How the MATCH list works
The rules are in chapter 11 of Mastercard's Security Rules and Procedures of 4 August 2026. An acquirer that ends a merchant relationship, or is told the merchant is ending it, while a listed reason exists has to add the merchant within five calendar days. The record holds the business and up to five principal owners.
An acquirer has to query MATCH Pro before signing a merchant, and the system returns exact and phonetic possible matches on names, addresses, phone numbers, tax IDs and website addresses. A record stays for five years and is then purged automatically. The reason codes acquirers use:
- 01 Account data compromise, and 12 PCI DSS non-compliance
- 03 Transaction laundering, and 13 Illegal transactions
- 04 Excessive chargebacks, and 05 Excessive fraud
- 06 Coercion, and 08 Questionable Merchant Audit Programme
- 09 Liquidation or insolvency, and 14 Identity theft
- 10 Violation of Mastercard's standards
What a MATCH listing means for a merchant
A listing is not a ban in the rules: the manual states that an acquirer may onboard a merchant listed in MATCH Pro, after its own risk assessment. In practice many acquirers decline, or accept only on high-risk terms.
Mastercard may remove a listing where the acquirer reports that it was added in error, or where the listing was for PCI DSS non-compliance and the merchant has since become compliant. A merchant may ask the listing acquirer for removal, and the acquirer has to respond within 30 calendar days.
MATCH for payment facilitators
Registered payment facilitators and processors approved by Mastercard may use MATCH Pro as well. A facilitator queries it for each sub-merchant at onboarding, and the acquirer stays responsible for the accuracy of every listing made under its name.
Where the MATCH list shows up in a platform
Modules that do the work
- Merchant onboardingBusiness sign-up, verification and underwriting, from application to first payment.
- KYC / AMLIdentity checks, screening and ongoing monitoring, with the verification provider you choose.
- Card acquiringCard acceptance on the phone, in store and online, through the acquirer you choose.
- Fraud & riskReal-time fraud scoring, limits and case management, with the risk engines you already trust.
Platforms that need it
Guides that go deeper
Where it is written
The laws and standards this page's facts come from.
General information, not legal advice: what applies to you depends on your services and your market.