Terms & Conditions

9/07/2020

Dear colleagues,

Effective 17 October 2020, Visa introduce new rules for high-brand risk merchants requiring global registration with Visa. Visa has expanded the categories identified as high-brand risk. A list of MCC codes now identified in Visa as high-brand risk:

  • Card-Absent Transactions:
    • MCC 5962—Direct Marketing—Travel-Related Arrangement Services.
    • MCC 5966—Direct Marketing—Outbound Telemarketing Merchant
    • MCC 5967—Direct Marketing—Inbound Teleservices Merchant
    • MCC 7273—Dating Services
    • MCC 7995—Betting, including Lottery Tickets, Casino Gaming Chips, Off-Track Betting, and Wagers at Race Tracks
  • Cross-Border Card-Absent Transactions:
    • MCC 5122—Drugs, Drug Proprietaries, and Druggist Sundries
    • MCC 5912—Drug Stores and Pharmacies
    • MCC 5993—Cigar Stores and Stands
  • In the cases below, Visa is not classifying the entire MCC as high-brand risk, but rather a particular activity within the general classification. Only for card-Absent Transactions:
    • Cyberlockers and similar remote digital file-sharing services where uploaded content is accessible to the public or the service pay uploaders for content.
    • Games of skill such as daily fantasy sports gaming where consumers pay a fee to enter and the outcome of the game are determined by skill instead of luck.
    • Purchase of cryptocurrency, funding of crypto wallets or funding of initial coin offerings (ICO).

Acquirers will start registering their HBR merchants via the Program Request Management (PRM) tool in Visa. During registration, essential information about the merchant is gathered and provided to Visa for review such as the merchant’s URL(s), principal identity/identities, business address, dates of site inspection and approved monthly sales volume. Registration fees are USD 500 per merchant annually.

Similar rules and 500 EUR payment are applied in MasterCard MRP program.

Please be informed that according to Merchant Agreement these and related fees from Card Schemes are transferred to merchants. Therefore, if abovementioned rules apply to your merchant account, you will be charged relevant fees plus any additional fees from acquiring banks and PayXpert for the registration process.

Fees will be charged per one merchant account on an annual basis. They will be deducted from your invoices on October.

Do not hesitate to contact us if needed.

Sincerely,

Legal Department

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