Med spas
Med spas that add semaglutide or tirzepatide to their treatment menu, alongside injectables, memberships and packages.
GLP-1 and weight loss merchant services
Payment Processing for GLP-1 and Weight Loss Programs
Group ISO opens merchant accounts for med spas, wellness clinics and telehealth programs that offer semaglutide, tirzepatide and other GLP-1 medications. With a complete file, approval takes 2 to 3 days.
Every application is reviewed individually. Eligibility, payment methods, pricing, reserves, limits and terms are subject to underwriting and acquiring-bank requirements.
Who it's for
Who we serve
We serve med spas, wellness clinics and telehealth programs that offer semaglutide, tirzepatide and other GLP-1 medications, brand-name or compounded. Our banks count GLP-1 programs as telehealth merchants, so the same underwriting rules apply whether patients start in your clinic or online.
Wellness clinics
Private wellness and weight loss clinics that offer GLP-1 medications as part of a supervised program.
Telehealth programs
Online programs where patients consult remotely and medication ships from a partner pharmacy.
Group ISO handles underwriting, risk and support in house, and has worked with high-risk merchants since 2001. We process for about 100 peptide merchants today, so weight loss programs are familiar territory for our underwriters. Running a med spa with a wider menu? See med spa payment processing.
The problem
Why GLP-1 merchants get shut down
GLP-1 merchants get shut down for three reasons: card-brand scrutiny of weight loss sales, processors that ban the category outright, and account freezes when a processor finds GLP-1 sales it never approved. Group ISO underwrites your program up front, so the account fits what you actually sell.
Card-brand scrutiny
Card brands watch weight loss medication sales closely. Banks respond by asking for more proof about where your medication comes from and how your program runs.
Processors that ban the category
Many processors don't accept GLP-1 sales at all. Signup is automated and fast, and the ban sits in terms of service most merchants never read.
Account freezes
When a processor finds GLP-1 sales it never approved, it can hold your funds during a review or close the account. Money patients already paid stays out of reach.
A frozen account hurts twice. You lose access to money patients already paid, and you have to find a new processor while refills and new consults keep coming. The fix is to tell the bank exactly what you sell from day one, with the paperwork to back it up.
Our requirements
What we require
Telehealth merchants, including every GLP-1 program, need LegitScript certification. Your medication must come from a LegitScript-certified supplier or a 503A or 503B compounding pharmacy. We review brand-name and compounded products alike. These are Group ISO's underwriting requirements for a merchant account, not guidance on what you may prescribe or sell.
What underwriting checks
- LegitScript certification for telehealth merchants, including every GLP-1 program
- Medication sourced from a LegitScript-certified supplier or a 503A or 503B compounding pharmacy
- Your pharmacy fulfillment contract and telehealth contract, where they apply
- A website that is compliant front to back
Brand-name and compounded
We don't turn a program away for selling compounded GLP-1s. Underwriting looks at where the medication comes from and the contracts behind it, for brand-name and compounded products alike.
Need a partner?
Need a telehealth or pharmacy network? We can recommend many that are LegitScript certified.
Payment options
How your patients can pay
LegitScript-certified telehealth merchants can accept all payment types. That covers online card payments for consults and refills, recurring billing for monthly programs, in-clinic card payments for med spas and clinics, and ACH. We set up the mix around how your patients start, pay and renew.
Online card payments
Take card payments for consults, first orders and refills on your website, through a compatible payment gateway.
Recurring billing
Bill monthly programs and memberships automatically, with billing and cancellation terms patients agree to up front.
In-clinic card payments
Countertop, contactless and mobile payment options for med spa and clinic front desks.
ACH
Accept bank-to-bank ACH payments alongside cards, for patients who prefer to pay from a bank account.
Most GLP-1 programs use several of these at once: a card payment for the first consult, a recurring charge for the monthly program and an in-clinic payment for follow-up visits. Online and recurring payments get the same review as in-clinic sales, so tell us about every way patients pay you. Your final setup depends on underwriting and the sales channels you use.
Underwriting
How underwriting works
With a complete file, merchant account approval takes 2 to 3 days. Telehealth programs typically get MCC 5912 or another fitting code, and med spas get 5122. Reserves range from 0 to 10%, and most LegitScript-certified merchants start with no reserve. You send a standard document list, and the bank may ask for more.
- Approval
- 2 to 3 days with a complete file
- MCC
- 5912 or another fitting code for telehealth; 5122 for med spas
- Reserve
- 0 to 10%; most LegitScript-certified merchants start with no reserve
Documents
- Signed application
- Standard KYC documents
- Driver's license
- Articles of incorporation or LLC (proof of ownership)
- Voided check or bank letter
- Bank statements
- Prior processing statements
- High-risk addendum
- Pharmacy fulfillment and telehealth contracts
The bank may request more after review. Please don't send documents through the website form; your Group ISO contact will explain how to share them securely.
