What is a Mastercard MATCH list and how to get removed from it?

A rejection from a new payment processor can come as a complete surprise to a business with stable sales and established payment infrastructure. The reason may be MATCH Pro, Mastercard’s system containing information about merchants whose relationships were terminated due to certain violations or risks. A listing does not automatically prevent a company from accepting payments, but it can make opening a new merchant account much harder. Changing the company name, owner, or provider usually does not solve the problem because the system also checks principal owner data and related addresses. In this article, we explain why companies enter the Mastercard MATCH list, how to verify the reason for a listing, and when it can be removed early.

What is the Mastercard MATCH list?

The Mastercard MATCH list is a database of merchants whose relationships were terminated due to certain violations or increased risk. The current system is called Mastercard Alert To Control High-Risk Merchants Pro, or MATCH Pro. It helps acquirers screen potential clients before signing a merchant agreement and enabling card processing.

MATCH Pro is not a public register. It is available to financial institutions that acquire card payments for merchants and third-party processors acting on their behalf. Under the Mastercard Security Rules and Procedures, an acquirer must check the system before signing an agreement with a new merchant or enabling it to accept payments.

A listing may contain:

• The company’s legal and trading names;
• Business address and website URL;
• Merchant category code;
• Agreement and termination dates;
• Principal owner details;
• The reason code for the listing.

The system does not search only for exact matches. It also compares similar-sounding names, spelling variations, addresses, contact details, and owner data. Creating a new company or slightly changing the brand therefore rarely hides a link to a listed merchant.

A listing does not establish legal liability or create a complete ban on card processing. An acquirer may onboard a MATCH merchant after additional checks, but it can also refuse, impose a reserve, or apply enhanced risk controls. As Mastercard explains, MATCH Pro data is one element of onboarding risk assessment, while the financial institution makes the final decision.

Why merchants are added to MATCH Pro

Terminating a merchant agreement does not always result in a MATCH Pro listing. An acquirer must add a record if, at the time of termination, it has reason to believe that the merchant’s activity meets a Mastercard reason code. The information must be entered within five calendar days after the decision, termination notice, or discovery of the relevant violation.

The main reasons include:

• Account Data Compromise. Unauthorized access to or disclosure of payment data later used for fraud.
• Transaction Laundering. Processing transactions for another business not covered by the merchant’s agreement with the acquirer.
• Excessive Chargebacks. The chargeback ratio exceeded 1% of Mastercard transactions in a single calendar month, and chargebacks totalled at least $5,000. 
• Excessive Fraud. The fraud-to-sales ratio reached at least 8% in a single calendar month, with 10 or more fraudulent transactions totalling at least $5,000 in that month. 
• Violation of Standards. Breaches of Mastercard rules, including incorrect transaction data, prohibited practices, or failure to follow card acceptance requirements.
• PCI DSS Noncompliance. Failure to meet applicable Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard requirements.
• Illegal or questionable activity. Illegal transactions or classification as a questionable merchant under a Mastercard programme.
• Insolvency or identity theft. Inability to meet financial obligations or third-party use of company or principal owner data to open a merchant account.

An acquirer cannot threaten a MATCH listing to collect ordinary debt or force a merchant to accept commercial terms. A listing is permitted only when an established ground exists or is reasonably suspected.

Identifying the exact reason code is critical. It explains the listing and determines how it can be challenged. Restoring PCI DSS compliance may support early removal, while improving chargeback metrics after termination usually does not cancel an existing listing.

How a MATCH listing affects your business

A MATCH Pro listing does not stop a company from operating or formally prohibit card payment processing. Mastercard rules expressly allow an acquirer to onboard a merchant found in the system. However, the acquirer must assess the reason for the listing and decide whether it is prepared to accept the related financial, fraud, and compliance risks.

The listing may result in rejection of a new merchant account, longer due diligence, or requests for additional documents. Even if processing is approved, the provider may impose a rolling reserve, delay payouts, reduce transaction limits, or require enhanced transaction monitoring. Acquirers treat illegal transactions, transaction laundering, excessive fraud, and violations of Mastercard Standards particularly seriously.

MATCH Pro also links listings to principal owners. The consequences may therefore affect both the original company and other businesses owned by the same person. A match may be identified through a name, address, phone number, email, tax ID, website URL, or other data. The system checks exact and phonetic matches, helping it detect changed names and spelling variations.

Further risk may arise after successful onboarding. MATCH Pro retains the initial inquiry results and may generate a retroactive alert if another acquirer later adds the merchant. This does not automatically terminate processing, but it may trigger another review, changed service terms, or termination.

Because MATCH Pro is not a public register, a listing usually does not directly affect customers or ordinary counterparties. Its main impact is within the payment infrastructure, where card processing may become more expensive, harder to obtain, or unavailable from certain providers.

How to find out why you were listed

A merchant cannot access MATCH Pro directly to check its record. A company usually learns about a listing after termination of an existing merchant account or rejection by a new payment processor. To confirm the information and decide what to do next, it must establish the connection between the company, former acquirer, and data entered in the system.

