Key Takeaways
Adult-industry payment processing is a specialist acquiring area. Visa and Mastercard permit lawful adult-content transactions, but both impose additional requirements on the acquirers and merchants operating in this sector.
Merchant Advice Service currently focuses its provider-matching support on established, registered adult-content businesses that can demonstrate existing card-processing history.
Businesses should be able to provide:
- registered company details;
- a verifiable website;
- existing or recent card-processing statements;
- monthly processing volumes;
- refund and chargeback history;
- details of the current or previous payment provider; and
- evidence of the controls required for the business model.
MAS is not currently matching newly formed or unregistered adult businesses without processing history.
MAS also does not provide provider matching for escort businesses or businesses providing in-person sexual services.
For qualifying established online adult-content businesses, the payment requirement can include specialist acquiring, card-scheme registration, recurring billing, chargeback management, international processing, content controls and ongoing compliance monitoring.
Who MAS can support in this sector
This service is intended for established, registered adult-content businesses with verifiable trading activity and existing card-processing history.
Before enquiring, you should be able to provide recent processing statements and registered business details.
We cannot currently provide provider matching for:
- unregistered businesses;
- new adult businesses with no payment-processing history;
- escort services; or
- in-person sexual services.
Why adult-industry merchant accounts require specialist underwriting
Adult-content businesses are not treated in the same way as ordinary ecommerce merchants.
The issue is not simply that a business operates within the adult sector.
Acquirers also need to satisfy additional card-scheme requirements around areas such as:
- merchant registration;
- business verification;
- age and identity verification;
- performer consent;
- content moderation;
- illegal-content prevention;
- complaints and takedown processes;
- chargeback monitoring;
- transaction monitoring;
- subscriptions;
- international customers; and
- ongoing compliance.
This means a provider must be willing not only to process adult-content transactions, but also to operate the appropriate acquiring and card-scheme programme for them.
Which adult businesses does this guide cover?
This guide is primarily relevant to established online businesses such as:
- subscription adult-content websites;
- adult video and streaming platforms;
- creator-content platforms;
- adult membership websites;
- digital adult-content publishers;
- adult video-on-demand businesses;
- online content platforms involving verified adult creators; and
- other lawful online adult-content businesses accepted by an appropriate acquiring provider.
The precise card-scheme classification and underwriting requirements depend on the actual business model.
Businesses MAS cannot currently support
Merchant Advice Service does not currently provide payment-provider matching for escort businesses or businesses providing in-person sexual services.
We also do not currently match:
- unregistered adult businesses;
- businesses unable to provide verifiable ownership details;
- new adult websites with no processing history;
- businesses unable to provide processing statements where requested;
- businesses involved in unlawful content or activity; or
- businesses unable to demonstrate the compliance controls required by potential acquiring providers.
If you have reached this page from older MAS content relating to another adult-sector business model, these qualification criteria still apply.
Visa rules for adult-content merchants
Visa places adult-content merchants within its Visa Integrity Risk Program.
Visa states that lawful adult-content businesses can use its network, but because the sector carries an elevated risk of illegal activity, acquirers supporting these merchants must operate enhanced safeguards.
Visa's public rules identify adult content and services using MCC 5967 within its Integrity Risk requirements.
Adult-content merchants must comply with the requirements of the Visa Integrity Risk Program as well as applicable laws.
Visa age and consent requirements
Visa states that adult-content merchants must maintain procedures and records sufficient to verify that every person depicted in content:
- is of legal age; and
- has consented to participate.
This is separate from verifying the age of the customer viewing the website.
A compliant adult business can therefore have at least two distinct age-related obligations:
- verifying the age and consent of people depicted in content; and
- meeting applicable age-assurance rules for people accessing adult content.
Visa complaints and illegal-content reporting
Visa also requires merchants to provide a clear process through which potentially illegal content can be reported.
Visa states that reported complaints must be resolved within five business days, and illegal content must be removed immediately where identified.
The business therefore needs more than a generic customer-service email address.
The acquiring provider may want to understand:
- how complaints are received;
- who reviews them;
- how content is investigated;
- how quickly content can be removed;
- how decisions are recorded; and
- how compliance evidence is retained.
