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Prohibited Merchant Categories
Learn about which merchant categories Bolt prohibits.

The following goods and services categories are either prohibited or require approval before partnering with Bolt.

TIP

Contact a Sales or Customer Service Representative if you have questions about a category that is either not listed or requires approval.

Merchant Categories

A-C

Category of Goods/Services Status
“Negative option” marketing, renewal, or continuity subscription practices; marketing activities involving low-dollar trails, “pay only for shipping,” and/or “free trial” periods after which a credit card is charged periodically and/or a significantly larger amount Prohibited
Adult entertainment and/or adult content websites, including Electronic Commerce adult content (videotext) merchants that may include MCCs 5967, 7273 and 7841 Prohibited
Age Restricted Products or Services Requires Approval
Aggregation or factoring, whether licensed or unlicensed
Any Submerchant where the anticipated % of International Card Sales is expected to be greater than 20% of total sales Requires Approval
Auto Dealerships, new and used when accepting loan payments (loan payments on a Visa branded Credit Card are Prohibited) Requires Approval
Bail Bond Services or Bankruptcy Lawyers Requires Approval
Beastiality Prohibited
Bidding Fee Auctions (e.g.,Penny Auctions) Prohibited
Career Placement or Advice Center submerchants Requires Approval
Causes or threatens reputational damage to us or any Card Network Prohibited
Chain letters
Child Pornography Prohibited
CNP Tobacco, e-Cigarettes and “Vape” supplies and accessories Prohibited
Collection Agencies Prohibited
Commodity Trading or Security Trading Prohibited
Consumer Financing Requires Approval
Counterfeit goods; goods that infringe upon copyrights, trademarks, trade secrets (e.g., Cyberlockers) Prohibited
Credit Counseling or Credit Repair Services Prohibited
Credit Protection or Identity Theft Protection Services Prohibited
Crowdfunding Requires Approval
Cryptocurrencies (Bitcoin, Ethereum, etc.) Prohibited
Currency Exchanges or Dealers Prohibited

D-F

Category of Goods/Services Status
Dating Services Requires Approval
Dating Services Requires Approval
Debt Elimination, Debt Reduction or Debt Consulting Services Prohibited
Deceptive, unfair, predatory products and services Prohibited
Decryption and descrambler products designed to circumvent intellectual property rights or protections, including mod chips
Delayed Delivery Merchants 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 Requires Approval
Digital Wallet or Prepaid Companies Prohibited
Direct Marketing-Inbound Telemarketing including videotext services and MCC 5967 Prohibited
Direct Marketing-Travel Related Arrangement Services including MCC 5962 Prohibited
Discount Buying Memberships/Clubs Prohibited
Discount Coupon Merchants or Online Sites Prohibited
Discount Medical or Dental plans including Discount Insurance Prohibited
Distressed Property Sales and/or Marketing Prohibited
Door-to-door sales
Drug Paraphernalia Prohibited
Entertainment venues including but not limited to nightclubs, bars
Escort Services Prohibited
Evading card association chargeback monitoring programs
Extended warranties
Firearms and weapons including Ammunition, Silencers, Components and Suppressors Prohibited
Fireworks and related goods
Fortune tellers

G-I

Category of Goods/Services Status
Gambling Activities and Establishments including MCC 7995, lotteries, internet gaming, daily fantasy sports, contests, sweepstakes, “special incentives,” or offering of prizes as an inducement to purchase goods or services Prohibited
Goods or services in violation of laws, statues, or regulations Prohibited
Gunpowder and other explosives
High interest rate non-bank consumer lending with an APR >30% including, but not limited to, payday lending and title loans Prohibited
Infomercial merchants Prohibited
Internet/Mail Order Pharmacies Prohibited
Investment or “get rich quick” merchants, businesses or programs and inclusive of Brokers and Dealers Prohibited

J-L

Category of Goods/Services Status
Loan modifiers Restricted
Loan payments conducted on a Visa-branded credit card Prohibited

M-O

Category of Goods/Services Status
Mail Order Brides Prohibited
Marijuana dispensaries and related products or services that contain CBDs or provide access to CBDs Prohibited
Massage Parlors Requires Approval
Membership subscriptions > 1 year
Merchant who accept card payments using a scrip-dispensing terminal Prohibited
Merchants who accept card payments for dishonored checks or accept payment for items deemed uncollectible by another merchant Prohibited
Money Transfer, Wire Transfers, Money Orders, Transmitters, and Check Cashing including merchants required to be registered as Money Service Business Prohibited
Multi-Level Marketing Businesses Prohibited
Occult Prohibited
Outbound Telemarketers and Telecom merchants within MCCs 4814, 4816, and 5966 Prohibited

P-R

Category of Goods/Services Status
Pawn Shops Prohibited
Payment Facilitators Prohibited
Personal Enhancement / Nutraceuticals where no Card Present retail option is available Requires Approval
Personal Enhancement Products and/or Nutraceuticals where there is not any consumer present retail option Requires Approval
Prepaid Phone Cards Prohibited
Prepaid Phone Services Prohibited
Products and services with varying legal status on a state-by-state basis
Products/services that promote hate, violence, harassment or abuse, if illegal Prohibited
Pseudo Pharmaceuticals Prohibited
Psychics and “occult” businesses Prohibited
Quasi-Cash or Stored Value Prohibited
Real Estate Flipping Prohibited
Rebate-Based Businesses Prohibited

S-U

Category of Goods/Services Status
Sale of Mobile Minutes Prohibited
Securities brokers
Selling or Sales of Social Media Activity Prohibited
Sexual Aids/Toys Requires Approval
Sharing cardholder’s data with another merchant for payment of up-sell or cross-sell products or services
Shipping or Forwarding Brokers Requires Approval
Sports Forecasting or Odds Making Prohibited
Substances designed to mimic illegal drugs Prohibited
Third party sales resulting from another commercial entity directly providing goods or services; includes those businesses that may otherwise qualify themselves as a Payment Facilitator Prohibited
Timeshares, including resale’s and related marketing Prohibited
Toxic, flammable, and radioactive materials
Transacting Virtual Currency or credits that can be monetized, re-sold or converted to physical or digital goods or services or otherwise exit the virtual world Prohibited
Tribal Entities (ie: American Indian Tribes) Prohibited
Up-Selling Merchants Prohibited

V-X

Y-Z

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