1. Ask the new provider for information. If a possible match caused the rejection, ask which data matched and whether it related to the company or a principal owner. The provider may not disclose the full record but may confirm the MATCH result.
2. Contact the former acquirer. The institution that added the merchant is responsible for the listing’s accuracy. Request its ICA number, listing date, and specific reason code. Mastercard rules require the acquirer to identify who added the record and why.
3. Review termination documents. Compare the reason code with the termination letter, chargeback reports, fraud alerts, PCI DSS correspondence, and previous compliance requests. The reason for ending the service may differ from the MATCH listing ground.
4. Compare identification data. Check the company name, DBA name, address, website URL, and principal owner details. An error, outdated address, or mixed merchant data may justify correcting the record.
5. Submit a written request. State the merchant’s current and previous names, relevant addresses, principal owner’s full name, and website URL. Attach documents showing the error or why the reason code does not match the facts.

The acquirer must answer listing questions within seven calendar days and a removal request within 30 calendar days. Confirm any verbal explanation in a formal letter to preserve the request date, response, and supporting evidence.

Can you get removed from MATCH Pro

Early removal is not available in every case. Under current Mastercard rules, there are two main grounds: the record was added by mistake, or a merchant listed under reason code 12 restored PCI DSS compliance. Other reason codes normally remain until automatic removal after the retention period.

Incorrect listing

A company may request a review if the acquirer listed the wrong merchant, used another party’s data, or applied a reason code that does not match the facts. However, the merchant cannot remove the record itself. The acquirer must acknowledge the error and inform Mastercard that the listing was incorrect.

The request requires specific evidence, such as the merchant agreement, termination notice, transaction reports, corporate documents, correspondence, and principal owner details. Disagreement with the acquirer’s commercial decision is insufficient. Incorrect data must also be distinguished from a disputed risk assessment: correcting an address or name does not necessarily cancel the listing.

PCI DSS compliance

A special procedure applies to reason code 12: PCI Data Security Standard Noncompliance. After resolving the breach, the acquirer may request removal by confirming that the merchant meets PCI DSS requirements.

The request must include the acquirer’s attestation and a letter or validation certificate from a Mastercard certified forensic examiner. If the acquirer cannot or will not submit the documents, the merchant may contact Mastercard directly using the same procedure and providing the required compliance evidence.

Automatic removal after five years

MATCH Pro records remain in the system for five years and are then removed automatically. Restoring an acceptable chargeback ratio, changing management, or introducing new fraud controls does not shorten this period if the original listing was valid and did not involve reason code 12.

The company should still address the cause of termination. This may improve its chances during enhanced due diligence with a new provider but does not create a separate right to removal. Mastercard also states that external counsel is not required to file a request. Professional review may still be useful if the acquirer refuses to disclose the reason code, the facts are disputed, or the listing affects several related companies.

How to request removal step by step

A removal request should first be sent to the acquirer that added the merchant to MATCH Pro. It should rely on a specific permitted ground, not a general claim that the listing harms the business.

1. Identify the reason code. Obtain written confirmation from the acquirer of the ground, listing date, and ICA number. A proper strategy cannot be chosen without this information.
2. Check eligibility for early removal. Determine whether the record was added by mistake or involves reason code 12 after restored PCI DSS compliance. For other grounds, a removal request normally does not change the five-year retention period.
3. Collect the required details. State the merchant’s current and previous names, all business addresses used, the principal owner’s full name, and the website URL.
4. Attach evidence. For an incorrect listing, this may include agreements, transaction reports, termination correspondence, and documents proving identity theft or mixed data. Reason code 12 requires the acquirer’s confirmation and validation from a Mastercard certified forensic examiner.
5. Send a formal request to the acquirer. Clearly describe the error or confirmed remediation of PCI DSS noncompliance and ask the acquirer to submit the removal request to Mastercard.
6. Monitor the response deadline. The acquirer must respond within 30 calendar days. Keep proof of delivery, all attachments, and subsequent correspondence.
7. Choose the next mechanism. If the acquirer accepts the error, it must initiate the correction. For reason code 12, the merchant may submit the required package directly to Mastercard if the acquirer cannot or will not do so.

No response does not mean automatic removal. If the acquirer disputes the facts or refuses to correct provably inaccurate data, consider its contractual complaint procedure, applicable data protection rights, and a complaint to the financial regulator or another competent authority. Creating a new entity while concealing former owners does not replace removal and may increase concerns during future onboarding.

How Key2Law can help with a MATCH Pro listing

Key2Law team advises international merchants on payment compliance, merchant account termination, and engagement with acquirers. We assess the listing grounds, determine whether removal is available, and plan further action without promising guaranteed deletion.

Based on the reason code and termination circumstances, Key2Law can:

• Identify the acquirer, ICA number, and listing ground;
• Check whether the listing complies with Mastercard rules;
• Review the merchant agreement and termination documents;
• Prepare a reasoned removal request;
• Collect evidence of an incorrect listing or identity theft;
• Coordinate PCI DSS compliance confirmation for reason code 12;
• Develop a remediation plan for chargebacks, fraud, and transaction monitoring;
• Prepare the company for enhanced due diligence by a new acquirer.

If your company was denied payment processing or discovered a MATCH Pro listing, contact Key2Law before filing new applications. We will help identify the actual listing ground, assess whether removal is possible, and prepare a transparent strategy to restore access to card processing.