MATCH list recovery.
Last updated: 11 July 2026
The Mastercard Member Alert to Control High-Risk Merchants (MATCH) list is the industry-wide shared database of terminated merchants. Once you're on it, no standard acquirer will board you for five years — and re-incorporating under a new entity does not help because beneficial owners are also filed. The path back to processing runs through licensed high-risk acquirers with a documented reprocessing plan. This guide covers the 14 reason codes, how the list works, and the reprocessing playbook that actually gets accounts opened.
The 14 MATCH reason codes
Every MATCH placement is filed under a specific reason code. The code determines how difficult reprocessing will be.
| Code | Reason | Reprocessing outlook |
|---|---|---|
| 01 | Account Data Compromise | Data breach; hard to reprocess |
| 02 | Common Points of Purchase (CPP) | Fraud pattern origination; case-by-case |
| 03 | Laundering | Transaction laundering; essentially unrecoverable |
| 04 | Excessive Chargebacks | Most common code; reprocessable |
| 05 | Excessive Fraud | Reprocessable with strong fraud controls |
| 07 | Fraud Conviction | Not reprocessable via normal acquiring |
| 08 | Mastercard Questionable Merchant Audit | Reprocessable |
| 09 | Bankruptcy / Liquidation / Insolvency | Essentially unrecoverable |
| 10 | Violation of Standards | Case-by-case |
| 11 | Merchant Collusion | Not reprocessable |
| 12 | PCI-DSS Non-Compliance | Reprocessable with PCI attestation |
| 13 | Illegal Transactions | Rarely reprocessable |
| 14 | Identity Theft | Case-by-case; often false-positive |
How you got here (usually)
The most common paths to MATCH placement:
- Excessive chargebacks (code 04). You breached VDMP or ECM excessive thresholds and stayed there. Your acquirer terminated and filed. This is the most common code and the most reprocessable.
- Excessive fraud (code 05). You breached VFMP or EFM excessive fraud thresholds. Slightly harder to reprocess than 04 because acquirers assume the fraud vulnerability is intrinsic to the business model.
- Laundering (code 03). Transaction laundering — processing transactions for products the merchant is not licensed to sell (miscoded MCC, mule accounts). This code is treated very seriously and is essentially unrecoverable.
- PCI non-compliance (code 12). You failed PCI-DSS attestation and had a compromise. Reprocessable with fresh attestation and remediation documentation.
- Collusion or fraud conviction (codes 07, 11). Not reprocessable via normal acquiring. Merchants in this position typically need to move to crypto-only rails.
The reprocessing playbook
Licensed high-risk acquirers that specifically work with MATCH-listed merchants require the following five elements in every reprocessing application. Applications missing any element get declined.
Honest, specific, dated. What triggered the original placement? Which reason code? What was the operational failure that caused it? Coached answers get detected — underwriters have seen every version of the story.
Controls that directly address the root cause. Excessive chargebacks → Ethoca + Verifi RDR + 3DS2 + descriptor redesign + pre-billing notice. Fraud → 3DS2 mandatory + AVS/CVV mandatory + BIN monitoring + velocity limits. PCI → fresh attestation from a named QSA. The controls must be verifiable, not aspirational.
Start at 20–40% of your prior processing level. Ramp based on chargeback ratio performance. A merchant who was processing $500k/mo pre-termination doesn't come back at $500k/mo — they come back at $150k/mo and prove out.
Monthly reporting to the acquirer during the initial 6 months of the reprocessing plan. Chargeback ratio, refund ratio, dispute breakdown, top-decliner analysis. If a metric moves, you flag it before the acquirer sees it in their systems.
Written attestation that beneficial owners have not been involved in any subsequently terminated merchant accounts. False attestations are grounds for termination on the new account and additional MATCH placement.
Timeline expectations
- Weeks 1–2: Assemble reprocessing plan documentation.
- Weeks 2–3: Submit to licensed high-risk acquirer via a specialist processor (like VenderaPay or an equivalent).
- Weeks 3–4: Underwriting review (5–10 business days for MATCH applications vs. 48h standard).
- Weeks 4–5: Integration if approved. Phased ramp begins.
- Months 1–6: Initial reprocessing period. Monthly reporting. Reserve at 10–20%.
- Months 6–12: Rate step-down if chargeback ratio stayed clean. Reserve reduces.
- Month 12+: Rate back to standard for your vertical. Continue operating normally through year 5 of the MATCH placement — after which the file expires and you have full standard-acquirer optionality again.
Common mistakes that kill reprocessing applications
- Trying to hide the MATCH file. Acquirers check MATCH before underwriting. Not disclosing the termination in your application is grounds for automatic decline regardless of the reason code.
- Re-incorporating and hoping. The new entity fails the beneficial-owner MATCH check. Doesn't work.
- Applying to standard processors. They will decline. Skip that step; go directly to a specialist.
- Coming back at prior volume. The phased ramp is not negotiable. Merchants who insist on returning at $500k/mo get declined.
- Missing the reason code specificity. A generic "we had chargeback issues, we've fixed them" plan gets declined. Underwriting needs the specific reason code and the specific fix.
FAQ
On MATCH and need to reprocess?
Submit the qualification form with your termination letter and reprocessing plan. Underwriting returns a decision in 5–10 business days.
Apply for reprocessing