Payments for online supplement stores
Selling legal food supplements online? Through LunaPay you apply for card acceptance with a licensed European acquirer, which assesses every application individually.
Why supplement stores get shut down
Food supplements are legal, but payment providers treat the category as a risk, for three reasons.
- Claims. In the EU, a food supplement may not claim to prevent or cure a disease. When a provider finds copy like that in its portfolio, it often drops the whole category, including the stores that get it right.
- Subscriptions. An automatic reorder your customer doesn't recognise gets disputed. Every dispute counts towards your chargeback ratio, and with supplements the trouble usually starts with subscriptions that began as a trial.
- The neighbours. Under the same category code, others sell products that are really medicines. Risk systems barely tell the difference, so a clean store sometimes loses its account after a fraud wave or a policy change.
What we mean by nutraceuticals
In US affiliate marketing, "nutra" often means a trial offer: a small first payment that turns into a recurring charge the customer never really agreed to. This page is about something else: food supplements sold as food, under the EU rules on claims, at a fixed price or on a subscription the customer knowingly chose.
Which stores can apply
We look at applications from stores that:
- sell food supplements, vitamins, minerals or sports nutrition that are legal both in the country they sell from and in the buyer's country;
- only use nutrition and health claims the EU has authorised, in the wording that comes with them;
- don't sell novel foods without EU authorisation.
Nutraceuticals fall under this too, as long as you sell them as food and not as medicine. Whether your product is legal in a given country is for you or your adviser to check: we don't give legal advice.
What we don't do
These we don't take on, not even case by case:
- Disease claims: nothing that promises to prevent, treat or cure a disease.
- Anything that legally counts as a medicine, including because of how it is marketed, and prescription-only substances.
- Products sold "for research use only" or "not for human consumption".
- CBD products.
If anything on this list is in your store, it does not fit, even if it is only a small part of your range. The acquirer looks at your whole site, also after you go live.
Subscriptions: how to keep chargebacks low
If you offer a regular subscription to your supplements, three things make the difference:
- Before checkout, your customer sees what they pay, how often, and how to cancel.
- They get a reminder before the next charge.
- Cancelling is as easy as signing up.
Customers who can cancel easily are less likely to call their bank. That keeps your chargebacks low, and that is what an acquirer looks at.
What to prepare
- Your company details and who the ultimate beneficial owners are.
- Your product list, with the label and the product page for each item.
- An overview of the claims you use.
- Your manufacturer or supplier, and where your products are made.
- Registrations or notifications in the countries you sell to, where these apply.
- Your subscription terms, if you offer subscriptions.
- If you have processed payments before: your processing statements and your chargebacks.
You get a clear checklist and an upload link for all of this.
What you get with LunaPay
You sell supplements online, so it all comes down to your checkout:
- Hosted checkout and payment links, so you never handle card data yourself.
- Recurring payments through SEPA direct debit or card subscriptions, once the acquirer approves your subscriptions.
- 3-D Secure and SCA as standard.
- A recognisable name on your customer's bank statement, so nobody disputes a charge they can't place.
- Multiple licensed European acquirers behind LunaPay, and a joint decision on whether a second one stands ready as a backup from the start.
- One dedicated contact who knows your product range.
Your payments keep running.
Most providers rely on a single acquirer, the party that processes your card transactions. If that one goes down or refuses your sector, your payments stop. LunaPay works with multiple licensed European acquirers. For each sector we decide together whether a second acquirer stands ready as a backup from the start, and if an acquirer stops serving your sector, we move you to another licensed partner. That is what we call multi-acquiring. For a supplement store, termination after a policy change is the biggest risk, so we discuss that choice with you upfront.
Read how multi-acquiring worksWhere are you now?
Secure and compliant.
We work exclusively with regulated, licensed European acquiring partners. Your payments run over their certified infrastructure, with PCI DSS for handling card data, 3-D Secure and SCA under PSD2 for strong customer authentication, and careful AML and KYC checks at onboarding. That keeps your acceptance stable and demonstrably in order.
Read how we handle safety and continuityLive in three steps.
Call us or get a call back
In a short phone call we go through your situation, your volume and a start date. No strings, and no visit needed.
Send your documents
You get a clear checklist and an upload link. We think along and keep it simple.
Go live and get paid
After approval we set everything live. Ready to get paid.
Worry-free payments at a sharp rate.
Sharp, competitive rates on transparent IC++, with no surprises, and multiple licensed acquirers behind the scenes. What it means for your sector depends on your volume and your profile.
Frequently asked questions
Can my supplement store work with LunaPay?
The acquirer decides on each application, so acceptance is not settled in advance. The condition is that your products are legal in the country you sell from and in your buyer's country, and that you only use claims the EU has authorised.
Why was my supplement store shut down?
Usually because of claims on your product pages, chargebacks on subscriptions, or because your provider treats the whole category as a risk. Ask for the reason in writing. It shapes how an acquirer reads your new application.
Can I offer subscriptions through LunaPay?
Subscriptions are assessed per application, like the rest of your store. What helps: your customer sees upfront what they pay and how often, gets a reminder before the next charge, and can cancel as easily as they signed up. That keeps your chargebacks low.
Which claims can I put on my product pages?
Only the nutrition and health claims the EU has authorised, in the wording that comes with them. Disease claims are not allowed. We don't give legal advice, but we do look at your product copy during the assessment. If you're unsure about a claim, have it checked beforehand.
How long does the assessment take?
That depends on your documents and on the acquirer, which is why we don't quote a timeframe upfront. A complete file with labels, product copy and your subscription terms saves the most questions.
What do I need to provide?
Your company details, your product list with labels and product pages, an overview of your claims, your manufacturer or supplier, and, if you have processed payments before, your processing statements and chargebacks. You get a checklist and an upload link.
High-risk? No-problem.
Request your personal proposal and find out what we can arrange for your supplement store.