Industry Standards: the MATCH/TMF List
Understanding the Basics
If you’re a new customer in need of a high-risk payment processor, it’s important to understand the industry standards that are in place. One of these standards is the Mastercard Alert to Control High-Risk Merchants (MATCH) list, which is a database of terminated merchant accounts that have been closed for high chargebacks or violations of card brand rules. In this informational guide, we will explain the criteria for inclusion in MATCH, the qualitative and quantitative reasons for being added to MATCH, and the steps you can take if you find yourself listed on MATCH.
Criteria for MATCH Qualification
When a business and a credit card processor end their relationship, the processor must determine if the business meets any of the MATCH criteria for being placed on the MATCH list. If any criteria are met, the processor must add the business’s information to MATCH within one business day of the termination or within one business day of the account becoming eligible for MATCH after termination.
Qualitative Criteria: The majority of MATCH criteria, or “reason codes,” involve breaches of card network rules, including illegal activity and collusion. There are 11 reason codes, including Account Data Compromise, Common Point of Purchase, Laundering, Fraud Conviction, Mastercard Questionable Merchant Audit Program, Bankruptcy/Liquidation/Insolvency, Violation of Standards, Merchant Collusion, PCIDSS Non-Compliance, Illegal Transactions, and Identity Theft.
Quantitative Criteria: Two MATCH reason codes have specific numeric thresholds defined by Mastercard for when processors must add accounts to MATCH. These reason codes are excessive chargebacks and excessive fraud, which are the most common reasons for being added to MATCH, and can affect businesses that are not engaged in illegal or rule-violating activity.
Additional Information on Excessive Chargebacks and Fraud:
The excessive chargebacks and fraud reason codes are separate from card brand chargeback and fraud monitoring programs operated by Visa and Mastercard. If dispute activity does not take place on a Mastercard card, it would not qualify toward MATCH counts. A month is defined as a calendar month. Once a business meets the excessive chargebacks or fraud MATCH criteria in a calendar month, the merchant must be added to MATCH if the processing relationship is terminated, even if the processing relationship is not ended in that calendar month.
Information Added to MATCH List:
The card networks require that certain information be added to MATCH if available, including business legal name and DBA, business address, business phone number, business tax ID, business URL, principal owner name, principal owner address, principal owner phone number, principal owner tax ID, account opening date and termination date, and MATCH reason code. Mastercard does not assess the accuracy of MATCH listings.
Removal from MATCH:
Unfortunately, processors usually cannot remove an account’s information from MATCH upon request. A processor can only remove a MATCH entry if the processor added the business to MATCH in error or if the listing is for MATCH reason code 12 and the processor has confirmed that the business has become compliant with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard. If you believe either of those two situations exist, you’ll need to reach out to the processor that listed your information on MATCH to be removed. Records remain on the MATCH system for five years before being automatically purged by Mastercard.
Don’t let being a high-risk merchant hold your business back.
Next Steps if You Are Listed on MATCH:
If you find yourself listed on MATCH, you’ll need to reach out to your previous processor to find out why your information was added to MATCH. However, MATCH criteria are determined by Mastercard and processors are required to follow this criteria.
High Risk Payments cannot remove a merchant that met the “excessive chargebacks” criteria even if the business has remediated the issues leading to chargebacks. Due to banking partner restrictions, High Risk Payments generally cannot process for businesses listed on MATCH unless extenuating circumstances are involved.
Being placed on a TMF can have serious effects, as many entities refuse to accept businesses or individuals listed on a TMF.
For this reason, it’s important to be aware of TMF criteria and make sure you avoid becoming eligible.
The most common list, and the only one with global reach, is Mastercard’s MATCH. There are specific criteria that businesses must meet to be placed on the MATCH list. The majority of these criteria involve breaches of card network rules, including illegal activity and collusion. There are 11 specific reason codes for MATCH, which are listed in the article.
Two MATCH reason codes have specific numeric thresholds defined by Mastercard for when processors must add accounts to MATCH. These reason codes involve chargeback and fraud activity on an account and are the most common reasons for being added to MATCH. If a business meets the excessive chargebacks or fraud MATCH criteria in a calendar month, the merchant must be added to MATCH if the processing relationship is terminated, even if the processing relationship is not ended in that calendar month.
If a business is listed on MATCH, it’s likely to find out when attempting to sign up for a new processor. MATCH is only supposed to be used as an informational tool by processors during the application process; however, the presence of a MATCH listing often means that an application is declined.
Unfortunately, Stripe or any other processor usually cannot remove an account’s information from MATCH upon request.
A processor can only remove a MATCH entry if they added the business to MATCH in error, or if the listing is for MATCH reason code 12 (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard Noncompliance) and the processor has confirmed that the business has become compliant with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard.
Industries We Serve
Our Process
Submit Your Completed MPA
Send us your completed and signed merchant application along with any necessary supporting documents.
Get Your Approval
Boarding and approvals take 3-5 business days depending on the account and needed documentation.
Integrated Payments
Once approved, we’ll provide you with hardware or payment gateway options for your high risk merchant account.
