MATCH List Reason Codes, in Plain Words
MATCH Pro is a Mastercard system, and its entries use reason codes. Here is what the codes are and what you can do about a listing.
A termination from one acquirer can follow you to the next one. Mastercard runs a system called MATCH Pro, and it uses reason codes. Here is how the codes work and what they mean for your business.
What MATCH Pro is
Mastercard's manual has a chapter on the MATCH Pro System. It is Mastercard's own system for listing merchants. Before an acquirer signs a new merchant, it can search the list to see if that merchant was terminated somewhere else.
The search is not loose. Mastercard's manual says MATCH Pro searches for exact possible matches and phonetic possible matches. An exact possible match means the inquiry data matches the stored data. It must match letter-for-letter, number-for-number, or both. So a new business name that sounds like an old one can still surface.
Why reason codes exist
The code labels why the merchant was added.
Codes the sources name
Mastercard's rules name these two codes.
Mastercard's rules say it may identify a merchant under investigation in MATCH Pro using reason code 00. When a merchant meets the Coercion Program criteria, Mastercard's rules say the merchant goes into MATCH Pro under reason code 24.
There is one narrow correction in Mastercard's manual for code 24. If a later coercion claim does not meet Coercion Program criteria, the manual says the MATCH Pro record will be deleted.
How a merchant gets on the list
Mastercard's manual has a section on when to add a merchant to MATCH Pro. Code 24 is one case where Mastercard adds the merchant itself.
Visa runs its own parallel system. Visa's standards say a merchant terminated for cause is listed on the Terminated Merchant File. Visa's guide says the Visa Merchant Screening Service is a database. Acquirers and their agents use it to list terminated merchants. MATCH and Visa's file are separate systems run by separate networks.
What an acquirer must do with the list
On the Mastercard side, the rules are specific. Mastercard's manual says an Acquirer must conduct MATCH inquiries under the proper ICA Number. Mastercard may add assessments for an acquirer's failure to inquire into MATCH Pro before signing the merchant.
On the Visa side, Visa's standards say acquirers must check the Terminated Merchant File before finalizing a contract with a prospective merchant. Visa's rules say an Acquirer must use Terminated Merchant File data only as an informational tool in the decision-making process.
Mastercard's manual also says Customers must tell Merchants they use MATCH Pro to assess them first.
Privacy, correction and retention
Mastercard's manual says privacy and data protection Standards for the MATCH Pro system are in Appendix F of the manual. Under Mastercard's rules, Personal Data processed for MATCH cannot be kept past five years. It must be deleted or destroyed by then. Personal Information in MATCH Pro carries the same limit of five years.
If you want a listing corrected, Mastercard's rules say the Acquirer is responsible for handling requests to correct or delete Personal Information in its MATCH Pro listings. Send the request to the acquirer that listed you.
Mastercard's manual also covers how acquirers can ask for a removal from MATCH Pro.
What a merchant should do
Read your termination notice. Visa's standards say the merchant must be notified in writing if the acquirer terminates the merchant agreement. That notice is where your story starts.
Ask the acquirer that listed you about the entry. It handles correction and deletion requests, so it is the right door to knock on.
Never lie about your business on a new application. Visa's guide says businesses declined or terminated may misrepresent information on merchant applications to obtain payment services. Visa's standards say a merchant's history of terminations, chargebacks, fraud or illegal activity can affect the underwriting decision. So be honest about your past.
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