Nicotine Products Subscription and Payment Gateway

Payments + Shipping & Fulfilment
1

Hey,

I am part of a team that runs a UK Based Shopify Ecommerce Store that sells nicotine, tobacco and CBD related products such as vapes, vape kite, E-liquids, CBD products.

We are looking for a solution and a set up so that we can offer customers a subscription option on our products. For example, they sign up to a subscription of vapes or E-liquids, and see charge them on a regular basis (e.g. monthly) and ship the product. Just like a normal product subscription.

The issue is that I have been in contacted with several payment gateways and Shopify subscription apps, and we can’t find a solution that works for us. Either the payment gateway or the subscription app doesn’t allow nicotine/tobacco/CBD, or they are not compatible with each other. Or they do not work with UK Based companies.

For example, some of the main payment gateway options such as Stripe and PayPal does not allow nicotine/tobacco/CBD products.

Does anyone have a good solution for this? Or has been in a similar situation?

Is this even possible with Shopify?

Kind Regards,
KW

2

Hi KW,

This is a really common challenge for stores in the vape, CBD, and nicotine space — especially in the UK. While Shopify does support subscriptions in general, the big issue (as you mentioned) is finding both a payment gateway and a subscription app that support restricted products and are actually compatible with each other.

Most mainstream options like Stripe, PayPal, and Shopify Payments unfortunately don’t allow CBD or nicotine-related products, which cuts out a lot of the typical setups.

One option you might want to look into is Wallidpay.(https://apps.shopify.com/wallidpay))
explore their blog: *(https://wallid.co/blog/tpost/dsgks42d11-lower-shopify-cbd-payment-fees))
It’s a Shopify app that allows direct bank payments, and because it doesn’t go through traditional card networks, it can be a bit more flexible when it comes to regulated industries. It’s designed for UK-based merchants and supports direct account-to-account payments — which could work well if you’re looking to avoid the usual gateway restrictions.

For subscriptions, you’d likely need to combine that with a third-party app that supports manual or recurring billing logic without depending on Shopify Payments — or go for a more customized setup depending on how tightly you want things automated.

So yes, it is possible on Shopify — just not always straightforward. It usually takes a combination of tools and a bit of extra setup, especially when working around product restrictions. You’re definitely not the first to run into this — happy to help dig into what might fit your use case best if you want.

Best,

3

Hello @kaspw,

The biggest challenge you’re running into is actually the payment gateway restrictions, not just the subscription functionality. Many standard gateways like Stripe and PayPal have strict policies around nicotine, tobacco, and CBD products, which is why most subscription apps end up not working — they depend on those gateways for recurring billing.

While the payment gateway still needs to support your product category, AiTrillion can help on the customer retention and subscription engagement side, once you have a compatible gateway in place.

For example, many stores selling consumable products like e-liquids use subscriptions mainly to encourage repeat purchases. AiTrillion can help support that by building automation around recurring buying behavior. You can track purchase frequency and automatically send reminder emails or SMS messages when customers are likely to run out of a product, encouraging them to reorder or join a subscription plan.

You can also set up loyalty and rewards programs for subscribers. Customers who subscribe to monthly refills could earn points, cashback, or special discounts, which helps increase retention and makes the subscription more attractive.

Another helpful feature is segmentation based on purchase history. For example, customers who frequently purchase certain vape liquids could automatically receive targeted offers or reminders for those specific products. This can simulate some of the benefits of subscriptions even if full recurring billing is limited by payment providers.

AiTrillion can also automate post-purchase flows, such as:

  • reminders when it’s time to reorder
  • cross-sell emails for related flavors or accessories
  • loyalty rewards for repeat purchases

So while the core subscription billing still depends on finding a payment gateway that allows nicotine/CBD products in your region, AiTrillion can handle the marketing automation, retention, and repeat purchase strategy around those products to help maintain a subscription-style customer experience.

If helpful, you may want to look into gateways that specifically support high-risk or regulated products first, then connect those with Shopify and layer retention automation on top.