📍 Bolt Help / Get Started / Policies / Prohibited Merchant Categories Prohibited Merchant Categories Learn about which merchant categories Bolt prohibits. Page Contents Click to expand. 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