1/18/2021 Update: As the Adativ website is no longer active, it appears the company is no longer in business. All current information reflects information available as of August 2019. Moving forward, CardPaymentOptions.com will no longer update this review.
Adativ Overview
Headquartered in the Channel Islands, Adativ (adativ.com) is a merchant account provider that serves both standard and high risk business types. The company distinguishes itself from its competitors by openly advertising that it can process payments for CBD vendors and other extremely high risk industries.
Adativ CBD Requirements
The Adativ website clearly lists the company’s requirements for CBD merchants who wish to obtain payment processing:
1. Merchants should only be shipping to countries in which the products are legal. If a CBD merchant still wishes to ship to certain countries that ADATIV do not support, transactions from such countries will be blocked on our payment system. At present, transactions from the countries listed below will be blocked on our CBD payment processing solution. However, since international legislation is continuously changing the list may change: Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, New Zealand, Russia and Slovakia. CBD Merchants from the USA will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.
2. All products are to be in line with EU legislation, with THC levels below 0.2%. CBD Merchants will need to provide independent certificates that confirm the THC levels are within EU thresholds, and that the products are derived from industrial hemp.
3. CBD Merchant websites must clearly state that all products are extracted from industrial hemp.
4. Products and websites claiming to provide medical benefits will not be approved (e.g. products that claim to cure conditions or diseases etc.)
5. No subscription billing
6. EU company – we currently only work with EU Acquiring solutions for our custom built CBD payment processing solution. Therefore you will need an EU company to apply. We can assist you with incorporating your EU company.
7. Start-up businesses will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis but we do work with many start-ups.
Adativ Location and Ownership
Adativ is headquartered at Forum 4, Grenville Street, St. Helier, Jersey, and does not publicly list its partner banks. Adativ also does not publicly disclose the identities of its executive team.
Customer Reviews & Sentiment
Clean Complaint Record
We are currently unable to locate any Adativ complaints, and there is no evidence to suggest that the company is a ripoff or a scam. This clean complaint record may be due to the short amount of time that the company has been operational. Low complaint totals are uncommon in the high risk space, as these types of processors typically rack up complaints about fund holds or cancelled accounts.
Adativ Lawsuits
We have not found any outstanding class-action lawsuits or FTC complaints filed against Adativ. Dissatisfied merchants who wish to pursue a non-litigious course of action against the company should consider reporting it to the relevant supervisory organizations.
Adativ Support Options
Adativ only provides a a general-purpose contact form and email address on its website. This falls short of our expectation of top-rated payment processors for great customer service.
Client Satisfaction Ratings
No Profile Available
The Better Business Bureau does not maintain a profile for Adativ at this time. We therefore will not factor a BBB rating into this review.
Card Processing Rates & Fees
Adativ Contract Terms
There is no publicly available information about the standard Adativ contract, but it’s likely that the company’s pricing will vary from merchant to merchant. It is entirely possible that standard-risk merchants could pay monthly minimum fees, PCI compliance fees, and early termination fees through the company.
Higher Risk, Higher Fees
The CBD industry is currently as high risk as they come, which means that payment processors who serve CBD merchants often charge high rates, require six-month rolling reserves, and enforce very strict chargeback limits. Hemp merchants who opt to work with Adativ should therefore expect more restrictive pricing and contract terms than standard-risk merchants usually receive.
No Red Flags
We cannot find any complaints about Adativ’s contract terms, which suggests that most of its users are satisfied. CBD and hemp merchants, however, should not expect Adativ’s pricing to compete with the cheapest merchant accounts. If you have any information about the standard Adativ agreement, please share it in the comment section below.
Bottom Line
A Viable Option for CBD and Hemp Vendors
Adativ rates as a solid credit card processing option for CBD merchants at this time. The company is uncommonly forward about its ability to serve hemp and CBD vendors, which suggests that it has reliable banking partnerships for handling these types of transactions. Our rating will be subject to change as we receive more feedback about this company.
Adativ Rating
