The MATCH List Check on New Merchants
Before an acquirer signs you, it searches Mastercard's MATCH Pro system. Here is what that check looks for and what a match means.
When you apply for a merchant account, the acquirer checks Mastercard's MATCH Pro system before it signs you. This is standard practice, and it is not a formality. Here is what the check is, why it happens, and what it means for your application.
What the MATCH Pro check is
MATCH Pro is Mastercard's system. Mastercard's manual has a chapter on the MATCH Pro System. Its rules say a Customer must take part unless Mastercard excuses it or the law forbids it. In plain terms, acquirers that work with Mastercard are expected to use it.
Visa runs a separate file of its own, called the Terminated Merchant File. Under Visa's standards, a merchant whose contract was ended for cause goes on the Terminated Merchant File. Visa's guide also names the Visa Merchant Screening Service. It is a database that acquirers and their agents use to list terminated merchants.
The two systems are not the same thing. A MATCH Pro check is a Mastercard inquiry. A Terminated Merchant File check is a Visa inquiry. Each network wrote its own rules for its own file.
Why the acquirer runs it before signing
The acquirer is not being cautious on a whim. Mastercard may add assessments for an acquirer's failure to inquire into MATCH Pro before signing the merchant. Visa's standards set their own check. Visa's standards say acquirers must check the Terminated Merchant File before a contract with a new merchant is final.
In other words, the search comes early, while the deal is still open. Expect it early in the application process.
How the search works
Mastercard's manual says an Acquirer must conduct MATCH inquiries under the proper ICA Number. That keeps the inquiry tied to the acquirer doing the signing.
The search itself looks for two kinds of possible matches. Mastercard's manual says MATCH Pro searches for exact possible matches and phonetic possible matches. An exact possible match is strict: Mastercard's manual says MATCH Pro finds an exact possible match when inquiry data matches stored data letter-for-letter, number-for-number, or both. A phonetic possible match is looser, and catches names that sound alike.
This is why the name, address, and business details on your application matter. A near miss can still come back as a possible match.
What a possible match means
Visa has a rule on how its own file is used. Visa's rules say an Acquirer must use Terminated Merchant File data only as an informational tool in the decision-making process. The file informs the decision. It does not make it.
That said, history counts. Visa's standards say a merchant's history of terminations, excessive chargebacks, fraud or illegal activity can affect the underwriting decision.
MATCH Pro also holds records for reasons other than termination. Mastercard's rules say it may identify a merchant under investigation in MATCH Pro using reason code 00. Mastercard will add a merchant to MATCH Pro with reason code 24 when the merchant meets the Coercion Program criteria. Its manual says the record will be deleted if the later claim does not meet those criteria.
What Mastercard's rules say about you
Mastercard's rules name a few points that touch you.
Mastercard's rules say Customers must tell Merchants they use MATCH Pro to assess them before they engage them. You should be told the check is happening.
If a listing is wrong, the fix runs through the acquirer. Mastercard's rules say the Acquirer is responsible for handling requests to correct or delete Personal Information in its MATCH Pro listings. Mastercard's manual also has a section on acquirer requests for removal from MATCH Pro. So the acquirer has a process it can follow.
The data does not stay forever. Mastercard's rules say Personal Information processed for MATCH Pro must be deleted or destroyed after a maximum of five years.
How to prepare honestly
Be accurate on your application. Every field the acquirer searches is a field where a mismatch can cause trouble.
Do not hide your past termination to get an account. Visa's guide says businesses declined or terminated may misrepresent information on merchant applications to obtain payment services. That is the problem Visa watches for. Expect a close review of your details, and do not blur them.
If a past termination is in your history, be ready to explain it plainly. An honest answer is better than a hidden one.
Related reading
Read about why banks watch payment processors.
If you sell by phone, there is more to read. See how to get billing authorization right on phone sales.