Business is booming, sales are steady and your customer base is growing. Everything seems to be running smoothly — until suddenly, Stripe pulls the plug. With one cold, automated email, your payment processing is shut down. No warning, no explanation. Only days later do you finally learn that you’ve been placed on something called the MATCH list, putting your ability to process credit card transactions anywhere at serious risk.
Every year, thousands of legitimate businesses are blindsided by MATCH list placement, often without fully understanding what it is or how it happened. Numerous Reddit threads document the dreadful experiences of merchants in this situation.
Being placed on the MATCH list isn’t just a Stripe problem — it’s an industry-wide red flag.
Fortunately, while being blacklisted by Stripe is a serious setback, it doesn’t have to be the end of your business journey. This article will break down what the MATCH list is, why Stripe adds merchants to it, what to do if you’re listed and — most importantly — how to avoid it in the first place.
What Is the MATCH List?
The MATCH list, short for “Member Alert to Control High-Risk Merchants,” is a database maintained by Mastercard to help acquiring banks and payment processors identify businesses that have had their merchant accounts terminated for specific high-risk behaviors.
When your business lands on this list, getting approved for a new merchant account becomes incredibly difficult. Most mainstream processors will either deny your application outright or subject you to intense scrutiny, often ending with a rejection.
To complicate matters, Visa maintains a similar system. The Visa Merchant Alert System (VMAS) works in tandem with MATCH to flag problematic merchants across the payments ecosystem.
Unlike a legal or government blacklist, the MATCH list is entirely controlled by the payments industry. That means there is no formal hearing and no standard appeals process. Most merchants don’t even know they’ve been listed until a new application is denied, or a payment provider like Stripe abruptly cuts ties.
Simply put: If you’re on MATCH, your ability to accept credit cards can be grounded indefinitely. This leaves thousands of small businesses roaming internet communities looking for insights, options or a miracle.
Why Stripe Places Merchants on the MATCH List
Stripe has earned a reputation for being fast, flexible and easy to set up. This makes it especially popular with startups, online creators and adult businesses. That ease of access comes with a hidden catch, however: Stripe’s risk monitoring is automated, rigid and often unforgiving. Unfortunately, many merchants fail to consider this risk and end up causing serious harm to the future of their business.
Because Stripe acts as a payment facilitator and operates under the rules of acquiring banks and card networks like Mastercard, it is required to report certain types of merchant account closures to the MATCH list. If your account is flagged for a violation that fits Mastercard’s criteria — such as excessive chargebacks or suspected fraud — Stripe may be obligated to list you, even if your infraction was unintentional.
What makes Stripe especially tough is the lack of transparency. Many merchants receive a brief termination email with no clear explanation. Only later do they discover, often through a rejected application with another provider, that they’ve been MATCH-listed — sometimes for years.
Stripe performs little to no upfront underwriting when onboarding new merchants, instead relying heavily on automated systems to detect risk after the fact. One spike in chargebacks, a flagged product category or a discrepancy in your business model can trigger termination — and land you on MATCH without warning.
This process is rarely negotiable and nearly always final.
Common Reasons for MATCH Placement via Stripe
While Stripe doesn’t always tell you why your account was terminated or that you’ve been added to the MATCH list, ending up there is typically tied to one of Mastercard’s official MATCH reason codes:
- Code 04 – Fraud This doesn’t always indicate criminal intent. Mismatched business details, misleading product descriptions or unintentional policy violations can also trigger a fraud classification.
- Code 05 – Excessive Chargebacks If your chargeback ratio creeps above 1%, you’re on Stripe’s radar. Push past 2% and you may be flagged as too risky to support, especially if the chargebacks keep climbing.
- Code 07 – Fraud Conviction This one is rare and serious. If there is a legal ruling involving fraud tied to your business or identity, MATCH placement is automatic.
- Code 12 – PCI Noncompliance Failing to meet PCI-DSS security requirements — like how you store or transmit credit card data — can get you flagged, especially if it leads to a breach.
- Code 14 – Identity Theft If Stripe believes your account was opened under false pretenses or detects signs of identity theft, you could be placed on MATCH even if you were unaware of the issue.
What Happens Once You’re on the MATCH List
Being placed on the MATCH list isn’t just a Stripe problem — it’s an industry-wide red flag. Once you’re listed, your information is shared across acquiring banks globally, making it extremely difficult to open a new merchant account through traditional means.
Here’s what you can expect:
- Application rejections become the norm. Mainstream payment processors — especially automated ones like PayPal, Square and Shopify Payments — will typically deny your applications outright.
