Terms & Policies

If you use Finix’s payment processing services (“Services”), you must comply with this Prohibited & Restricted Businesses & Activities list (“List”). This List is based on several factors, including legal and regulatory requirements, card network rules, restrictions from our financial partners, and other risks (e.g., reputational, chargebacks). 

Finix reserves the right to change this List at any time by posting a new version of it to our website. You agree to any such changes by continuing to use the Services after a new version has been posted.

You must operate within the United States, excluding U.S. territories, to use the Services. 

Here are the MCC codes that Finix currently supports. If you have any questions about whether Finix can support your business, please reach out to your Finix point of contact or email Finix Support.

PROHIBITED 

You must not use the Services in connection with the activities listed below. 

Illegal Products & Services

• Any goods or services that violate any law, statute, or regulation

• Any activity, product, or service that is fraudulent, deceptive, unfair, or predatory

Intellectual Property Infringement

• Products that infringe on the intellectual property rights of others, including counterfeit goods or any product or service that infringes on copyright, trademark, or trade secrets of any third party, such as many cyberlockers

Unfair, Predatory, or Deceptive Products or Services

• Direct Marketing: Continuity or subscription services, travel arrangement services, or telemarketing services

• Outbound telemarketer and telecommunications

• Multi-level marketing schemes

• “Negative option” renewal, continuity subscription, or marketing practices involving free or low-dollar trial or “pay only for shipping” periods, after which a credit card is charged periodically or a significantly higher amount

• Distressed property sales and/or marketing

• Investment or “get rich quick” schemes

• Sale of social media activity, including promising to increase the amount of social media followers 

• “Upselling” practices

• Drop shipping, shipping brokers, and forwarding brokers

Adult Content & Services

• Adult entertainment, adult retail stores, or adult content websites including electronic commerce adult content (videotext) merchants

Certain Legal, Political, Financial, & Consulting Services

• Bidding fee auctions, including penny auctions

• Collection agencies 

• Commodity or security trading

• Cryptocurrencies, crypto exchanges, or crypto dealers

• Digital wallet or prepaid merchants, including staged digital wallets

• Debt/tax elimination, debt/tax reduction, or debt/tax consulting services

• Political action committees (PACs)

• Quasi-cash or stored value goods and services

• Virtual currency that can be monetized, resold, or converted to physical or digital goods and services that exit the virtual world

Firearms, Explosives, & Dangerous/Hazardous Materials

• Firearms and weapons, including accessories such as ammunition, components, silencers, and suppressors

High Risk Industries

• Gambling activities and establishments, including contests and sweepstakes

• Cruise lines

• Timeshares or related marketing businesses including businesses that resell timeshares

• Infomercial merchants

• Pawn shops

• Prepaid phone card or phone services, including businesses selling mobile minutes

• Real estate “flipping”

• Discount membership clubs

• Discount coupon businesses or online sites

• Discount medical or dental plans, including discount insurance

• Rebate-based businesses

• Software resellers

• Telehealth and telemedicine

Drugs & Pharmaceuticals

• Pseudo pharmaceuticals

• Drug paraphernalia

• Internet or mail-order pharmacies or drug stores

• Cigar stores and stands

• Card-not-present tobacco, eCigarettes, and “vape” supplies and accessories  

• Marijuana dispensaries or online sales, including sales of products that include THC as ingredients 

• Substances designed to mimic illegal drugs, such as Kava and Kratum

Additional Prohibitions - Misuse of the Finix Services

• Clients physically outside of the U.S.

• Clients engaged in any form of practices including but not limited to:

  • Hidden disclosures

  • Pre-checked opt-in boxes

  • Refund or cancellation avoidance

  • Prepaid, DDA and Merchant Acquiring clients, principals, or related entities previously

  • Payment aggregators outside of Card Brand approved program

  • Products or services promoting hate, violence, harassment, or abuse

  • Substances designed to mimic illegal drugs

  • Crypto-currency exchanges

• Submitting sales for payment that resulted from another commercial entity providing goods or services to the cardholder, including those businesses that may otherwise qualify themselves as a PSP or Payment Facilitator 

• Accepting a card as payment for a dishonored check or for an item deemed uncollectable by another merchant

• Accepting a card at a scrip-dispensing terminal

• Providing goods or services that are, or potentially are, brand or reputationally damaging such escort services, mail order bride services, or any occult or psychic service

• Accepting loan repayments on a credit card
  

RESTRICTED 

You must not use the Services in connection with the activities listed below without Finix’s prior approval. 

• Age restricted products or services

• Auto dealerships, new and used, when accepting loan payments (loan payments on a VISA branded credit card are prohibited)

• Bail bond services or bankruptcy lawyers

• Business payment solution providers (BPSPs)

• Businesses with an anticipated percentage of international card sales greater than 20% of total sales

• Career placement or advice center services

• Consumer Credit Counseling Services; Credit Repair Services such as Credit Counseling; Business Consulting Services; Credit Reporting Services; credit repair

• Crowd sourced fundraising, except crowd sourced fundraising is prohibited for the purchase of stock or equity, when a promise is made to deliver a good or service in the future, or there is no consideration in return for the payment or donation

• Consumer bill payment service providers

• Dating services (card-not-present)

• Delayed delivery businesses where the good or service the merchant is providing the cardholder is not shipped, delivered, or fulfilled when the card transaction is processed but is to occur at a future date

• Gambling activities and establishments, including casinos, lotteries, internet gaming, fantasy sports, or any special incentives or prizes to induce cardholders to make a purchase of goods or services

• Hemp/Hemp-Derived Cannabidiol (CBD) dispensaries or online sales, including sales of products that include CBD as an ingredient

• High interest rate non-bank consumer lending, payday or title loans, or any consumer financing services

• Insurance sales, premiums, and services

• Marketplace

• Massage parlors

• Money transfers, wire transfers, money orders, money transmitters, and check cashing services, including businesses required to be registered as Money Service Businesses (MSBs)

• Non-bank lenders

• Non-Fungible Tokens (NFT)

• Online personal computer technical support (not Direct Marketed in nature)

• Package stores–beer, wine, and liquor

• Political campaigns

• Personal enhancement products and/or nutraceuticals where there is not any consumer-present retail option

• Sexual aids/toys

• Shipping or forwarding brokers

• Solar panel businesses

• Sports forecasting or odds making

• Travel agencies or tour operators, except agencies or operators servicing sanctioned locations (e.g., Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan, Syria) are prohibited

• Warranty companies

Additional prohibitions and restrictions may apply. Any business or persons on any government or sanctions watch list are prohibited from using the Services.