MasterCard Rules (PDF)

Sales Transactions and Cash Disbursements
a. MasterCard® PayPass magnetic stripe Transactions
8.3 Card Acceptance Procedures
b. Chip Transactions when required by the Card or the Hybrid POS
Terminal, including MasterCard PayPass-M/Chip Transactions.
c. Purchase with cash back Transactions, for the full Transaction amount
inclusive of DE 4 (Amount, Transaction) and DE 54 (Additional
Amounts).
NOTE
An addition to this Rule appears in Chapter 12, “Europe Region Rules.”
3. All magnetic stripe-read Transactions occurring at CAT 1, CAT 2,
or CAT 4 devices. (Refer to Rule 8.4.7 for requirements relating to
Cardholder-activated Terminal (CAT) devices.)
4. A Transaction occurring at a Chip-only MPOS Terminal, whether Card-read >>
or key-entered, regardless of the Transaction amount.
5. All cash disbursements. Cash disbursements must be authorized on a zero
floor limit basis.
6. Any other face-to-face Transaction for which any of the following conditions
apply:
a. The Transaction amount exceeds the published floor limit applicable
to the Merchant.
b. The Card is expired or not yet valid.
c. The Card is not signed.
d. The Merchant’s POS Terminal is unable to read the magnetic stripe or
the chip (if one is present) on the Card.
e. The Card cannot be imprinted on the Transaction receipt because of a
malfunction, although the Card is present and embossed.
f. The Card account number is listed in the applicable Warning Bulletin.
g. The Merchant is suspicious of the Transaction for any reason.
An online or voice authorization from the Issuer is not required in the following
instances:
1. Transactions at a Cardholder-activated Terminal (CAT) 3 device.
2. Chip Transactions authorized offline by the Card’s EMV chip, including >>
MasterCard PayPass-M/Chip Transactions, in accordance with the published
chip floor limits.
3. POS Terminal failure or telecommunication failure. A POS Terminal failure
occurs when the POS Terminal itself is unable to read the Card or to accept
key-entry of the Card data. In the event of a POS Terminal failure or
telecommunication failure, the published floor limits apply.
4. Refund Transactions.
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MasterCard Rules • 12 December 2012 8-7