acquirers expect for your jurisdiction. The file goes to acquirers that already underwrite pharmaceutical retail.

  2. Prescription handling

    Selling prescription medicine without a valid prescription is unlawful almost everywhere, and a processor that funds such sales inherits the exposure. Banks have seen enough rogue online pharmacies to assume the worst until the file proves otherwise.

    How OpenGate handles it

    Your prescription verification flow is reviewed: how prescriptions are received, validated and matched to the order. Dispensing without validation is the fastest route to a decline.

  3. Restricted substances

    Controlled and high-abuse medications carry additional registration and reporting duties, and shipping them across borders can violate rules at both ends. A catalog that mixes them with ordinary prescriptions tends to be refused as a whole.

    How OpenGate handles it

    We ask what the catalog contains and which products are controlled. Files with documented handling can be placed with acquirers that accept them; files that cannot document the controls are declined with reasons.

  4. Certification expectations

    The card schemes treat card-not-present pharmacies as a high-risk category that the acquirer has to register. Banks and advertising platforms commonly expect LegitScript certification, or NABP accreditation in the United States, as proof that the pharmacy passed an external review.

    How OpenGate handles it

    Certification status is part of the file. Certified pharmacies tend to place faster and on better terms. Uncertified ones are told which program the acquirers expect before they pay for a certification.

  5. Chargeback and fraud exposure

    Stolen-card purchases of medicine, subscription refills and international orders make pharmacy dispute patterns different from retail. Dispensed medicine cannot go back on the shelf, so every refund is a full loss.

    How OpenGate handles it

    3DS2 authenticates the cardholder, fraud scoring checks the patterns, and your verification records become representment evidence when a dispute arrives.

The file

How we underwrite an online pharmacy merchant account

The pharmacy file is built from three pillars: license, prescription flow and catalog controls. Documents answer each, and the rest is standard underwriting.

Corporate registration

Certificate of incorporation and a current register extract.

Pharmacy licenses

State, provincial or national pharmacy authorizations for every jurisdiction you dispense into. Required at onboarding.

Prescription verification flow

How prescriptions are received, validated and matched to orders. Evaluated before activation.

Certification status

LegitScript certification, NABP accreditation or the equivalent the acquirer expects. We list which programs apply to your markets before you pay for one.

Product catalog

What you sell: prescription, over-the-counter and controlled products, with the handling documented per category.

Processing history

Three to six months of statements with refund and chargeback data, if you have processed before.

Payment methods

Payment methods for online pharmacies

Patients pay like customers, with the verification trail a pharmacy needs.

See every capability

  • Cards (Visa/Mastercard)

    Core acceptance through acquirers that underwrite licensed pharmaceutical retail.

  • 3DS2 routing

    Cardholder authentication on every first purchase, shifting liability on unauthorized-use disputes.

  • Recurring billing

    Tokenized card-on-file for refill subscriptions, with scheme-compliant mandates.

  • SEPA & iDEAL

    Bank-rail payments for European patients, with lower fees on recurring prescriptions.

The process

Start with the application at /apply and name your licenses, your certification status and what the catalog contains. Pharmacy files then follow the same four steps as every vertical, and the license and prescription controls are read in analysis, before any bank sees the file. Details at /how-it-works.

See the 4-step process

FAQ

Online pharmacy payment processing FAQ

Can I use Stripe or PayPal for an online pharmacy?

Only with their approval. Stripe lists online pharmacies among the restricted businesses that need extra due diligence, and PayPal requires pre-approval for prescription products. OpenGate reads the license and the prescription flow and takes the file to acquirers that underwrite the vertical. Certification, license copies and a documented prescription flow are what move a pharmacy file from a policy refusal to an underwriting review.

Do I need LegitScript certification?

Most acquirers expect certification from LegitScript or an equivalent program for online pharmacies, and it changes the pricing. We tell you which certification your file needs before you pay for one, so you do not spend on the wrong program.

What documents do I need for an online pharmacy merchant account?

Corporate registration, pharmacy licenses for each dispensing jurisdiction, your prescription verification flow, certification status and the product catalog. Processing history helps if you have it. If you fill controlled substances, the registration and reporting documents for those products join the list.

Can I sell controlled substances online?

Only with the registrations and handling the law requires, and the acquirer reviews them category by category. Files that document their controls can place; files that cannot are declined with reasons.

Why was my pharmacy merchant account closed?

Usually a policy change on pharmaceutical sales, a missing certification, or a dispute pattern around refills and delivery. Send the closure notice and your statements; we read the file and tell you what can be placed. A policy closure says more about the bank than about the pharmacy, while a missing certification has to be fixed before any acquirer reads the file.

What reserve should I expect?

A rolling reserve is typical for pharmacy retail, sized to ticket value and dispute history, released in slices as chargeback windows close. The schedule is written into the offer. Refill programs with stable dispute history negotiate smaller reserves as the account matures.

How long does it take to open an online pharmacy merchant account?

A complete file can go live in as little as two weeks. License and certification gaps are the usual delay, flagged within 1 business day. Files with everything in place on day one move fastest, because underwriting questions are the real clock.

Can I run a refill subscription?

Yes. Refill plans are underwritten like continuity billing: consent capture, renewal disclosure and a working cancellation flow, with card-on-file billing.

Do you accept pharmacies outside the US?

Yes. We underwrite licensed pharmacies in most jurisdictions where card acquiring is available, and European patients can pay by SEPA or iDEAL. The country changes the acquirer options, not the review. The license list in the file changes with the country, and we flag the local requirements in our first reply.

Can I sell compounded medications?

Yes, when the compounding is done by a licensed pharmacy and documented. The acquirer reviews the compounding relationships the same way it reviews your own license: named parties, current authorizations and a clear prescribing trail.

Related guides

Read all guides
Explainer10 min read

How High-Risk Merchant Underwriting Works

What an underwriter reads in your file, how the four steps of high-risk underwriting run, why files get declined and how to prepare a file that gets placed.

Getting approvedGuide10 min read

What Is a High-Risk Merchant Account? The Complete Guide

A plain-language walkthrough of high-risk merchant accounts: the classification, the account structure, the application, and the habits that keep it open.

Getting approvedExplainer10 min read

3DS2 and SCA for High-Risk Merchants

What 3DS2 and Strong Customer Authentication actually do, how the liability shift works, which exemptions apply, and how high-risk merchants should route authentication.

Compliance & security

Related industries

All industries

Telehealth & Wellness

Telehealth payment gateway and merchant account for telemedicine clinics and wellness platforms, with consultation billing, memberships and phone payments.

Peptides & Longevity

Peptide merchant account and payment processing for research-use sellers and longevity clinics, underwritten on your catalog, labeling and claims.

Nutraceuticals & Supplements

Supplement payment gateway for nutraceutical brands with trial-to-subscription billing, chargeback prevention and compliance-aware underwriting.

Online Pharmacy

Open your pharmacy gate.

Send the licenses and the file. An underwriter reads them within 1 business day and replies with an offer, a document list, or an honest no.

Apply to start processingTalk to an underwriter

Free to apply. A human answer within 1 business day.