Prohibited Merchant Accounts

These are the business types which are prohibited with most US processors. Some processors may allow a few of these assuming they have business history, but generally these businesses won’t be able to process with a US provider.

• All Sexually Oriented or Pornographic merchants including:
  • Adult Book Stores
  • Adult Telephone Conversations or video text
  • Companion/Escort Services/Dating Services
  • Massage Parlors
  • Topless bars/clubs
  • Modeling agencies
  • Misc entertainment (not elsewhere classified)
• Aggregators (third party payment processors)
• Audio/video text
• Airlines
• Cruise Lines
• Any Illegal products/services or any service or product providing peripheral support of illegal activities
• Auction Houses
• Bail Bondsmen
• Cellular Phone/Beepers (Services, not equipment)
• Chain Letters
• Charities (other than well known)
• Check Cashing
• Collection agencies or firms involved in recovering/collection past due receivables
• Credit Repair
• Credit Card Protection or Identity Theft Services
• Currency Exchanges
• Drug Paraphernalia
• Extended Warranty Companies
• Flea Markets (with no lease and phone availability) (Virtual terminal/Wireless consider High Risk)
• Fortune Tellers
• Merchants offering free gifts, prizes, sweepstakes or contests as an inducement to purchase a product/service
• Get Rich Quick Schemes
• Health Membership Clubs (Extended Memberships)
• Import/Export (Non Mag Stripe or MO/TO)
• Investment Programs/ Opportunities
• Non face-to-face pharmacy sales (non-institutional)
• Non face-to- face tobacco/cigarette sales
• Lotteries, Gambling, internet Gambling, contests or sweepstakes
• Sports forecasting or odds making
• Mortgage Reduction Services
• Taxi/Limousines (singletons) Virtual terminal/Wireless consider High Risk)
• Pseudo-pharmaceuticals (anti-aging, sex nutrients, etc.)
• Prepaid Cards/quasi cash
• Real Estate Seminars
• Shippers/forwarding Brokers
• Timeshare
• Travel Agents/Tour Operators/Travel Clubs
• Merchants engaged in Door to Door Sales
• Pyramid or multi-level marketing distribution
• Third party order fulfillment
• Merchants engaged in Outbound Telemarketing
• Infomercial merchants or other inbound telemarketers engaged in upsell
• Merchants offering rebates or special incentives