Visa blocks prohibited MCCs in mainland China

To help issuers comply with regulatory rules put in place by the China State Administration of Foreign Exchange, Visa is introducing a processing block for prohibited Merchant Category Codes (MCCs). 

From January 19, 2024, Visa will block any transaction on a prohibited MCC in mainland China. Checkout.com will also place blocks on our transaction monitoring tool, which means you will see transactions declined with reason code 4xx - CKO Global - Visa <> China Issuers Block.

The prohibited MCCs are:

• 0763 – Agricultural co-operatives
• 4829 – Money transfer
• 6012 – Financial institutions
• 6051 – Non-financial institutions - foreign currency, liquid and cryptocurrency assets, money orders (not money transfer), account funding (not stored value load), traveler cheques, and debt repayment
• 6211 – Security brokers and dealers
• 7995 – Betting, including lottery tickets, casino gaming chips, off-track betting, wagers at race tracks, and games of chance to win prizes of monetary value.

Please note: Checkout.com will continue processing transactions on these MCCs that are not sent to issuers in mainland China.