Visa acquirer registration
Visa states that acquirers supporting adult-content merchants must register appropriately with Visa and regularly confirm that their merchants continue to meet the relevant requirements.
This is one reason why a standard ecommerce PSP may not be suitable even if its gateway is technically capable of processing card payments.
The underlying acquiring relationship must support the adult-content business model.
Mastercard rules for adult-content merchants
Mastercard operates its own Specialty Merchant Registration Program.
Mastercard's current Security Rules and Procedures state that, before an acquirer processes non-face-to-face adult-content and services transactions, the merchant must be registered with Mastercard.
Mastercard identifies qualifying non-face-to-face adult-content transactions using:
- MCC 5967 with the appropriate transaction category code; or
- MCC 7841 where appropriate to the specific business model.
The important point for the merchant is that the provider must understand and correctly classify the actual business.
Mastercard requirements for creator and user-generated platforms
The Mastercard requirements become particularly detailed where third-party creators can upload or generate adult content.
Mastercard requires a merchant operating this type of platform to have written agreements with content providers.
Those agreements must address matters including:
- prohibiting illegal activity or activity that breaches Mastercard standards;
- obtaining consent from people depicted in the content;
- consent for publication and distribution;
- additional consent where content can be downloaded; and
- verification of the identity and age of people depicted.
Creator identity and age verification
Mastercard states that merchants must only permit uploads from verified content providers.
The verification process must be robust and include checks of government-issued identification and controls designed to confirm that the identification belongs to the person submitting it.
This means an adult-content platform cannot simply allow anonymous creator uploads and expect the payment provider to treat the business as an ordinary marketplace.
Content review before publication
Mastercard requires uploaded adult content to be reviewed before publication to check that it is not illegal and does not otherwise breach Mastercard's standards.
For live-streaming businesses, Mastercard requires the merchant to operate on a platform it can control and which allows real-time monitoring and removal of content.
This is an important underwriting distinction between:
- a merchant selling its own pre-produced content;
- a creator platform accepting uploads; and
- a live-streaming service.
The compliance processes required for each can be materially different.
Mastercard complaint and takedown process
Mastercard requires adult-content merchants to provide a process for reporting content that may be illegal or otherwise breach its standards.
Reported complaints must be reviewed and resolved within seven business days.
If the review identifies illegal content, Mastercard requires it to be removed immediately.
Requests from people depicted in content
Mastercard also requires a process that allows a person depicted in content to request its removal.
The merchant must be able to confirm that the appropriate consent exists.
If consent cannot be established, or consent is no longer valid under applicable law, the Mastercard rules require the content to be removed according to the applicable process.
Monthly reporting to the acquirer
Mastercard's current rules also require adult-content merchants to provide their acquirer with monthly reporting covering matters such as:
- content flagged as potentially illegal or non-compliant;
- relevant URLs or videos;
- actions taken;
- complaints received; and
- takedown requests.
The acquirer must be able to provide this information to Mastercard when requested.
Human trafficking and abuse policies
Mastercard also requires merchants to maintain effective policies prohibiting use of their website to promote or facilitate human trafficking, sex trafficking or physical abuse.
These requirements are one reason adult-content underwriting is significantly more detailed than ordinary ecommerce onboarding.
Card-scheme approval is not just a gateway question
A gateway may technically be able to pass a card transaction, but the acquiring provider must also be willing and authorised to support the adult-content merchant under the relevant Visa and Mastercard programmes.
Always establish acquiring appetite and registration requirements before committing to a gateway migration.
UK age-verification rules for online pornography
UK-based or overseas adult services accessible to UK users may also need to comply with the Online Safety Act.
Ofcom states that services allowing pornography must use highly effective age assurance to prevent children from accessing pornographic content.
Since 25 July 2025, services that allow pornography and are within scope of the legislation must have appropriate age checks in place for UK users.
Ofcom also makes clear that simply asking a user to state that they are over 18 is not, by itself, sufficient age verification.
The age-assurance system must meet the standards applicable to the service.
This should not be confused with the Visa and Mastercard requirements concerning the age and consent of people appearing in adult content.
Why payment providers will ask about age assurance
Even where the payment provider is not the regulator responsible for enforcing the Online Safety Act, an acquirer will normally want to understand whether an adult-content merchant is operating lawfully in the markets it serves.
