Accept PIN-based debit card transactions from customers shopping in your dispensary or online.Â
Yes, cannabis dispensaries can accept PIN-based Visa or MasterCard debit card payments at the point-of-sale.Â
True Point of Banking (POB) Is the Solution You’ve Been Waiting For…
Federal law strictly prohibits cannabis dispensaries from accepting credit card or debit card payments in the traditional manner that businesses are familiar with.Â
Instead of processing payments as traditional debit transactions using credit card processor owned networks (e.g. American Express, Discover, Visa, and MasterCard), Point-Of-Banking systems handle in-store payments like an ATM withdrawal utilizing bank-owned ATM networks.Â
The legality of whether cannabis dispensaries can accept bank-issued debit cards at the point-of-sale depends on which of the four networks is used by the merchant services provider.Â
Do not confuse true Point-Of-Banking payment processing using private bank-owned ATM networks with popular deceptive workarounds such as “cashless ATMs.” They are not the same.
Cannabis dispensaries must use a private bank-owned ATM network. It’s the only 100% legal card acceptance solution for dispensaries nationwide.
Reference Sources:
The Importance Of Compliant Cannabis Banking. (Forbes Magazine: Aug 2020) – https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesfinancecouncil/2020/08/06/the-importance-of-compliant-cannabis-banking/?sh=58dfec986a40
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