Mastercard MATCH List: Why Merchants Get Listed and How to Get Off It

The Mastercard MATCH list is a shared database of merchants that acquiring banks have terminated for specific reasons, such as excessive chargebacks or fraud. A listing stays for five years. While it stands, most processors will turn you down.

This guide covers why merchants get listed, how removal works, and how to stay off the list.

What is the Mastercard MATCH list?

The MATCH list is Mastercard's database of merchants that acquirers terminated for one of 11 listed reasons, kept for five years. Acquirers search it before they approve a new merchant.

MATCH stands for Mastercard Alert to Control High-risk Merchants. Older documents say Member Alert. Mastercard now calls the product MATCH Pro. Acquirers use it to see whether another acquirer terminated a merchant, and why.

Its older name is the Terminated Merchant File, or TMF. Many people still say "TMF match list" or just "TMF" for both MATCH and Visa's list, the Visa Merchant Screening Service (VMSS). The match list in credit card processing works the same way at every acquirer: check before signing, report after terminating.

Three rules shape everything else:

• Acquirers add the entries, not Mastercard. The bank that ends your account decides whether you meet a reason code.
• Acquirers must search MATCH before signing you. Mastercard's MATCH Pro flow runs the inquiry before the merchant agreement is executed.
• The record names the owners. It holds the business name, DBA, address, phone, tax ID and URL, plus each principal owner's name, address, phone and tax ID.

That last point matters. A new LLC with the same owners will still match. If the roles of banks and processors are new to you, see merchant acquirer vs payment processor.

Who puts a merchant on the MATCH list, and why?

The acquirer that terminates your merchant account puts you on the list. It must add you if the termination fits one of Mastercard's reason codes.

Mastercard's Security Rules and Procedures (August 2026) give the acquirer five calendar days to add the record. The clock starts at the earliest of three events. The acquirer decides to terminate, you give notice that you are leaving, or it learns of a reason-code issue. Other acquirers can see the record in real time.

Two details catch merchants off guard:

• Closing your account first does not help. Stripe's MATCH documentation says acquirers must still list a merchant who meets the criteria, even months after the account closed.
• Platforms screen and report too. Stripe says a listing generally disqualifies a business from using Stripe. See the reasons Stripe terminates a merchant account.

What are the MATCH reason codes?

MATCH uses 11 reason codes in Mastercard's current rules. Codes 04 and 05 are the ones that catch ordinary merchants, because they are pure math. You can trigger them without breaking any rule on purpose.

What changed in the 2026 MATCH rules?

Many pages still describe the older rules. Here is how Mastercard's August 2026 Security Rules differ, so you test yourself against the right numbers.

Source: Mastercard Security Rules and Procedures, Merchant Edition (4 August 2026), chapter 11 and Table 11.4. Winning or reversing chargebacks later does not change whether you met the code 04 test.

For code 05, the fix starts with ecommerce fraud prevention. For code 12, it starts with PCI DSS compliance.

How long do you stay on the MATCH list?

A MATCH listing lasts five years. MATCH Pro searches entries added in the past five years, and Stripe states listings stay active for five years.

Fixing the problem does not shorten that clock, except for code 12. Lower chargebacks, a new fraud tool, or paid-off fees do not remove the record.

One more timing trap: MATCH Pro sends retroactive alerts. Say a new acquirer screens you and finds nothing. If your old acquirer lists you within 365 days, the new acquirer gets a retroactive alert, shown for 30 days in MATCH Pro. A backup account opened during a wind-down can still be reviewed and closed.

What does a MATCH listing do to getting a new merchant account?

A listing shuts most mainstream doors. Every acquirer must check MATCH, so the record shows up at each application.

Specialist providers may still approve you, with conditions. Expect higher pricing, a reserve that holds part of each payout, volume caps, and longer contracts. Our guides to getting a high-risk merchant account and choosing a high-risk payment service provider cover the options.

Underwriters read the reason code first. A chargeback code points to an operating problem you can show you fixed. Conduct codes such as laundering, coercion or illegal transactions point to intent, and far fewer providers accept them.

Not sure where you stand? Use this table to place yourself.

How do you get off the MATCH list?

You can get off the MATCH list early only if the listing was an error or, for code 12, once you are PCI DSS compliant. Every other listing runs its five years. The acquirer, not Mastercard, is responsible for a listing's accuracy (section 11.4), so an error claim starts with the acquirer that listed you.

Use this table to see which route fits your case. It follows section 11.13 of Mastercard's Security Rules (August 2026).

Here is how to get off the MATCH list when you think the entry is wrong:

Keep this evidence for a removal request:

• Termination letter and every email about the decision
• Your merchant agreement, including the termination clause
• Processing statements for the months the acquirer cited
• A chargeback report by network, with dates, amounts and reason codes
• Total Mastercard sales transaction count for those months
• The acquirer's PCI DSS attestation and a forensic examiner's validation letter, for code 12
• A police or identity theft report, for code 14

Is MATCH the same as Visa's VMSS?