Questions may therefore include:
- where users are located;
- which age-assurance system is used;
- when the age check takes place;
- how UK users are identified;
- who supplies the age-assurance technology;
- how failures are handled;
- how privacy and personal data are managed; and
- how the business monitors continuing compliance.
Why MAS requires existing processing history
Payment processing history provides potential providers with evidence of how an established business actually performs.
Processing statements can show:
- monthly card turnover;
- transaction volumes;
- average transaction value;
- refund levels;
- chargebacks;
- currencies;
- processing trends;
- provider fees; and
- sometimes the reason for reserves or other risk controls.
For an adult-content business, this evidence can be particularly useful because potential providers are assessing both the business model and its historic payment performance.
MAS therefore currently focuses its adult-sector provider matching on businesses that can demonstrate existing processing history.
What processing history should an adult business prepare?
Before approaching providers, an established merchant should be ready to provide recent processing statements showing its current or previous activity.
It is useful to understand:
- current monthly card turnover;
- average transaction value;
- maximum transaction value;
- monthly transaction count;
- refund percentage;
- chargeback level;
- international-card volume;
- current reserve;
- settlement period; and
- current provider pricing.
If the existing account has been terminated or restricted, keep the provider correspondence and explain the reason accurately.
What will an adult merchant account provider ask for?
Underwriting requirements vary between acquirers, but an established adult-content business may be asked for:
- registered company name;
- company registration number;
- country of incorporation;
- directors and beneficial owners;
- registered and trading addresses;
- website domains;
- business model;
- products or services;
- processing history;
- recent merchant statements;
- monthly card turnover;
- average and maximum transaction values;
- refund history;
- chargeback history;
- customer countries;
- settlement currencies;
- subscription model;
- content moderation processes;
- performer or creator verification processes;
- consent records;
- complaints and takedown procedures;
- age-assurance processes;
- terms and conditions;
- privacy information;
- current provider;
- reserve arrangements; and
- details of any previous provider termination.
Adult subscription payments
Subscription billing is common across adult-content businesses.
A typical model might involve:
- monthly memberships;
- annual memberships;
- creator subscriptions;
- premium content access;
- recurring digital services; or
- a combination of recurring and one-off purchases.
The payment system needs to support the full subscription lifecycle.
This can include:
- initial card authentication;
- secure tokenisation;
- recurring transactions;
- expired-card handling;
- failed-payment recovery;
- cancellations;
- refunds;
- subscription upgrades or downgrades;
- billing descriptors; and
- customer communications.
Read our Subscription Payment Processing guide for more information.
Subscription terms and cancellation
Adult merchants using recurring billing should make the recurring nature of the transaction clear to the customer.
The website should clearly explain:
- the initial price;
- the recurring price;
- billing frequency;
- trial terms where applicable;
- renewal terms;
- how the customer cancels;
- refund policy; and
- how the transaction will appear on the cardholder's statement.
Poor subscription disclosure can contribute to disputes, refunds and chargebacks.
Statement descriptors and privacy
The descriptor appearing on a customer's card statement is particularly important for adult-content businesses.
A descriptor needs to be recognisable enough that the customer can identify the transaction.
If it is too obscure, legitimate customers may dispute payments because they do not recognise them.
The payment provider can explain which descriptor formats are permitted and how the trading name is represented.
A merchant should not attempt to disguise the nature or source of transactions from the payment provider.
Chargebacks in the adult industry
Chargebacks are an important part of adult-content underwriting because dispute performance can materially affect provider appetite.
Common causes can include:
- unrecognised statement descriptors;
- subscription cancellation disputes;
- fraudulent card use;
- customers forgetting about recurring subscriptions;
- duplicate billing;
- refund disputes;
- billing after cancellation;
- service-access problems; or
- customers disputing transactions rather than contacting the merchant.
Businesses should monitor disputes continuously rather than waiting until the provider raises an issue.
Useful measures include:
- clear descriptors;
- clear subscription terms;
- accessible cancellation;
- prompt refunds where appropriate;
- fraud screening;
- 3D Secure where appropriate;
- customer-service records;
- transaction monitoring;
- dispute analysis; and
- tracking chargeback reasons.
Read our Chargeback guide for more information.
