PAYMENT OPTIONS

The world of cannabis payments is dynamic, and we work hard to always ensure that we balance customer convenience with what’s safe, secure, and compliant. SPARC currently offers customers three payment options:

  • UPDATED! SPARCPAY (formerly Digital Prepay)— We’ve recently redesigned our newest, easiest, safest, most popular, and preferred form of payment. A simple, one-time sign up allows you to electronically transfer funds from your bank account to prepay for your SPARC purchase. We’ve reduced fees from $3 to $1.50 per transaction, and your bank will not apply an additional fee. Available for all website orders, just choose ‘Pay Now with Checking’ at checkout.
  • CASHLESS ATM — Use your debit card to pay. Cashless ATM is like going to the ATM, except we keep the portion that pays for your order and then you get the remaining change. There is a fee per transaction (fees vary by location), and your bank may apply an additional fee. This payment form is offered in-store.
  • CASH — Cash is accepted at all of our locations, and most locations have an ATM on-site. There is no fee for paying with cash. This payment form works for both in-store and delivery.

Payment options vary by location — See our Locations page for details, or review the checkout details screen before placing your order to see a full list of payment options available at that location. Unfortunately, due to federal banking regulations, we do not accept credit card payments at this time.

PAYMENT OPTION DETAILS

$1.50 flat fee per transaction. (Previously $3)
Your bank will not apply an additional fee

Choose ‘Pay Now with Checking’ at website checkout. New users will complete a one-time account registration and link their bank account. On future orders, payment can be sent with only a few clicks.

NOTE: Used our Digital Prepay option before? We’ll need you to re-register in our updated platform. Then, you can take advantage of our lower fees.

First time registration takes under a minute, on average. After that, your order can be placed and paid in less than 10 seconds.

SPARC PAY FAQ

What is SparcPay?

Sparc Pay is a safe and secure digital payments solution that makes it easy to place online orders using your bank account.

How does it work?

To pay with Sparc Pay, simply link your checking account with Sparc Pay. Once you’ve done that, you can then use the linked bank account to pay for future orders. 

Should I link my bank account every time I make a purchase?

No, Sparc Pay securely saves your information so you can quickly and safely make a payment from the checking account you’ve already linked to Sparc Pay. You will get an email confirmation and a receipt after every order has been placed and processed.

What if I want to de-link my bank account, and add another one?

No problem – with Sparc Pay you can easily deauthorize or de-link the bank account you currently use. You can then add another bank account if you’d like to continue using Sparc Pay.

Is my banking information secure?

Yes, Sparc Pay does not have access to your login details or your password. We use a highly trusted, market-leading, third-party service provider who securely links Sparc Pay to your bank account without revealing your bank account login information to anyone, including Sparc Pay.

I’m getting an error when I try to use Sparc Pay.

Unfortunately, we may not be able to support your bank or credit union at this time. We’re working on adding support for more financial institutions – in the meantime, please place your order and continue to pay as you usually do. Thank you for your support and patience!

Sparc Pay is telling me my transaction has timed out.

If you do not complete your order within a certain period of time, we take steps at our end to prevent malicious usage of your information. As a result, you may see a time-out error screen. Do not worry if you see this screen – no money will be deducted from your bank. Please try placing the order again!

I have some additional questions about Sparc Pay.

We’d love to hear from you. Please send us an email at [email protected] and we’ll be in touch!

ONE TIME REGISTRATION STEPS

STEP 1

At the checkout screen under PAYMENT OPTIONS, select Pay Now with Checking, check the Terms & Conditions box, then select PLACE ORDER FOR PICKUP / DELIVERY

STEP 2

A new window will open. Enter a mobile phone number that can receive text messages.

STEP 3

Enter the security code sent to your phone.

STEP 4

Select Continue.

STEP 5

Use the Search filed, or choose your bank from the list.

STEP 6

Enter the account info you use to sign into your bank.

STEP 7

Select a method to receive your bank’s security code and select Continue

STEP 8

Enter the code you received and select Submit

STEP 9

That’s right, your bank is now connected! Select Continue

STEP 10

Choose the account you want to use.

STEP 11

Select a tip option and then Continue, or select Continue without tipping

STEP 12

Review your order details, then select Place Order. You’ll be taken to the Order Confirmation screen, and your order has been placed!

Cash is accepted at all of our locations, and most locations have an ATM on-site.

  • There is no fee for paying with cash

This payment form works for both in-store and delivery.

Use your debit card to pay. Cashless ATM is like going to the ATM, except we keep the portion that pays for your order and then you get the remaining change.

  • SPARC charges a fee per transaction (fees vary by location)
  • Your bank may apply an additional fee

This payment form works in-store.

STATE & LOCAL TAXES

Taxes on cannabis help fund the regulation of the cannabis market, but they also drive up prices in the legal market and consequentially drive up demand in the illegal market. And based on how the regulations are written, there are several cannabis taxes throughout the supply chain. Trust us, we like them even less than you do; but while we don’t make the rules, we do need to follow them. At SPARC, our goal is to provide you with as much transparency as possible to the taxes that you’re paying on cannabis goods:

  • Cultivation Tax — Baked into the cost of every cannabis product is a cultivation tax that’s paid when the cultivator transfers raw cannabis product to distributors. This is not an individual line item on your SPARC receipt, but we do want to make you aware of it because you’re still effectively paying it.
  • Excise Tax — A value added tax (VAT) that’s based on the wholesale price of the individual SKU and assumes a certain mark-up percentage set by regulators on a periodic basis. While it’s rare, the wholesale price and/or the mark-up percentage of individual SKUs can vary, causing the Excise Tax for those SKUs to vary as well. It is for this reason we label Excise Tax as ‘Expected Excise Tax’ for customers who order online; the actual Excise Tax can only be calculated when the specific SKU for your order is selected.
  • Sales Tax — The same as the sales tax that you would pay for many other goods and services. Medical customers with a valid MMID card are exempt from paying this tax.
  • Local Taxes — Local jurisdictions have the power to add additional taxes as they see fit. In Santa Rosa, for example, there is a 3% city tax applied to all cannabis sales (in addition to all of the other taxes).

State taxes are set by the State of California and the Bureau of Cannabis Control (BCC). Click here to read more about their policies and tax rules. We encourage you to reach out to your State and local representatives; click here to find your representatives. A more streamlined cannabis tax system would benefit you, SPARC, and the whole legal cannabis community.

PAYMENTS & FEDERAL CANNABIS POLICY

While the State of California has make big strides towards advancing cannabis policy, the federal government lags behind. The biggest example of this is the lack of access to banking in the cannabis industry.  This impacts SPARC as an operator, but it also impacts you as a customer. In order to advance cannabis policy at the federal level, we support the following bills. Both measures would significantly help advance banking access in the cannabis industry, which would benefit not only you and SPARC, but the whole cannabis community.

SAFE BANKING ACT

The Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act is proposed legislation that effectively providing cannabis operators with the same access to banking services as other industries.

STATES ACT

The Strengthening the Tenth Amendment Through Entrusting States (STATES) Act is proposed legislation that that would, at the federal level, recognize the legalization of cannabis and the state laws that govern cannabis in states where cannabis has been legalized.

To vocalize your support for this legislation and cannabis legislation more broadly, we also encourage you to make your voice heard by contacting your federal representatives. Click here to find your House Representative and click here to find your Senators. We’re all in this fight together — thank you for doing your part to pave the future of cannabis policy!