No. VMSS is Visa's own list with its own codes and thresholds. Both last five years.

Sources: Mastercard Security Rules and Procedures for MATCH, and Stripe, Terminated merchant files for VMSS. Note that the Visa codes also require that the merchant did not adequately remediate.

What should you do if you are already on the MATCH list?

Keep selling while you fix the cause. Pick a provider that accepts your code, then prove clean months. This 90-day plan keeps the work in order.

Two cautions. Do not hide the listing on an application; the inquiry will find it. And do not open extra accounts, entities or merchant IDs to spread volume under the thresholds. MATCH screens owners, and the move can breach your merchant agreement.

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What chargeback ratio puts you on the MATCH list?

Code 04 applies when Mastercard chargebacks top 1.5% of Mastercard sales and total USD 5,000 or more over the previous three months. Your acquirer must also terminate you. There is no minimum chargeback count.

Most merchants pass through network monitoring programs first. Fines grow each month until the acquirer stops absorbing the risk and ends the account. Mastercard's Excessive Chargeback Merchant (ECM) tier needs 100 chargebacks in a month. So a smaller merchant can meet the code 04 test without ever getting an ECM notice.

The early-warning ladder

Sources: Stripe monitoring programs, Braintree on the Mastercard Excessive Chargeback Program, and the Visa VAMP fact sheet. For full program detail, read our guides to chargeback thresholds, Visa VAMP and how to avoid Mastercard chargeback monitoring programs.

The ratio math, side by side

Each test counts differently. Here is one illustrative merchant: 3,000 Mastercard sales and 50 Mastercard chargebacks worth $6,000 each month, steady from August to October.

This merchant gets no Mastercard warning at all, yet meets the MATCH code 04 test. That is why you should track the code 04 test yourself. Our page on chargeback threshold limits explains what a monitoring notice asks for.

Rules are also changing. Mastercard has announced a revived Global Merchant Audit Program (GMAP) to replace the Acquirer Chargeback Monitoring Program on April 1, 2027. It adds High Dispute and Excessive Dispute merchant tiers. Checkout.com's notice of August 19, 2026 confirms that date and says thresholds will follow.

The August 2026 Security Rules still list GMAP as "suspended until further notice." That note covers the older, fraud-focused GMAP, not the 2027 program. As of November 10, 2026, no acquirer notice we found moves the April 1, 2027 date.

How do you avoid the MATCH list?

Keep Mastercard chargebacks under the code 04 line every month, and act the moment the trend turns. These steps do the most work:

• Track each formula weekly. Count by network, by month, with the right denominator. A monthly check is too late.
• Stop disputes before they become chargebacks. Chargeback alerts let you refund before a chargeback is filed. Visa excludes disputes resolved through pre-dispute products from the VAMP count.
• Fix the top causes. A clear billing descriptor, easy cancellation and fast refunds cut "not recognized" and "canceled" disputes. Our steps to reduce your chargeback ratio go deeper.
• Screen orders for fraud before you ship. This keeps code 05 out of reach.
• Stay PCI compliant. Code 12 is avoidable paperwork.
• Keep your business coded correctly. Make sure your merchant category code matches what you sell. Miscoding a high-risk line can end in termination.
• Talk to your acquirer early. A written plan, sent before a termination decision, gives the bank a reason to keep you. Stripe even offers a remediation template.
• Know your platform's limits. Platforms set their own risk rules on top of network ones; see Stripe high-risk businesses.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How do I check if I am on the MATCH list?

You cannot search MATCH yourself; only acquirers have access. Ask the acquirer that terminated you for the code and date. A high-risk provider's application will also run an inquiry.

How long does a MATCH listing last?

Five years from the listing. Early removal is possible only for a listing error, or for code 12 after verified PCI DSS compliance.

Can I get off the MATCH list by winning or repaying chargebacks?

No. Code 04 is based on the period you were measured. Winning chargebacks later or lowering your ratio does not change that record.

Can a lawyer get me off the MATCH list?

A lawyer can press the listing acquirer to fix an error. No one can remove an accurate listing early. Mastercard allows early removal only for errors and for code 12 after verified PCI DSS compliance.

Is the TMF the same as the MATCH list?

TMF, the Terminated Merchant File, is the older name for MATCH. People also use "TMF" loosely to cover Visa's VMSS, which is a separate list.

Can I get a merchant account while on the MATCH list?

Sometimes. Specialist high-risk providers may approve a code 04 listing with reserves, higher fees and volume limits. Conduct codes are much harder to place.

Does opening a new company remove a MATCH listing?

No. The record includes principal owners' names, addresses and tax IDs, so a new entity with the same owners will still match.

What is the difference between MATCH and Mastercard ECM?

ECM is a monitoring program with monthly fines while you still process. MATCH is the record created after an acquirer terminates you. Both use a 1.5% line. Code 04 looks back three months and needs USD 5,000 in chargebacks, while ECM needs 100 chargebacks in a month.

Last reviewed: November 10, 2026.