Why a complete file matters
The 2 to 3 day timeline starts when the file is complete. Most delays come from a missing contract, an outdated statement or a website that doesn't match the application. Group ISO reviews your file before it goes to the bank, so underwriting can answer quickly instead of sending it back with questions. The MCC and any reserve are set by the bank during underwriting, based on your model and your history.
- Business formation, ownership, banking and contact information
- Your LegitScript certification, or where you are in the process
- Your pharmacy fulfillment contract and telehealth contract
- A website with clear program pricing, terms, refund and cancellation policies
- Expected monthly volume, average ticket and highest ticket
- Prior processing statements, when you have them
LegitScript help
Help getting LegitScript certified
If you aren't certified yet, a Group ISO specialist works with you one on one, from website compliance through the application to approval. Certification typically takes 7 to 10 days once your site is compliant. Our $4,500 package covers LegitScript's application fee, expedited processing and your first year of certification.
Many merchants need a full website overhaul or new telehealth and pharmacy partners before they reach that point, which takes longer. Certification assistance is separate from the merchant account, and LegitScript independently controls certification decisions. For requirements, costs and timeline in detail, read the LegitScript certification guide. Also selling peptides? Read Do you need LegitScript to sell peptides?
LegitScript certification assistance
One-on-one help from website compliance through your application to certification approval.
Explore certification help →Chargebacks
Keeping chargebacks low
Keep your chargeback ratio under 0.75%. Ratios above that cause problems with the bank, and fraud chargebacks draw the most scrutiny. If disputes start, we work with you to find the cause, whether that is customer service, product quality or shipping delays, and fix it before it threatens the account.
GLP-1 disputes often start with a surprise: a recurring charge the patient forgot about, a refill that shipped late, or a cancellation that didn't stop billing. Written terms, clear shipping updates and good records close most of those gaps.
Habits that prevent disputes
- Put program pricing, recurring billing and cancellation terms in writing, and have patients agree before the first charge
- Tell patients when an order ships and when to expect it
- Keep consult records, consent forms and shipping confirmations for every order
- Post a clear refund policy on your website and follow it
- Answer disputes quickly with your records in hand
More help: chargeback help.
A clear path forward
Get started in three steps
Getting started takes three steps. Tell us how your GLP-1 program runs, get LegitScript certified if you aren't already and build the file with our help, then start processing. With a complete file, merchant account approval takes 2 to 3 days, and a Group ISO contact stays with you after you go live.
- 01
Tell us about your program
Share how patients find you, how consults happen, which medications you offer, your pharmacy partner and how you charge.
- 02
Get certified and build the file
If you are not LegitScript certified yet, we help you get there. Then we organize your documents before the file goes to the bank.
- 03
Start processing
Once approved, we connect your checkout, recurring billing and in-clinic payments, and stay your contact after you go live.
Prefer to talk it through first? Call (800) 960-0135, Monday to Friday, 7:30 AM to 5:00 PM PST.
FAQ
GLP-1 payment processing FAQs
We review both. Brand-name and compounded semaglutide, tirzepatide and other GLP-1s are underwritten the same way: the medication must come from a LegitScript-certified supplier or a 503A or 503B compounding pharmacy, and we review your pharmacy fulfillment contract as part of the file.
Yes, if you are a telehealth merchant. GLP-1 programs count as telehealth merchants, and our banks require LegitScript certification for them. If you are not certified yet, a Group ISO specialist can help you get there.
Merchant account approval takes 2 to 3 days once your file is complete. If you need LegitScript certification first, expect about 7 to 10 days once your website is compliant. Many merchants need website changes or new telehealth and pharmacy partners before that point, which takes longer.
Telehealth programs typically receive MCC 5912 or another code that fits the model. Med spas typically receive MCC 5122. The bank confirms the final code during underwriting.
Reserves range from 0 to 10%. Most LegitScript-certified merchants start with no reserve. Any reserve is set during underwriting.
A signed application, standard KYC documents, a driver's license, articles of incorporation or LLC (proof of ownership), a voided check or bank letter, bank statements, prior processing statements, a high-risk addendum, and your pharmacy fulfillment and telehealth contracts. The bank may request more after review.
LegitScript-certified telehealth merchants can accept all payment types, including online card payments, recurring billing, in-clinic card payments and ACH. Your final setup depends on underwriting and the sales channels you use.
You get certified first, then apply for the merchant account. A Group ISO specialist works with you one on one, from website compliance through the application to approval. Our $4,500 package covers LegitScript's application fee, expedited processing and the first year of certification. LegitScript independently controls certification decisions.
Related
Discuss Your GLP-1 ProgramSelling peptides too?
See peptide payment processing for LegitScript-certified telehealth providers, med spas, clinics and pharmacies, or call us to talk through your model.
