If you chose to pay by credit card on MedsBase, you may have noticed that the checkout process looks a little different from what you’re used to. You’re redirected to another website, asked to verify your identity, and may even be prompted for personal details like your date of birth or a photo ID.
We understand this can feel unexpected — and for some customers, it raises legitimate privacy concerns. This page explains exactly how the process works, why verification is required, what happens to your data, and what alternatives you have.
Key Takeaways
- Your credit card payment is processed by a licensed, regulated third-party provider — not by MedsBase directly.
- Identity verification (KYC) is legally required by the payment provider under international anti-money-laundering regulations.
- MedsBase never sees, stores, or has access to your ID documents, date of birth, or Social Security number.
- The charge on your bank statement appears as the crypto-payment processor (e.g. a regulated card-payment processor) — never as “MedsBase” and never as a medication purchase.
- If you prefer not to verify your identity, you can pay directly with cryptocurrency at checkout — no verification required.
Which Payment Method Should I Pick?
If you’re not sure which to choose, the table below summarises the trade-offs. Most customers can finish in under 10 minutes either way — the choice comes down to whether you’d rather verify ID once or use crypto.
| Credit Card (Privacy Shield) | Crypto Direct (BTC / USDT / ETH) | SEPA Bank Transfer (EU only) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ID verification? | Sometimes — depends on amount + country. Skipped on returning visits to the same processor. | Never. No KYC, no SSN, no ID upload. | Never. Just a normal bank transfer. |
| Speed to confirm | ~5–15 min (longer on first KYC) | ~10 min (one block confirmation) | 1–2 business days (bank processing) |
| Supported countries | Worldwide — exact processor varies by country | Worldwide — anyone with a wallet | 36 SEPA-zone countries (EU/EEA + UK + CH) |
| Bank statement shows | a regulated card-payment processor — never “MedsBase” | Your crypto exchange — never “MedsBase” | Our processing partner — never “MedsBase” |
| Discount | No discount | 10% off your order | No discount |
| Best for… | Customers who don’t hold crypto, comfortable with one-time KYC | Privacy-conscious customers, anyone who already holds crypto | EU customers who’d rather use a normal bank transfer |
Jump to section:
How the payment works · Why you’re redirected · Skip verification: pay with crypto · Why verification is required · What information is requested · What happens to your data · Is it safe? · What appears on your bank statement · Video walkthrough · Common questions
How Credit Card Payments Work on MedsBase
When you select “Credit Card with Privacy Shield” at checkout, your payment follows this path:
Step 1. You place your order on MedsBase and choose credit card payment.
Step 2. You are securely redirected to a licensed third-party crypto-payment processor — typically a regulated card-payment processor. The exact processor depends on availability in your country and the transaction amount.
Step 3. The payment provider processes your credit card charge. Depending on their requirements and your transaction amount, they may ask you to verify your identity.
Step 4. Once your card payment is confirmed, the provider converts it to cryptocurrency and sends the equivalent amount to MedsBase.
Step 5. MedsBase receives the payment confirmation and your order is processed and shipped.
In short: you pay with your credit card as normal. The only difference is that a regulated intermediary handles the transaction instead of a traditional card processor.
Why Are You Redirected to Another Website?
Independent health and wellness companies face ongoing restrictions from pharmaceutical compliance organizations such as LegitScript. These restrictions mean that traditional credit card processors (Visa/Mastercard merchant accounts) are either unavailable to businesses like ours, or come with severe limitations — including frozen funds, sudden account closures, and withheld payouts.
To continue offering credit card payments at all, we use a privacy-shielded payment structure:
- You are charged via credit card by a licensed, regulated third-party payment provider
- The provider converts your payment to cryptocurrency
- MedsBase receives the cryptocurrency equivalent
This structure protects both you and our business from chargebacks, payment disruptions, and processor shutdowns — and ensures that your order can always be fulfilled once payment is confirmed.
Don’t Want to Verify Your ID? Pay with Cryptocurrency Direct.
If you’d rather skip verification entirely, the simplest path is to pay directly with cryptocurrency at checkout — select “Pay with Cryptocurrency” (powered by Plisio).
Crypto Direct in plain English:
- No identity verification — no KYC, no ID upload, no SSN.
- No account creation — you simply send the payment from your existing crypto wallet.
- Supports popular cryptocurrencies — Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), Litecoin (LTC), USDT, and others.
- Confirms in about 10 minutes — your order moves to processing as soon as the blockchain transaction is verified.
- 10% off your order — automatic discount when you pay direct with crypto.
If you already hold cryptocurrency, this is the fastest and most private way to pay. If you don’t, you can purchase crypto through a major exchange and send it directly. The exchange itself handles any KYC the regulator requires for purchasing crypto — once you have it, paying us is just sending a transaction.
Need help paying with crypto? See our step-by-step guide: How to Pay with Cryptocurrency on MedsBase.
Why Is Identity Verification Required?
This is the part that surprises most customers — and the main reason we created this page.
The third-party payment providers we work with are regulated financial services companies. Under international law, they are required to follow KYC (Know Your Customer) and AML (Anti-Money Laundering) regulations. These are the same rules that apply to banks, credit card companies, and payment processors worldwide.
What is KYC? KYC stands for “Know Your Customer.” It’s a standard regulatory requirement that obligates financial service providers to verify the identity of their customers. Every bank, brokerage, and licensed payment processor in the world is subject to some form of KYC. When a payment provider asks for your ID, they are complying with the law — not acting on behalf of MedsBase.