Visa VAMP and adult-content businesses
Adult-content merchants accepting Visa should also understand Visa's wider fraud and dispute monitoring framework.
Visa's Acquirer Monitoring Program, including VAMP, can affect merchants with elevated fraud or dispute performance.
Adult businesses should therefore monitor their own transaction performance rather than relying solely on notifications from their acquiring provider.
Read our Visa VAMP guide for the current monitoring framework and thresholds.
Fraud controls
An adult-content business may need a combination of payment and account-level fraud controls.
Depending on the provider and gateway, tools can include:
- 3D Secure;
- velocity controls;
- device analysis;
- IP and geographic checks;
- BIN-country analysis;
- transaction-risk scoring;
- repeat-attempt monitoring;
- card-testing controls;
- manual review rules; and
- account-level behavioural monitoring.
Mastercard's Specialty Merchant Registration Program also requires acquirers to ensure relevant high-risk merchants monitor patterns such as repeated or excessive transaction attempts using the same account number.
Rolling reserves
Some adult-industry acquiring arrangements include a rolling reserve.
This does not mean every adult merchant will receive the same reserve requirement.
The level and structure can depend on:
- historic processing volume;
- chargebacks;
- refunds;
- business financials;
- countries processed;
- subscription exposure;
- processing history;
- provider risk appetite; and
- previous account performance.
If a reserve is proposed, establish:
- the percentage retained;
- the holding period;
- when funds are released;
- whether the reserve has a cap;
- whether existing reserves transfer when switching;
- what events could increase the reserve; and
- whether the arrangement can be reviewed.
Settlement
Settlement can also differ from mainstream ecommerce arrangements.
An adult merchant should compare:
- standard settlement period;
- rolling reserve;
- delayed settlement;
- settlement currency;
- weekend treatment;
- international settlement;
- refund deductions; and
- chargeback deductions.
For a high-volume business, cash-flow impact can matter as much as the headline transaction rate.
International adult-content payments
Many established adult-content businesses serve customers across several countries.
This can create additional considerations around:
- cardholder location;
- merchant location;
- local content laws;
- age-assurance obligations;
- card-scheme rules;
- international cards;
- cross-border fees;
- currencies;
- FX;
- fraud;
- chargebacks; and
- provider territorial restrictions.
Visa states that adult-content merchants must comply with applicable laws in both the buyer's and seller's jurisdictions.
A provider willing to process a UK business should therefore not automatically be assumed to support every country the business wants to target.
Payment gateways for adult businesses
The gateway and acquiring relationship need to work together.
A payment gateway may offer:
- checkout technology;
- tokenisation;
- recurring billing;
- 3D Secure;
- fraud controls;
- multi-currency processing;
- reporting;
- API integration; and
- payment orchestration.
But technical gateway compatibility does not mean the underlying acquirer supports adult content.
The correct sequence is usually:
business review → provider appetite → scheme registration → underwriting → gateway/integration confirmation → migration → testing → live processing
Read our High-Risk Payment Gateways guide for more information.
Switching adult merchant account provider
Established merchants should plan a switch carefully.
Before moving, establish:
- why the business is changing provider;
- existing processing volumes;
- historic chargebacks;
- existing reserve balance;
- current settlement period;
- subscription tokens;
- stored-card migration options;
- gateway integration;
- customer billing continuity;
- scheme-registration requirements;
- new reserve requirements; and
- migration timetable.
Recurring payments are particularly important because moving the gateway or acquirer can affect existing stored credentials and subscription billing.
Our Changing Payment Gateway guide explains the migration issues in more detail.
What if an adult merchant account has been terminated?
A termination should be disclosed accurately to potential providers.
Keep:
- the termination notice;
- provider correspondence;
- recent processing statements;
- chargeback reports;
- reserve information;
- fraud information;
- compliance correspondence; and
- details of any remediation already completed.
The reason matters.
A provider changing its commercial appetite is very different from termination resulting from scheme-rule breaches, undisclosed business activity or serious compliance issues.
MAS will need to understand the circumstances before considering provider matching.
What should established adult businesses compare between providers?
Provider comparison should go considerably further than a headline transaction rate.
