Download Visa and MasterCard critical bulletins (PDF), this pages was updated January 2025. Many of the rules only change every year or two. Subscribe to our newsletter for announcements of card brand updates.
CARD BRAND ACCEPTANCE RULES
- MasterCard Acceptance Rules (PDF) download from MasterCard site. See all MasterCard Rules (link)
- Visa Core Rules and Visa Product and Service Rules PDF download from Visa site. Part of Visa International Operating Guidelines. Over 900 pages of information including comprehensive dispute and chargeback information for merchants. Visit Visa for more merchant info.
- American Express Merchant Policy Guide (link to site) Amex now requires merchant login to access some documents
- MasterCard Chargeback Guide
Visa (official site)
- Visa Surcharge Rules
- Visa Stored Credential Mandate & Framework – Improving Authorization Management for Transactions with Stored Credentials https://usa.visa.com/dam/VCOM/global/support-legal/documents/stored-credential-transaction-framework-vbs-10-may-17.pdf
- Visa Clarifications on Stored Credentials and MIT Framework Mandates https://usa.visa.com/dam/VCOM/global/support-legal/documents/visa-clarifications-on-stored-credentials.pdf
- Visa comprehensive Merchant Resource download library
- Data Security Alerts, Bulletins & Webinars
- Chargeback Management Guidelines for Visa Merchants
- Card Acceptance Guidelines for Visa Merchants
- Visa EMV Overview
- Visa and Mastercard Interchange Rates
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Visa Merchant Business News Digest – Good resource for IT, ERP/Accounting, Compliance officers
MasterCard (official site)
- MasterCard EMV Guiding Principles for Acquirers – even though not directed at merchants, very insightful
- MasterCard Future Payments Guide
Discover Merchant site
LINKS
- https://twitter.com/3dmerchant Not signed up for my monthly newsletter? Look to past tweets and links to critical information.
- PCI Data Security Standard OFFICIAL WEB SITE
- Visa response codes https://developer.visa.com/request_response_codes
- Payments Fraud Liability Matrix [pdf], April 2018 Federal Reserve (Checks and Credit Cards) TIP- it’s a neat reference, but outdated almost the minute it went to print. When acquirers are liable, they pass it on to merchants. Link to the Federal Reserve Payments study history.
- Surcharge Statutes Related to Credit of Debit Card by National Conference of State Legislatures. With no updates since 2016, it’s woefully out of date
- PSD2 https://www.europeanpaymentscouncil.eu/
3D Merchant Newsletters
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