The level of verification required depends on:
- Your transaction amount — smaller transactions often require less verification
- Your country of residence — some jurisdictions have stricter requirements than others
- The specific provider — each provider has slightly different thresholds and processes
- Whether you’ve used the provider before — returning customers who already passed verification typically skip this step entirely
What Information May Be Requested?
Depending on the provider and your transaction, you may be asked for some or all of the following:
| Information | Why It’s Requested | Who Sees It |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Must match your credit card | Payment provider only |
| Email address | Payment receipt and confirmation | Payment provider only |
| Date of birth | Age verification and KYC compliance | Payment provider only |
| Government-issued photo ID | Identity verification for higher amounts | Payment provider only |
| Selfie or liveness check | Confirms the ID belongs to you | Payment provider only |
| Last 4 digits of SSN (US only) | Required by US FinCEN regulations for certain transaction thresholds | Payment provider only |
Important: MedsBase does not receive, store, access, or have any visibility into the personal information you submit to the payment provider. The verification process happens entirely on the provider’s platform, governed by their own privacy policy and security standards.
What Happens to Your Data?
Your verification data is handled exclusively by the payment provider. Here’s exactly what MedsBase does and does not receive:
| What MedsBase Receives | What MedsBase Does NOT Receive |
|---|---|
| Payment confirmation (paid/not paid) | Your credit card number |
| Transaction reference ID | Your date of birth |
| Amount paid | Your photo ID or selfie |
| Your Social Security number | |
| Any identity verification documents |
The payment providers are subject to strict data protection regulations including GDPR (in Europe) and state-level privacy laws (in the US). They use bank-grade encryption for data transmission and storage, and are regularly audited for compliance.
Is It Safe?
Yes. The payment providers we work with are licensed, regulated companies that process millions of transactions. Here’s what makes the process secure:
- Licensed and regulated — providers like a regulated card-payment processor hold financial-service licenses and are registered with the relevant regulatory authorities in their jurisdictions.
- Bank-grade encryption — all data transmitted during the verification and payment process is encrypted using TLS/SSL (the same technology your bank uses).
- PCI DSS compliant — the providers meet Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards for handling card data.
- Data minimization — providers only collect the minimum information required by law for your specific transaction.
- No data sharing with MedsBase — your personal verification data stays with the payment provider. MedsBase only receives a payment confirmation.
Will My Bank See I Bought Medication? — What Appears on Your Statement
No. Your bank will not see “MedsBase”, “medsbase.com”, or any indication that the purchase relates to medication or pharmacy.
Your credit card statement shows a charge from the crypto-payment processor that handled your transaction — typically one of a regulated card-payment processor (or an abbreviation of one of those names). The descriptor is the processor’s company name. To your bank, your card issuer, and anyone who can see your statement, the transaction looks identical to any other purchase of digital assets through that processor.
What this means in practice:
- The merchant name on your statement looks like a routine crypto-platform charge (e.g. “”PROCESSOR *…”, “”PROCESSOR *…”, etc.) — not a pharmacy.
- The transaction memo never references medication, pharmacy, MedsBase, or the medication name.
- Your bank receives the merchant name and the amount. Banks don’t have visibility into what was purchased on the merchant’s platform — only that you purchased something from it.
- The same is true for HSA/FSA accounts and shared statements: nothing in the descriptor identifies the underlying purchase.
If statement privacy is your top concern, paying with cryptocurrency direct (no third-party processor in the middle) gives you the maximum privacy — the descriptor is then your own crypto exchange, not a payment processor.
Video Walkthrough — What the On-Ramp Step Looks Like
A short screen-recording showing the actual the card-to-crypto flow from “Place Order” through to verification and payment confirmation. Most customers find it easier to commit to the redirect after seeing exactly what happens on the next screen.
📹 Video coming soon
We’re recording a 60-second walkthrough of the actual on-ramp screen. In the meantime, the steps are documented above and our customer-care team is one reply away if you have questions during checkout.
Common Questions
Why can’t I just pay with a normal credit card like on Amazon?
Large retailers like Amazon have direct relationships with Visa and Mastercard merchant banks. Independent health and wellness companies are restricted from these traditional processing agreements by pharmaceutical compliance organizations. The privacy-shielded payment solution is how we maintain credit card acceptance despite these restrictions.
Is the third-party payment site a scam?
No. The processors we work with (a regulated card-payment processor) are established, licensed financial-service companies that collectively process billions of dollars in transactions annually. They are subject to the same KYC/AML regulations as banks and traditional payment processors.
Why do they need my Social Security number?
Only some providers, and only for US-based customers above certain transaction thresholds, may request the last 4 digits of your SSN. This is required by US FinCEN (Financial Crimes Enforcement Network) regulations for identity verification. The full SSN is never requested. If you are uncomfortable providing this, you can use the cryptocurrency payment option instead.
What if I start the verification but don’t finish it?
Your order remains active on MedsBase in “pending payment” status. You can return to complete payment at any time, or switch to the cryptocurrency option. Incomplete verification data submitted to the provider is handled according to their data retention policy — typically deleted after a set period if the transaction is not completed.
Do I have to verify my identity every time I order?
Usually not. Once you’ve completed verification with a specific provider, subsequent transactions through that same provider typically skip the verification step. The process is generally a one-time requirement.
Can I get a refund if I pay by credit card?
Our standard refund and re-shipment policies apply regardless of payment method. See our Re-Shipment Assurance Policy for details.
I completed verification and payment but my order still shows as pending — what happened?
Credit card payments through the privacy shield occasionally take a few minutes to confirm, especially if the blockchain network is congested. If your order hasn’t updated within 30 minutes of completing payment, please contact us with your order number and we’ll investigate immediately.