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High Risk Merchants
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High Risk Merchant
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Reduce Chargebacks and save on card processing fees.
Businesses involved in certain sectors are often categorised as “High Risk Merchants” by payment processing providers.
These sectors can include Online Gaming, Travel, Luxury Items, Adult Entertainment, Ecommerce – and indeed any others with a higher level of Chargebacks.
Vendreo is an ‘industry agnostic’ payment gateway, relying on the security of Open Banking API’s to seamlessly enact money transfers and online payments to and from your online business account, without the need for nervous and time-consuming credit card processing gateways.
Fast & Secure
Getting you paid faster.
Instant Payment Settlement with Vendreo.
Payments are made instantly to your business by your consumers. No delays, straight from their online banking app to your business bank account.
Any refunds or awards to your consimers can be made just as quickly.
Better for you, better for your customers.
Building trust.
Industry Agnostic.
Helping your supporters.
The integral added security within Vendreo DirectPay and Vendreo OpenPay limits the risk of card fraud significantly. High-Risk becomes Low-Risk.
An Online Merchant using Vendreo Open Banking APIs for payment processing benefits from less chargebacks.
Say goodbye to punitive rates and rolling reserves for online business payment processing with a Vendreo online merchant account.
Get paid in an instant.
Payments are sent instantly from your customers’ UK bank accounts directly to yours.
Your customers can use their own Online Banking App to pay you with a single tap of a button.
Funds are instantly transferred.
Inbuilt biometric security removes the risks of card fraud.
- Biometric Security
- Instant Transfers
Better online protection.
By using Open Banking API’s, payments to and from your business are secure, seamless and instant.
Unlike normal credit and debit card processing, Vendreo DirectPay benefits from instant processing and reduced fraud and chargebacks.
Vendreo OpenPay connects directly to the customer’s Online Banking App, taking advantage of advanced biometric security
Related Articles.
- Best practices for risk management and risk reduction as a high-risk merchant
- The growing adoption of open banking payment solutions for high-risk merchants
- Who Are High-Risk Merchants?
- How to set up a High-Risk Merchant Account
- Disadvantages of a high-risk merchant account
- Best Practices For High-Risk Merchants
High Risk Merchants Benefit By Using Vendreo Pay.
Frequently Asked Questions.
The seamless solution for online payments for High Risk Merchants with Vendreo.
Who are High Risk Merchants?
High risk merchants are typically defined as businesses that face a higher likelihood of chargebacks, fraud, or regulatory violations, and are often in industries such as gaming, adult entertainment, or online dating. They may be considered high risk due to a variety of factors, including a high volume of online payments (high volume merchant), a high average transaction value, or a high incidence of chargebacks. These merchants may be required to pay higher credit card processing fees, or may have difficulty finding a payment processor willing to work with them.
Further information on High Risk Merchants can be found here.
How to open a High Risk Merchant account
High Risk Merchant Accounts can prove difficult to open for an online business or online store because of the risks to the payment processor. We have a Guide here.
What are the disadvantages of being a High Risk Merchant?
High Risk Merchants can face higher processing fees, the requirement for rolling reserves, and more. We discuss the disadvantages here.
What are Rolling Reserves?
Rolling Reserves for High Risk Merchants can severely affect cashflow in a high risk business. More information here.
Best Practices for High Risk Merchants
We have compiled this guide covering internet merchant account operation – Best Practices for High Risk Merchants.
Mastercard's Alert to Control High-Risk Merchants (MATCH) list
High Risk Merchant Lists.
Card systems like Visa and Mastercard maintain databases called Terminated Merchant Files (TMFs). These files record details about accounts that global credit card processors have shut down due to excessive chargebacks or breaches of card brand guidelines.
When admitting a new user, all payment processors must verify these databases, and merchants must be added to the database if the account is closed and it fits TMF standards.
Being put on a TMF can have catastrophic consequences. Many corporations refuse to accept firms or persons mentioned on a TMF, despite the fact that they are simply designed to be informative aids during the account application process. As a result, it’s critical to be aware of TMF requirements and avoid being eligible.
Mastercard’s MATCH, or Mastercard Alert to Control High-Risk Merchants, is the most often used list—and the only one with worldwide reach. The sections that follow explain how MATCH qualifying works and what happens to MATCH entries.
MATCH Qualification Criteria.
When a firm’s connection with a credit card processor terminates, the processor must decide if the business fits the criteria for inclusion on MATCH.
If any MATCH requirements are met, the processor must upload business information to MATCH within one business day of termination or within one business day of the account being eligible for MATCH after termination.
Qualitative standards.
