Restricted Businesses
Last updated: November 22, 2021
Link to major financial institutions so you can verify this info about restricted businesses can be found below, these are guidelines that Visa, Mastercard, Amex, Discover and the rest have put into enforcement and reject all these types of businesses listed below in multiple sectors.
Some make sense and some don’t judge for yourself. The links below are from Stripe, Square and Amazon, but I can say I’ve tried a dozen different company’s in the processing world and all of them denied me service because of what I carry in store and online, I am a responsible retailer in my industry with 10 years of history to substantiate that claim. I listed these three as quick references but if you check and google it you will see other major processors of payments have the same exact guidelines, to name a couple different processors who enforce the restricted businesses policy;
Elevon, First Data Payment Processing, and many other large or small institutions
https://stripe.com/restricted-businesses
https://squareup.com/help/us/en/article/5089-prohibited-goods-and-services-with-square-point-of-sale
https://pay.amazon.com/help/6023
Restricted Businesses The following categories of businesses and business practices are restricted from using traditional payments (“Restricted Businesses”). Restricted Business categories may be imposed through Network Rules or the requirements of Financial Services Providers. The types of businesses listed in the right column are representative, but not exhaustive and are restricted businesses at this time
Financial and professional services
| Investment & credit services | Securities brokers; mortgage consulting or debt reduction services; credit counseling or repair; investment services; real estate opportunities; lending instruments |
| Money and legal services | Financial institutions, money transmitters and money services businesses, check cashing, wire transfers, money orders; currency exchanges or dealers; bill-pay services; crowdfunding; insurance; bail bonds; collections agencies; law firms collecting funds for any purpose other than to pay fees owed to the firm for services provided by the firm (e.g., firms cannot use Stripe to hold client funds, collection or settlement amounts, disputed funds, etc.) |
| Virtual currency or stored value | Virtual currency that can be monetized, resold, or converted to physical or digital products and services or otherwise exit the virtual world (e.g., Bitcoin); cryptocurrency mining equipment; initial coin offerings; digital wallets, sale of stored value or credits maintained, accepted and issued by anyone other than the seller |
Restricted Businesses
IP Infringement, regulated or illegal products and services
| Intellectual property or proprietary rights infringement | Sales, distribution, or access to counterfeit music, movies, software, or other licensed materials without the appropriate authorization from the rights holder; any product or service that directly infringes or facilitates infringement upon the trademark, patent, copyright, trade secrets, or proprietary or privacy rights of any third party; use of Stripe intellectual property without prior written consent from Stripe; use of the Stripe name or logo including use of Stripe trade or service marks inconsistent with the Stripe Marks Usage Agreement, or in a manner that otherwise harms Stripe or the Stripe brand; any action that implies an untrue endorsement by or affiliation with Stripe |
| Counterfeit or unauthorized goods | Counterfeit goods; unauthorized sale or resale of brand name or designer products or services; sale of goods or services that are illegally imported or exported |
| Gambling | Lotteries; bidding fee auctions; sports forecasting or odds making for a monetary or material prize; fantasy sports leagues with cash prizes; internet gaming; contests; sweepstakes; games of chance including legal or illegal forms of gambling, internet gambling, sweepstakes and contests with a buy-in or cash prize; charity sweepstakes and raffles for the explicit purpose of fundraising |
| Regulated or illegal products or services | Cannabis dispensaries and related businesses; sale of products containing cannabis/ marijuana, cannabidiol (CBD), and their derivatives; sale of tobacco, e-cigarettes, and e-liquid; online pharmacies; prescription-only products including card-not-present pharmaceuticals; peptides and research chemicals; fake references or ID-providing services; age restricted goods or services; weapons and munitions; gunpowder and other explosives; fireworks and related goods; toxic, flammable, and radioactive materials; products and services with varying legal status on a state-by-state basis; goods or services, the sale of which is illegal under applicable law in the jurisdictions to which your business is targeted or directed |
| Adult content and services | Pornography and other obscene materials (including literature, imagery and other media) depicting nudity or explicitly sexual acts; sites offering any sexually-related services such as prostitution, escorts, pay-per view, adult live chat features; sexually oriented items (e.g., adult toys); adult video stores and sexually oriented massage parlors; gentleman’s clubs, topless bars, and strip clubs; sexually oriented dating services |
Restricted Businesses
Unfair, predatory, or deceptive practices
| Get rich quick schemes | Investment opportunities or other services that promise high rewards |
| Mug shot publication or pay-to-remove sites | Platforms that facilitate the publication and removal of content (such as mug shots), where the primary purpose of posting such content is to cause or raise concerns of reputational harm |
| No-value-added services | Sale or resale of a service without added benefit to the buyer; resale of government offerings without authorization or added value; sites that we determine in our sole discretion to be unfair, deceptive, or predatory towards consumers |
Restricted Businesses Products or services that are otherwise restricted by our financial partners
| Aggregation | Engaging in any form of licensed or unlicensed aggregation of funds owed to third parties, factoring, or other activities intended to obfuscate the origin of funds; payment facilitation |
| Drug paraphernalia | Any equipment designed for making or using drugs, such as bongs, vaporizers, and hookahs |
| High risk businesses | Bankruptcy lawyers; remote technical support; essay mills; chain letters; door-to-door sales; medical benefit packages; telemedicine and telehealth services; travel reservation services and clubs; airlines; cruises; timeshares; circumvention, jamming and interference devices; prepaid phone cards, phone services; telemarketing, offering substantial rebates or special incentives as an inducement to purchase products or services; telecommunications manipulation equipment; forwarding brokers; negative response marketing; subscriptions over one year; extended warranties; government grants; embassy, foreign consultate, or other foreign governments; charities without proper registration; credit card and identity theft protection; the use of credit to pay for lending services; any businesses that we believe poses elevated financial risk, legal liability, or violates card network or bank policies; any business or organization that a. engages in, encourages, promotes or celebrates unlawful violence or physical harm to persons or property, or b. engages in, encourages, promotes or celebrates unlawful violence toward any group based on race, religion, disability, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, or any other immutable characteristic |
| Multi-level marketing | Pyramid schemes and multi-level marketing |
| Pseudo pharmaceuticals | Nutraceuticals, pseudo-pharmaceuticals and other products that make health claims that have not been approved or verified by the applicable local and/or national regulatory body, or make specific claims about weight loss or improved sexual performance |
| Social media activity | Sale of Twitter followers, Facebook likes, YouTube views, and other forms of social media activity and online traffic |
| Substances designed to mimic illegal drugs | Sale of a legal substance that provides the same effect as an illegal drug (e.g., salvia, kratom) |
| Video game or virtual world credits | Sale of in-game currency or game items, unless the merchant is the operator of the virtual world |
All the listed businesses above are considered restricted businesses by institutions to learn more follow the links provided or contact me.
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