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0. Template notice

This policy is a template supplied with the Vital Leaf Rx storefront. It describes a payment stack of the kind a cannabinoid retailer typically operates, not the arrangements of any particular operator.

Before launch it must be checked against the acquiring bank's and each payment provider's actual terms, the operator's card scheme obligations, its VAT registrations and its refund workflow, and reviewed by qualified counsel. Placeholders in square brackets must be replaced with real particulars, and any method not actually offered must be deleted rather than left in.

1. Scope and who processes your payment

This policy governs how you pay [COMPANY LEGAL NAME], [REGISTERED ADDRESS], VAT ID [VAT ID], for orders placed on this site. It forms part of the Terms of Service and should be read with the Returns and Refunds Policy and the Right of Withdrawal.

We do not process card payments ourselves and we do not receive or store your full card number. Card data is captured directly by our payment service provider [PAYMENT SERVICE PROVIDER] in a PCI DSS compliant environment, and settled through our acquiring bank [ACQUIRING BANK]. We see the payment method type, the last four digits, the cardholder name, the authorisation result and the settlement reference.

Each provider has its own terms and privacy notice, which apply to you directly in addition to ours. What we share with them, and why, is set out in the Privacy Policy.

2. Accepted payment methods

The methods available to you depend on your delivery country, the value of the order and the outcome of fraud screening. The checkout shows only the methods available for your order, and a method shown earlier in a session may be withdrawn before you confirm.

We accept payment only from an instrument in the name of the person placing the order. We do not accept payment in instalments arranged by a third party, gift cards issued by others, or payment from an account we cannot identify.

• Major credit and debit cards, subject to our acquirer's rules and to strong customer authentication where required
• SEPA credit transfer and local bank transfer, in the markets listed at checkout
• SEPA direct debit, where offered, under a mandate you give at checkout
• Selected local payment methods, such as instant bank-redirect schemes, where they are available for your country
• Cryptocurrency, in the currencies and networks listed at checkout
• Cash on delivery, only in the markets and up to the order value shown at checkout, and only where the carrier supports it

3. Cryptocurrency payments

Cryptocurrency payments are quoted in your order currency and converted to the crypto amount at the rate offered by our payment processor at the moment you confirm. That quote is held for a short window shown on the payment page. If the payment arrives after the window closes, or if the amount received differs from the quote because of network fees or a rate move, the order is treated as underpaid or overpaid and held until we contact you.

You must send the exact amount, on the exact network shown, from a wallet you control. Payments sent on the wrong network, to a reused or expired address, or through a mixing service may be irrecoverable, and we cannot reverse them.

Refunds of cryptocurrency payments are made in the same cryptocurrency, to a wallet address you confirm to us, at the rate applying on the day we issue the refund. That amount may be worth more or less in your local currency than you originally paid. We do not compensate for exchange-rate movement, and network fees are deducted from the refund.

4. High-risk processing and payment descriptors

Cannabinoid retail is classified as a high-risk merchant category by acquirers and card schemes. That has practical consequences for you. Approval rates are lower than in ordinary retail, some issuing banks decline our transactions as a matter of policy regardless of your balance or limit, and the methods available can change at short notice when a provider revises its risk appetite.

The descriptor on your statement is set by the acquirer and will usually show a processing entity rather than the Vital Leaf Rx brand. It may read as [DESCRIPTOR], and it may include a city or reference that does not match our registered address. This is normal and is not an indication of fraud. The descriptor for your order is shown on the confirmation page and repeated in the order confirmation email; keep it so you can recognise the entry later.

We may change payment providers, acquiring banks or descriptors without notice. Where a provider withdraws a method after you have ordered but before payment settles, we will contact you to arrange an alternative or cancel and refund the order.

5. Authorisation, capture and when you are charged

A card payment has two stages. At checkout we request an authorisation, which reserves the amount on your card and reduces your available balance without moving money. We capture the funds when the order is dispatched, or earlier where the checkout says so for a specific method.

An authorisation is not a payment and a failed order can still show a pending amount on your account. Where an order is cancelled after authorisation, we release the authorisation; the reserved amount typically disappears from your available balance within a few working days, but the timing is set by your bank and not by us.

Authorisations expire. If dispatch is delayed beyond the validity period, we may need to request a new authorisation, which can briefly show as a second pending amount. Only one capture is ever taken for one order. If you see two captures for the same order, contact payments@vitalleafrx.com and we will correct it.

