Square told its sellers to take CBD and hemp-derived items off their catalogs by October 15, 2026.

The date comes from Square’s seller notice, as Marijuana Moment reported it in August.

If you sell CBD through Square, that date sets the pace for everything else in the switch.

The notice covers selling these products online or in person, so a web store and a counter are both affected. Some of the providers below can take over both, and others cover the web store alone, so a seller with a counter may need two accounts lined up before the date arrives.

What’s left to decide is which provider to apply to first, and whether it makes sense to apply to two at the same time.

What Square Changed and When

Marijuana Moment reported on August 7, 2026 that Square had emailed its sellers about CBD. The notice, as quoted in that report, said that selling CBD and hemp-derived products “online or in person” would “no longer be permitted on Square’s platform.”

The notice gave sellers until October 15, 2026 to remove CBD, hemp and hemp-derived items from their catalogs, so that is the date to plan around.

Square tied the change to the federal redefinition of hemp, which takes effect on November 12, 2026. Some payment companies give other dates in their own articles, but those dates don’t come from the notice as it was reported.

If you received the notice, that email is the most reliable record of the dates that apply to your account, and it is worth saving a copy with the rest of your switching paperwork.

1. Easy Pay Direct

Easy Pay Direct’s CBD program covers ecommerce, retail, subscription and wholesale sales. If your small business sells through more than one of those channels, you can describe all of it in a single application rather than splitting it across providers.

Because the account is being chosen on a short timeline, ask before you sign whether it carries an early termination fee.

Every Easy Pay Direct account includes decline recovery, which retries card payments that fail for reasons such as a temporary bank decline. For a subscription business moving its customers to a new account, that helps keep renewals from dropping off.

On the retail side it supplies countertop terminals and tap-to-pay, so the counter can move to the same account as the web store.

2. PaymentCloud

PaymentCloud has worked with high-risk businesses since 2015, and in 2024 it was acquired by Electronic Merchant Systems. When you apply, it is fair to ask whether your agreement will be with PaymentCloud or with its new parent, and who handles support now.

You’ll learn what the account costs only when a quote comes back after the application has been reviewed.

It signs merchants without long-term contracts, which gives you room to move again if the account does not fit, and a seller who has been processing on Square already has recent statements to show an underwriter.

3. PayKings

PayKings tells CBD applicants up front to expect a rolling reserve, typically 5% to 15%. A rolling reserve is money withheld from each day’s deposits and released later, to cover chargebacks that arrive after the sale. Knowing the range before you apply lets you set cash aside for it.

Before you sign, ask where in that range your file is likely to fall and how long each day’s share stays withheld.

PayKings says approval can come in as little as 24 hours, which is its own best case, and it charges no setup fees.

The company was founded in 2011 and has offices in St. Petersburg, Florida and Lehi, Utah.

What Switching Involves

The first step is the file. The providers here want lab reports on each product and business documents for a CBD account, and some add bank or processing statements. Having them together before you apply keeps the review from stalling while you search for a missing page.

Next comes underwriting, where the provider or its bank reviews the business and sets the reserve and pricing. Finix’s CBD and hemp payment processing runs the same way, in three steps: apply, get approved upfront, and start selling.

Once the account is approved, the practical work begins. Counter hardware has to be set up on the new account, so it makes sense to order terminals as soon as the approval comes through. Saved cards or subscriptions may need customers to enter their card details again if they cannot be moved, so it helps to ask the new provider about both early.

The last step is the cutover itself. The goal is to have the new account approved and tested before the date in your notice, so the CBD items come off Square with somewhere ready to sell them.

4. eMerchantBroker

eMerchantBroker works with two networks that send chargeback alerts, Verifi and Mastercard’s Ethoca network. These alerts are early warnings that a customer has disputed a charge, so the merchant can refund it before it becomes a chargeback. It also runs an alert system of its own.

eMerchantBroker has no in-person product, so if you sell at a counter you would pair it with a separate terminal provider. For online sales it connects to carts such as Shopify, BigCommerce and OpenCart.

5. Finix

Finix tells CBD applicants what speeds its review: current certificates of analysis and recent bank statements. Along with the usual business documents, its application asks for a certificate for every product, showing that the product is hemp-derived with no more than 0.3% THC. Having those certificates current before you apply is the part of the timing you control.

Finix gives no timeline for CBD underwriting, which leaves the timing uncertain when a date is close. It does explain the account’s terms before you start.

6. Bankful

Bankful says CBD approvals take 24 to 48 hours, and every merchant it serves gets fraud and chargeback management.

It works online only, with no storefront product, so it can replace a web checkout but not a counter. Behind its software, Bankful sometimes acts as the payment facilitator itself, so a merchant processes under Bankful’s relationship with a sponsor bank. That bank and the processor of record have the final say on whether an account keeps running.

7. Paybotic

Paybotic runs a separate CBD and hemp line that offers online and in-store processing, a virtual terminal, point-of-sale hardware and PIN debit. It says it approves most applications within 48 hours. Beyond payments, it offers banking, bookkeeping, payroll and HR services. Pricing and dispute tools are questions for the first call.

What to Do if October 15 Is Close

If the notice email is in your inbox, check the dates it gives for your account before anything else. With only a few weeks left, sending one complete file to two providers in the same week is the safer choice, since a slow review at one won’t leave you without an account. With more time, a single application to the provider that fits both your channels keeps the switch simpler.

When the first approval arrives, set up the new account and test a payment before the CBD items come off Square. A note of what each provider asked for means any follow-up questions can be answered from one place.