The vast majority of MATCH criteria, also known as “reason codes,” include violations of card network standards, such as illicit behaviour and collusion. These 11 reason codes are presented below, along with the specific Mastercard meaning.
When a fraudulent account is established with stolen information, the Identity Theft reason code should be utilised, and the publication of this information on MATCH should not prevent the real identity bearer from creating a processing account. Instead, it alerts the credit card processor that the application may include stolen identification information.
| CODE | REASON | DESCRIPTION |
|---|---|---|
| #1 | Account Data Compromise | An occurrence that results, directly or indirectly, in the unauthorized access to or disclosure of Account data. |
| #2 | Common Point of Purchase | Account data is stolen at the Merchant and then used for fraudulent purchases at other Merchant locations. |
| #3 | Laundering | The Merchant was engaged in laundering activity. Laundering means that a Merchant presented to its Acquirer Transaction records that were not valid Transactions for sales of goods or services between that Merchant and a bona fide Cardholder. |
| #7 | Fraud Conviction | There was a criminal fraud conviction of a principal owner or partner of the Merchant. |
| #8 | Mastercard Questionable Merchant Audit Program | The Merchant was determined to be a Questionable Merchant as per the criteria set forth in the Mastercard Questionable Merchant Audit Program. |
| #9 | Bankruptcy Liquidation Insolvency | The Merchant was unable or is likely to become unable to discharge its financial obligations. |
| #10 | Violation of Standards | With respect to a Merchant reported by a Mastercard Acquirer, the Merchant was in violation of one or more Standards that describe procedures to be employed by the Merchant in Transactions in which Cards are used, including, by way of example and not limitation, the Standards for honoring all Cards, displaying the Marks, charges to Cardholders, minimum/ maximum Transaction amount restrictions, and prohibited Transactions set forth in Chapter 5 of the Mastercard Rules manual. |
| #11 | Merchant Collusion | The Merchant participated in fraudulent collusive activity. |
| #12 | PCIDSS Non-Compliance | The Merchant failed to comply with Payment Card Industry (PCI) Data Security Standard (DSS) requirements. |
| #13 | Illegal Transactions | The Merchant was engaged in illegal Transactions. |
| #14 | Identity Theft | The Acquirer has reason to believe that the identity of the listed Merchant or its principal owner(s) was unlawfully assumed for the purpose of unlawfully entering into a Merchant Agreement. |
| CODE | REASON | DESCRIPTION |
|---|---|---|
| #4 | Excessive Chargebacks | With respect to a Merchant reported by a Mastercard Acquirer, the number of Mastercard chargebacks in any single month exceeded 1% of the number of Mastercard sales Transactions in that month, and those chargebacks totaled USD 5,000 or more. |
| #5 | Excessive Fraud | The Merchant effected fraudulent Transactions of any type (counterfeit or otherwise) meeting or exceeding the following minimum reporting Standard: the Merchant’s fraud-to-sales dollar volume ratio was 8% or greater in a calendar month, and the Merchant effected 10 or more fraudulent Transactions totaling USD 5,000 or more in that calendar month. |
Quantitative criteria.
Two MATCH reason codes have specific numeric thresholds defined by Mastercard for when processors must add accounts to MATCH.
These reason codes, which involve chargeback and fraud activity on an account, are the most common reasons for being added to MATCH, and can affect businesses that are not engaged in illegal or rule-violating activity.
More facts on excessive
chargebacks and fraud.
Further Information.
These MATCH reason codes are distinct from Visa and Mastercard’s chargeback and fraud tracking programmes. However, as specified, the excessive chargebacks criterion only applies to Mastercard card activity, despite the fact that MATCH is needed by all major card networks. If no dispute action occurs on a Mastercard card, it does not count towards MATCH. Other card networks may request that firms be included to MATCH if they reach the “excessive” phases of their card brand monitoring programmes or are penalised as a result of such programmes.
A calendar month is defined as a month. For example, if a processor were determining MATCH eligibility for the month of January, they would consider the number of transactions and chargebacks in January, rather than the number of chargebacks from transactions conducted in January.
If a firm fits the MATCH requirements for excessive chargebacks or fraud in a calendar month, the merchant must be added to MATCH even if the processing relationship is not terminated in that calendar month. For example, if a company only fulfils MATCH requirements in February and the processing relationship is not terminated until September, the processor must still add information to MATCH even if the qualifying action occurred in February. Furthermore, even if a company does not fulfil MATCH requirements when the partnership is terminated, it might still qualify for MATCH if the conditions are met later—for example, if chargebacks are launched after the relationship is cancelled.
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