Is Survival Possible For Businesses Placed In The MATCH List?

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You know what TMF stands for-right? There are high possibilities you have little or more idea about it. This is possibly why you are here. Assuming you don’t know anything this post will explain the whole thing related to TMF and how possible it is to survive even when you have found your business’ name on the match list.

Running a business is extremely challenging and when you get a placement in the MATCH list your worries know no bound. Those who have not got the right guidance for their MATCH encounter may believe that there is nothing worse that can happen to a business than this. Any business that comes on MATCH list faces termination of merchant account and a lot more. Finding new processor for any MATCH-listed merchants is next to impossible and sans credit card payments what does a business mean? Here it seems to be the end of the business aspirations.

But how close or further it is to reality has to be seen.

What Is MATCH List? How TMF Is Different From It?

Before you drown deep into the aftermath of your business placement in the MATCH list understand what it actually means. Also, is TMF the same thing or it indicates something more serious?

MATCH stands for Member Alert to Control High Risk Merchants. Keeping it in simple words, it is the record created by MasterCard for compiling information of the businesses whose merchant accounts have been terminated. This list is extensively used by acquiring banks as a parameter to screen applications for credit card processing services.

TMF on the other hand, stands for Terminated Merchant File and this designation preceded the MATCH list. TMF has been used to track blacklisted companies. TMF listing was replaced by the MATCH list for being more comprehensive. Both the terms are used interchangeably these days. Merchants who are here to learn how to get off their names from both these lists can take a sigh of relief as merchants don’t have to worry about both of them. Removal from one of the list implies a clean chit from the other one too.

In other words, it can be said that TMF listing is included in the MATCH list.

Wondering Why Your Business Is Listed In the MATCH list?

When your application for merchant account gets rejected by the issuing bank there is a reason behind it. Similarly, having your name on the MATCH list has solid reasons or factors behind it. MATCH list tag makes you perceived as a high risk merchant by every payment processor. It somehow creates the impression that something is terribly wrong with your business. Considering the high significance of reputable merchant account services you should get to work on improving your business image and buy the best card processing services.

There are serious repercussions of having your company’s name on the MATCH list. Not only your existing merchant account gets terminated but also you are denied for new processing services from most of the merchant account providers you know. You must be struggling with the questions what causes it. While the best way to find out behind termination of your merchant account is to ask the issuing bank or the merchant provider, there are some common and obvious kinds of reasons. The most common one that might have landed you on the MATCH list is chargebacks. Merchants who exceed the chargeback thresholds end up with a frozen and ultimately terminated merchant account.

According to the MasterCard Security Rules and Techniques, making the acquirer realize that you are breaching chargeback threshold persuades them to add retailer’s name in the list. MasterCard understands the authority that vests with acquirers to terminate the merchant account and takes it further for instructing acquirers to abide by the MATCH system requirements. You cannot completely rule out the possibility of a misfortune if there were no mistakes or avoidance at your end. It can be your acquirer who is at fault, created deliberately or otherwise.

Expert Advice To Survive The MATCH List

Once you experience termination or cancellation of your merchant account you shall confirm it from your payment processor whether your business is listed on the MATCH list or not. Because if you are already there you would not want to leave any stone unturned for MATCH list or TMF list removal.

The strategy you build should have lots and lots of patience as the foundation stones. It may take time to get things sorted but don’t expect the blemish on your business’ reputation to vanish immediately for it will eventually fade away. You may not get the services of the mainstream processors but there are credit card processing services that have experience and exposure in getting you rid of this problem.

What you always need to remember and follow is do not act smart with the new processor, instead tell them that your company is on the MATCH list because they are all authorized to access the MATCH list. They will find it on their own. Hiding things from your new processor may offend them to render you professional assistance to come out of the mess you have created deliberately or otherwise. Nevertheless, you can find out the MATCH list code from the previous merchant account provider and comprehend what went wrong earlier. It will help you to get familiar with the things that MasterCard is not comfortable with and this way you may prevent your business from falling into the pit again.

Get Your Business Name Removed From MATCH List- Possible Or Not

It is required to keep a lot of patience by merchants on MATCH list since it gets removed from there only after completion of five years. It is assumed that the business does not qualify for another blacklisting during this period.

It can exceptionally happen too if:

You are able to convince your acquirer that they gave your business name by mistake. MasterCard accepts acquirers’ request to cancel the previous request made by them as it was a result of an error.

Your name was included quoting MATCH list reason code 12 (PCI-DSS Non-compliance) and since then you have been compliant.

Take Home Message

Many of you would be pondering that how survival for five years without accepting card payments is possible. You don’t have to worry if you are open to admit your mistakes and also learn from them. Taking care of compliance and maintaining chargebacks low ratio is something merchants have to be very particular about. Resume payment processing from experienced payment processors will help you sail through the high tides safe and steady.