Unacceptable 
and 
Conditional Merchants Types

UNACCEPTABLE or "HIGH-RISK"
 MERCHANTS:

Adoption Services

Age-Verification Services: Membership services that register people by their age in order to verify that they may view adult entertainment sites. Often, Age verification services use multi-level marketing to entice ISP's and Webmasters to host links to their registration pages.

Aggregating: (See "Factoring")

Airlines: NONE are acceptable.

Audio Text/Telephone Consultation Services: Sell recorded or live audio information (psychics, 900 #s, recorded advice, etc.), usually by the minute, or by the time the customer spends on the phone.

Benefit/Incentive Programs

Car Rental

Card-registration services: Charge to register credit cards in exchange for consumer insurance or protection.

Charge-back Ratio, Excessive: Charge-backs cannot exceed 1%.

Check-cashing establishments: Charge a fee to cash checks for consumers.

Coin Dealers

Collection Agencies: Collect payments due or seize property on behalf of a lender/seller.

Companion or Escort Services: Charge a fee to provide a companion or escort.

Credit restoration or repair agencies, collection agencies: Charge a fee to help consumers handle personal debt and collect overdue bal-ances/ loans on behalf of lenders.

Credit Card Protection

Debt Consolidation

Drug paraphernalia of any kind: Sale of any product associated with illegal drug use (pipes, syringes, etc.)

E-Payments/E-Cash

Employment Agencies/Recruiters: Provide staffing/placement (temporary or permanent) for other businesses.

Escort Services / Companion Services: See "Companion Services."

Export/Import: See "Import."

Factoring: A business that opens a merchant account and hosts numerous other businesses who also use that same merchant account to process transactions.

Fantasy Leagues: Businesses that charge customers to participate in fantasy or gaming activities over the Internet.

Financial Aid: Lending services that are, or approach, being illegal. (Loan sharking.)

Firearms: other than retail sporting

Foreign Companies/Business operating outside the US: Any business located outside the US, including Internet businesses with servers located outside the US.

Freight Forwarding: See Import/Export.

Future Fulfillment: beyond three months

Gambling: Companies that charge a fee to participate in games or activities that offer cash/ prizes in return

Hotel reservation services: Companies that reserve hotel rooms on behalf of visitors. Merchant does not own or work for the respective hotel.

Illegal products: Merchants that sell any product that is illegal to sell or provide in the United States.

Import/Export: Engage in the purchase or sale of goods between different countries.

Incentive Programs: Companies selling incentive programs to other companies, so that incentives may be used to enhance sales. For example, a company may sell a bundle of discounted trips to a car dealership. The dealership can then offer a "free" trip to Hawaii with every purchase.

Illegal Products

Investment Opportunities: Offer the promise of financial gain in exchange for money in-vested. 

Lotteries or raffles: Sell tickets that are drawn randomly, the winners receiving cash or prizes in return.

Metals, Precious

Mortgage Brokers/Reduction Services: Merchants who charge a fee to place your loan with the lowest-cost provider on the market; OR offer to lower existing mortgage payments; OR offer information on reducing mortgage payments.

Outbound telemarketing: Sell products or solicit donations by phoning the public.

Phone Cards: Phone card amount is paid up front for a service and used over a period of time.

Precious metal/stamp collections: Sell rare coins, metals, or stamps.

Pre-paid Services: Cards that store a pre-programmed dollar amount.

Prescription Drugs Online

Principals residing outside US: Principals who do not reside in the US will be immediately declined.

Principals with open bankruptcies: Principals with open bankruptcies will be declined.

Pyramid sales programs: Companies that use a "pyramid" of distributors who pay to participate and are promised commissions on their sales and the sales of anyone they recruit to sell "under" them. aka multi-level.

Raffles/Lotteries: All raffles and lotteries are unacceptable.

Recruiters: Provide job placement for employers; employee pays the fee. 

Sales: Outbound telemarketing

Stamp Collections: Sells rare stamps

Telemarketing: Outbound

Telephone: Consultation services

Third-party services: Any service that involves a third-party who collects money on behalf of the organization that provides the goods or services.

