The MATCH List Explained: What It Is, How Merchants Land On It, and What Comes Next
The short answer
The MATCH list is a Mastercard database of merchants whose acquirers terminated them for specific reasons, such as excessive chargebacks, excessive fraud or PCI DSS non-compliance. Acquirers screen new applicants against it, and the entry includes the business and its principal owners. Listings are deleted automatically after five years, and most merchants learn they are listed only when a new application is declined.
What is the MATCH list?
MATCH stands for Mastercard Alert to Control High-Risk Merchants (older guides expand it as Member Alert to Control High-Risk Merchants). Mastercard now runs it as MATCH Pro. It replaced the older Terminated Merchant File (TMF), and many people in the industry still use "TMF" to mean the MATCH list.
How does the MATCH list work?
When an acquiring bank, or a processor acting for it, terminates a merchant for a qualifying reason, it uploads the merchant's details to MATCH with a reason code. The record covers the business (legal name, DBA, address, tax ID, website) and its principal owners, so opening a new company under the same owners does not clear it. Acquirers must check MATCH when they review new applications. Only acquirers and their processors can search the database.
MATCH list reason codes
| Code | Reason |
|---|---|
| 01 | Account data compromise |
| 02 | Common point of purchase |
| 03 | Laundering |
| 04 | Excessive chargebacks |
| 05 | Excessive fraud |
| 06 | Not in use (reserved) |
| 07 | Fraud conviction |
| 08 | Mastercard Questionable Merchant Audit Program |
| 09 | Bankruptcy, liquidation or insolvency |
| 10 | Violation of standards |
| 11 | Merchant collusion |
| 12 | PCI DSS non-compliance |
| 13 | Illegal transactions |
| 14 | Identity theft |
Codes 04 and 05 are the most common, and they have numeric triggers. Code 04 applies when a merchant's Mastercard chargebacks in a calendar month exceed 1% of its Mastercard sales transactions and total $5,000 or more. Code 05 applies when fraud reaches 8% or more of sales volume in a month, with 10 or more fraudulent transactions totaling $5,000 or more. Winning the disputes later does not change whether the merchant qualified. Closing the account before termination does not prevent a listing either.
How do you find out if you are on the MATCH list?
You will not usually receive a notice when you are added, and merchants cannot search the database themselves. Ask your former processor in writing whether it reported your business to MATCH and under which reason code. If you do not know which acquirer listed you, Stripe's documentation says you can email Mastercard at matchbusinessowner@mastercard.com to request your listing details. Any new acquirer will also see the entry when it screens your application.
Can you get off the MATCH list early?
Most entries stay for the full five years and then drop off on their own. Mastercard's rules allow early removal in two cases: the acquirer added the merchant in error (for example, the wrong business or the wrong reason code), or the merchant was listed under code 12 and the acquirer later verifies full PCI DSS compliance. In both cases the request goes through the acquirer that added you. Resolving the chargeback problem that caused a code 04 listing does not qualify for removal. An attorney who handles processor disputes can help you build the request.
Can a MATCH-listed merchant still process cards?
Many processors, Stripe included, generally decline MATCH-listed merchants. Some high-risk acquirers do accept them, usually with a reserve (see our guide to rolling reserves), higher pricing and closer monitoring. Your reason code, the story behind it and what you changed since all shape the decision.
Be upfront. An underwriter who finds a listing you didn't mention stops trusting the rest of your application.
Visa runs its own separate database, the Visa Merchant Screening Service (VMSS), with its own reason codes and a five-year listing period. If a processor ended your account, ask about both.
How pmtbox approaches merchants with a processing history
Whatever your situation, pmtbox tells you where you stand quickly and plainly. We see your full transaction lifecycle, so the problems behind most listings, such as card testing and rising disputes, get caught before they become a termination. When you call, a real person answers.
Frequently asked questions
What is the MATCH list?
It is a Mastercard database of merchants whose acquirers terminated them for specific reasons, such as excessive chargebacks or fraud. Acquirers screen new applicants against it before approving them.
How long does a MATCH listing last?
Five years. Mastercard deletes the listing automatically at the end of that period.
Does a Stripe closure put me on the MATCH list?
Not always. A closure leads to a listing only when the account meets one of the MATCH criteria. Ask Stripe in writing whether it reported your business, and see our guide to what to do in the first 72 hours after a Stripe shutdown.
Does a new LLC get around the MATCH list?
No. Listings include the principal owners, so a new entity with the same owners still matches. Hiding a listing on a new application creates bigger problems.
Can I get off the MATCH list early?
Only if the acquirer listed you in error, or if you were listed under code 12 and later prove PCI DSS compliance. The acquirer that added you submits the removal.
What chargeback rate triggers a MATCH listing?
Code 04 applies when monthly Mastercard chargebacks exceed 1% of Mastercard sales transactions and total $5,000 or more in the same month. The acquirer must also terminate the account for the listing to happen.
Sources
- MATCH Pro Privacy Notice, Mastercard
- Security Rules and Procedures: Merchant Edition, Mastercard
- Terminated merchant files (MATCH and VMSS), Stripe
- Everything you need to know about the MATCH list, Heartland
- The MATCH List: A Merchant's Guide, Chargeback Gurus