- High-risk scrutiny intensifies. Even processors that work with higher-risk industries will perform deep due diligence. You may face higher fees, reserve requirements or longer onboarding periods.
- No universal appeals process. The MATCH list is not overseen by a regulatory agency. Removal must come from the acquirer that placed you on the list — in this case, Stripe — and they’re not obligated to respond to removal requests or even disclose the relevant MATCH code.
- Time-bound limitation. MATCH placement lasts five years, unless the original processor removes you sooner. That’s a long time to wait without proper credit card processing.
In short, the MATCH list acts as a powerful gatekeeper. Fortunately, if your business is one of the thousands caught in this dilemma, there is better news ahead.
Steps to Take When Placed on the MATCH List
Landing on the MATCH list can feel like hitting a wall, but while the process isn’t easy, it’s not impossible to recover. Taking the following steps is crucial for saving your business:
- Confirm the listing and MATCH code. Start by contacting Stripe directly. Ask if you have been placed on the MATCH list, and whether they can share the reason code associated with your termination. They’re not required to provide it, but if you ask persistently and professionally, sometimes they will. Understanding exactly why you’re on this list is a very helpful beginning, as it tells you what triggered the listing and helps you understand whether there’s any room to challenge it — or at least explain it to a future provider.
- Dispute the listing, if justified. If you believe the listing was an error — say, your chargebacks were miscalculated or another merchant’s activity was mistakenly attributed to you — you can submit a formal dispute with supporting documentation. Just bear in mind that Stripe rarely reverses these decisions, but it’s worth a try if your case is legitimate.
- Work with a MATCH-tolerant processor. Once on the list, your best option is to work with a high-risk payment processor that understands the MATCH system and is willing to underwrite businesses with this status. Such providers can help MATCH-listed merchants regain the ability to process payments and rebuild their operations.
- Focus on compliance, moving forward. Whether you remain MATCH-listed or find a new processing partner, keep everything above board by monitoring chargebacks closely, staying transparent about your business model and following card network rules to the letter.
Placement on the MATCH list might not be reversible, but with the right support and smart practices, you can still find ways to move forward.
Prevention Is the Best Cure
Once you’re on the MATCH list, options narrow, but with the right approach from the start, merchants in high-risk industries like adult can avoid being listed in the first place. Here are some tips to help you stay in the clear:
- Don’t be seduced by the easy setup. It’s tempting to choose a processor like Stripe. Fast onboarding, minimal documentation and instant integration make it feel like the obvious choice — especially for startups and digital-first businesses. But this convenience comes with a hidden cost: Stripe isn’t built to support high-risk verticals, and even minor red flags can lead to sudden account closures and MATCH placement.
- Choose a processor that understands your industry. It’s far easier to stay compliant when your processor is familiar with your sector’s risk profile, and aligned with your business model from day one.
- Keep chargebacks low. Excessive chargebacks are one of the fastest ways to get flagged. Some good strategies for staying below 1% include using clear billing descriptors, responding promptly to disputes, investing in fraud detection tools and offering transparent refund and support policies.
- Be transparent in your merchant application. Never misrepresent your product, business type, or customer base. Processors scan for inconsistencies between what you claim and what you actually do. If you say you’re offering consulting but you’re selling NSFW content or supplements, you’re setting yourself up for a violation — and a potential MATCH listing.
- Understand your processor’s risk tolerance. Every payment platform has its limits. Stripe, for example, explicitly prohibits many high-risk business categories. Operating in a grey area — or hoping you won’t be noticed — invites scrutiny and abrupt termination.
- Stay PCI-compliant. Make sure your site, payment flow and data handling meet all PCI-DSS requirements. Noncompliance can trigger security flags that result in MATCH Code 12 (PCI Noncompliance), which can be hard to reverse.
- Monitor reputation and customer experience. Negative media coverage, customer complaints or a sudden rise in refund requests can also trip a processor’s risk algorithms. Use reviews and feedback as early warning signs.
Remember: The best way to avoid abrupt shutdowns, lost revenue and years on the MATCH list is working with a provider that understands your space. Doing so from the beginning means your business is evaluated, supported and protected. Don’t wait for a payment crisis to find the right fit. With the right foundation, you won’t need a fix — because you’ll already be built to last.
Jonathan Corona has two decades of experience in the electronic payments processing industry. As chief operating officer of MobiusPay, he is responsible for day-to-day operations as well as reviewing and advising merchants on a multitude of compliance standards mandated by the card associations.