6. Currency, conversion and foreign exchange

Prices are displayed in the currency of the store you are using, and the order is charged in the currency shown on the checkout summary. That is the currency of the contract.

If your payment instrument is denominated in a different currency, your bank or card issuer converts the amount using its own rate and may add a foreign-transaction fee. We do not receive that fee and we cannot tell you the rate in advance. Where the checkout offers you conversion at the point of sale, choosing it means accepting the rate shown there instead of your bank's rate; you may decline it.

Because the rate on the day of a refund differs from the rate on the day of purchase, a refund converted back into your home currency may not exactly match what you paid. We refund the full amount in the currency of the order, and we cannot compensate for exchange-rate movement or for third-party fees.

7. Prices, taxes and duties

Prices for consumers in the EU and UK are shown inclusive of VAT at the rate applying to the destination country. The rate and the amount are itemised at checkout and on the invoice. Shipping is priced separately and shown before you confirm.

For destinations outside the customs territory in which the goods are held, including Switzerland, the United States, Australia and South Africa, prices are shown without import taxes. Import VAT, duty and any carrier handling fee are charged separately by customs or the carrier, are payable by the recipient as importer of record, and are not included in the price you pay us. Refusing to pay them means the parcel is returned or destroyed, and the treatment of that is set out in the Shipping Policy.

Obvious pricing errors do not bind us. Where an item is listed at a manifestly incorrect price, we may cancel the order and refund in full before dispatch rather than supply at that price.

8. Failed, declined and expired payments

If a payment is declined, we do not receive a reason beyond a generic code. The reason lies with your issuer, and it is often the merchant category rather than anything about you. Your bank can tell you why; we cannot override a decline.

An order with no completed payment is not accepted and no contract is formed. Unpaid bank-transfer orders are held for the period shown at checkout, after which stock is released and the order is cancelled. Where a direct debit is returned unpaid, we may recharge it once and pass on any bank charge we incur.

If a payment fails after dispatch, for example where a direct debit is reversed, the goods remain our property until paid for and we may claim the amount due together with reasonable recovery costs.

9. Fraud screening and manual review

Every order is screened automatically. The checks look at the match between billing and delivery details, the age-verification result, device and network signals, order velocity, and patterns consistent with resale or with the use of another person's payment instrument. The legal basis and retention periods are set out in the Privacy Policy.

Screening can hold an order for manual review, in which case we may ask you to confirm details or to verify the payment instrument before we dispatch. We aim to complete reviews within one working day. We may decline an order without giving reasons, and a decline is not a statement that you have done anything wrong.

You have the right to ask for human intervention in, and to contest, any decision taken solely by automated means that produces a legal or similarly significant effect. Write to payments@vitalleafrx.com.

10. Chargebacks and disputes

If something is wrong with an order, contact support@vitalleafrx.com first. Most problems are resolved faster than a chargeback and without involving your bank. Raising a chargeback for goods you received and kept, when the issue could have been settled directly, is a breach of the Terms of Service.

When a chargeback is raised we are notified by our acquirer and must respond within a fixed deadline set by the card scheme. We defend disputes with the evidence we hold: order and authorisation records, the age-verification result, the delivery address you gave, carrier tracking and proof of delivery or signature, and our correspondence with you. The scheme, not we and not the merchant, decides the outcome.

While a dispute is open we may suspend the account and hold any related refund, so that the same amount is not returned twice. Where a chargeback is decided against you, any fee our acquirer charges us may be added to the amount you owe. Repeated or unfounded chargebacks lead to permanent refusal to serve the account, the address and the payment instrument.

11. Refunds, routing and contact

Refunds go back to the payment method used for the order. Card refunds return to the card that was charged; SEPA and bank-transfer payments return to the originating account; cryptocurrency is refunded in the same cryptocurrency as described above. We do not refund to a different person, a different instrument or a different account, and we do not pay refunds in cash. Where the original instrument has expired or been closed, we will ask you for bank details and may require additional verification before paying out.

Cash-on-delivery orders are refunded by bank transfer to an account in the name of the person who placed the order. Where a payment method does not support a return, for example a closed local scheme, we agree an alternative with you in writing.

We issue refunds within the period stated in the Returns and Refunds Policy and in the Right of Withdrawal. The time it then takes to appear on your statement is set by your bank or issuer, typically a few working days for cards. Payment queries: payments@vitalleafrx.com, quoting the order number and the last four digits of the instrument. Formal notices: legal@vitalleafrx.com or [COMPANY LEGAL NAME], [REGISTERED ADDRESS].