Compare:
- adult-sector acquiring appetite;
- Visa Integrity Risk Program capability;
- Mastercard Specialty Merchant Registration capability;
- supported business model;
- supported countries;
- subscription capability;
- gateway integration;
- tokenisation;
- stored-card migration;
- fraud tools;
- 3D Secure;
- chargeback support;
- reserve percentage;
- reserve term;
- settlement period;
- multi-currency support;
- FX;
- reporting;
- scheme-registration fees where relevant;
- contract terms;
- support; and
- total processing cost.
Compare Adult-Industry Payment Providers
For established registered adult-content businesses with existing processing history. MAS cannot currently support escort or in-person sexual-service businesses.
Preparing for provider matching
Before approaching Merchant Advice Service, have the following ready:
- registered company name;
- company registration number;
- country of registration;
- website;
- business model;
- time trading;
- current payment provider;
- recent processing statements;
- monthly processing volume;
- average transaction value;
- maximum transaction value;
- refund level;
- chargeback history;
- current reserve;
- customer countries;
- subscription percentage;
- gateway;
- content-control processes;
- age and identity verification processes;
- complaints and takedown procedures;
- age-assurance process for UK users where applicable;
- reason for changing provider; and
- details of any previous termination or restriction.
This enables MAS to assess whether the business falls within the type of established adult-sector merchant that our provider network may be able to support.
FAQs
Can MAS help a new adult website get a merchant account?
Not through the current adult-sector provider-matching service. MAS currently focuses on established, registered adult-content businesses that can demonstrate existing card-processing history.
Does an adult business need to be registered?
For MAS provider matching in this sector, yes. The business should have verifiable company registration and ownership information as well as an established website and processing history.
Can MAS help escort businesses?
No. Merchant Advice Service does not currently provide payment-provider matching for escort businesses or businesses providing in-person sexual services.
Does Visa allow adult-content payments?
Visa permits lawful adult-content transactions subject to its Visa Integrity Risk Program and applicable laws. Adult-content merchants are subject to enhanced controls and acquirer oversight.
Does Mastercard allow adult-content payments?
Mastercard permits qualifying lawful adult-content transactions, but non-face-to-face adult merchants fall within its Specialty Merchant Registration Program and must meet additional requirements.
What is MCC 5967?
Visa uses MCC 5967 for Adult Content and Services within its Integrity Risk rules. Mastercard also uses MCC 5967 for certain non-face-to-face adult-content transactions, with MCC 7841 used in some circumstances depending on the business.
What performer verification does Mastercard require?
For businesses allowing third-party creators to upload content, Mastercard requires robust identity and age verification, documented consent and appropriate records. The exact requirements should be reviewed with the acquiring provider against the current Mastercard standards.
Does the UK require age checks for online pornography?
Yes, where the service falls within the Online Safety Act requirements. Ofcom states that services allowing pornography must use highly effective age assurance to prevent children from accessing it.
Are adult merchant accounts expensive?
They can have different pricing from mainstream ecommerce acquiring because of specialist registration, underwriting, monitoring, reserves and risk requirements. Actual pricing depends on the merchant's processing history, chargebacks, countries, volumes and provider.
Do adult businesses always need a rolling reserve?
No. Reserve requirements vary by acquirer and merchant profile. Established businesses with strong processing history may still be offered a reserve, but the percentage, holding period and terms vary.
Why does processing history matter?
Processing history allows a prospective provider to assess actual volume, refund levels, chargebacks and payment performance. MAS currently requires this before matching adult-sector businesses with providers.
Can an adult business switch providers without losing subscriptions?
Potentially, but stored-card and token migration depends on the existing gateway, new provider and technical setup. This should be established before terminating the existing processing arrangement.
Sources & References
About Merchant Advice Service
Merchant Advice Service (MAS) provides independent information, comparison and provider-matching support for UK businesses looking for payment services.
For adult-industry provider matching, MAS currently focuses on established, registered businesses with verifiable payment-processing history.
MAS does not currently provide provider matching for escort businesses or businesses providing in-person sexual services.
We help businesses understand their payment requirements before introducing them to providers that may be suitable. MAS does not provide payment processing services directly.
Disclosure: Merchant Advice Service may receive commission from payment providers following a successful introduction. This does not increase the price paid by the merchant and does not determine which providers are included in our editorial guidance.