Timeshare organizations: Sell "shares" in vacation property that allow "owners" to stay for short, defined periods of time each year.

Travel Packages, Coupons or Certificates/Clubs

VideoText

VISA Chargeback Monitoring Program

Warranty Programs/Warranty Sales

The following merchants must meet the condition listed in parentheses in order to apply. For example, a merchant who sells adult entertainment with an average ticket of $300 would be unacceptable, however, if the average ticket (AVT) is $240, the merchant would be considered Non-Standard and allowed to apply. 

Adult Entertainment
(if AVT exceeds $250)

Answering svcs. phone
(if AVT exceeds $250)

Art Dealers
(If AVT exceeds $500)

Auction Houses Virtual
(if AVT exceeds $250)

Auto Sales Used
(if AVT exceeds $750)

Bail-bond Issuers
(less than 70% swiped)

Barter Associations
(if AVT exceeds $250)

Beauty Supplies
(if AVT exceeds $250)

Campaigns, Political
(if AVT exceeds $250, MV 5K+, or outbound telemarketing is utilized)

Cars, Used
(if AVT exceeds $750)

Computers
(if AVT exceeds $500)

Concert Hall/Theater
(if AVT exceeds $250)

Conferences
(if pre-paid)

Contingent Liability
(fulfilled more than 90 days later, or AVT exceeds $500)

Coupon Books
(if AVT exceeds $250, or coupons can be used 90 days after issuance)

Dating/matchmaking Services
(if AVT exceeds $250)

Discount-coupon Books
(if AVT exceeds $250, or coupons can be used 90 days after issuance)

Donations to Various Organizations
(if AVT exceeds $250 or MV 5K+ or outbound telemarketing utilized)

Door-to-Door Sales
(if AVT exceeds $250)

Electronics
(if AVT exceeds $250)

Fund-raising, Political
(if AVT exceeds $250, MV 5K+ or outbound telemarketing utilized)

Furniture/Office Furniture
(if AVT exceeds $750)

Gambling Advice
(if AVT exceeds $250)

Hair Growth / Removal / Restoration Products
(if AVT exceeds $250)

House Party Plans
(if AVT exceeds $500)

Insurance
(if AVT exceeds $250 or payment is for annual premium or covers payment more than 90 days out)

Jewelry Stores
(if AVT exceeds $750)

Lending Services
(if AVT exceeds $250)

Long-distance Carriers
(if AVT exceeds $250)

Magazine Subscriptions
(if payment exceeds 90-day period of coverage)

Mail-order pets
(if AVT exceeds $250)

Massage Parlors
(if AVT exceeds $250)

Match-making/Dating Services
(if AVT exceeds $250)

Message Services Telephone
(if AVT exceeds $250)

Multi-level Marketing
(w/o prior approval of marketing plan by Humboldt Bank)

Office Furniture
(if AVT exceeds $750)

Organizations Seeking Donations
(if AVT exceeds $250 or MV 5K+ or outbound telemarketing utilized)

Party Plans
(if AVT exceeds $500)

Pets Mail Order
(if AVT exceeds $250)

Phone Message Services
(if AVT exceeds $250)

Political Campaigns
(if AVT exceeds $250 or MV 5K+ or outbound telemarketing utilized)

Pornographic Materials
(if AVT exceeds $250)

Property Rentals Vacation
(timeshares, contingent liability or AVT exceeds $750)

Rentals Vacation
(timeshares/contingent liability or AVT exceeds $750)

Sales Door-to-door
(if AVT exceeds $250)

Seminars
(if pre-paid)

Subscriptions Magazine
(if payment exceeds 90-day period of coverage)

Swap-meets
(less than 70% swiped)

Telephone Message Services
(if AVT exceeds $250)

Travel Agencies
(less than 70% swiped)

Used Cars
(if AVT exceeds $750)

Vacation Rentals
(if AVT exceeds $750 or timeshares/ contingent liability involved)

Virtual Auction Houses
(if AVT exceeds $250)

Water Purification Services
(if AVT exceeds $250)

X-rated Materials
(if AVT exceeds $250)