MCC 5967: The Merchant Category Code for Inbound Teleservices and Adult Content

MCC 5967 is the merchant category code traditionally named Direct Marketing: Inbound Teleservices Merchant. It started as the code for paid phone information and entertainment lines, and today it is the code card schemes expect for card-absent adult content and services, which is how newer Visa lists describe it. That covers businesses such as subscription sites, live cam platforms and pay-per-view content. Visa lists it as Tier 1 in its Integrity Risk Program, and Mastercard requires adult content merchants to be registered and to follow specific content rules.

What MCC 5967 covers

The original definition covers merchants that provide information or entertainment over the phone, where the customer pays for the call or the service. As those services moved online, the code followed the content. In practice it covers:

Adult subscription sites and membership platforms.
Live cam and interactive adult services.
Pay-per-view and on-demand adult video.
Creator platforms where the main content is adult.
Paid phone and chat lines for information or entertainment.

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MCC lookup

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Codes that get confused with 5967

5966, direct marketing: outbound telemarketing. The merchant calls the customer to sell. Visa lists it as Tier 3 when card absent.
5968, direct marketing: continuity and subscription merchants. Recurring billing for ordinary products. A subscription adult site still belongs under 5967.
7273, dating and escort services. Also Tier 1 at Visa, and often reviewed alongside adult content.
5815, digital goods: media. Ordinary films and music. Adult media does not go under this code.

What Visa and Mastercard expect

Visa lists MCC 5967 as Tier 1 in its Integrity Risk Program, which has applied since May 2023. For the merchant, that means the acquirer registers the business with Visa, checks its website and content before it goes live and keeps reviewing it afterwards.

Mastercard requires acquirers to register adult content and services merchants before they process. Its adult content standards, in force since October 2021, also require the merchant to:

Verify the age and identity of everyone shown in the content.
Get documented consent from everyone shown, including for publishing and downloading.
Review content before it is published, or monitor it in real time for live streams.
Run a complaints process and remove content that breaks the rules quickly.

What 5967 changes for your card payments

How providers assess adult and subscription businesses is covered on our adult and subscriptions industry pages.

More declines: some card issuers decline adult content by policy, and cardholders can block it in their banking app.
Chargebacks: subscription billing and "I didn't make this purchase" disputes are the main risks. Clear billing descriptors, easy cancellation and reminder emails before renewal help keep the chargeback ratio down.
Reserves and reviews: providers often start with a rolling reserve and lower limits, and relax them once the account has a clean processing history.

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Chargeback ratio calculator

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Why the code has to be right

Processing adult content under a general digital goods or subscription code is miscoding. Card schemes treat it as a serious breach, because it hides the merchant from the controls the code exists for. When it comes to light, the account is normally closed and the merchant may be added to Mastercard's MATCH list. The reliable route is to use 5967 from the start and apply to providers that accept adult merchants.

How Acquipayer helps

Acquipayer is not a payment provider. If your business processes under MCC 5967, you describe your content, billing model, markets and volumes once, and your profile is matched with a payment provider that accepts adult content merchants. Your account is then prepared with that provider. Final approval and terms are always the provider's decision.

Common questions

Is MCC 5967 high risk?

Yes. Visa lists 5967 as Tier 1 in its Integrity Risk Program, and Mastercard requires adult content merchants to be registered before they process.

Can an adult subscription site use MCC 5968 instead?

No. 5968 is for ordinary continuity and subscription merchants. When the content is adult, card schemes expect 5967, whatever the billing model.

Sources

Visa, Merchant Data Standards Manual, April 2026.
Mastercard, Quick Reference Booklet, Merchant Edition, February 2025.
Mastercard, Security Rules and Procedures, Merchant Edition, August 2026.
Visa Integrity Risk Program, in effect since May 2023.

MCC codes

A merchant category code (MCC) is a four-digit code that tells the card schemes and card issuers what kind of business you are. Your acquirer assigns it when you are onboarded. It affects what interchange you pay, whether issuers approve your payments, whether you need scheme registration and which rules apply to you.

Chargeback ratio

Your chargeback ratio is the number of disputes in a month divided by a month of transactions, shown as a percentage. Mastercard flags merchants from 1.5% of chargebacks and Visa from 1.5% of fraud plus disputes in most regions, both with minimum counts, and most acquirers act before that. It is the number that decides whether you keep your account, so know exactly how your provider calculates it.

Rolling reserve

A rolling reserve is a percentage of each payout that your acquirer holds back for a fixed period, typically three to six months, before releasing it. It covers refunds and chargebacks that can arrive long after you have been paid. The money is still yours, but while it is held it is not working capital, so the terms matter as much as your processing rate.

High-risk payment processing

High-risk payment processing is card acceptance for businesses that acquirers and card schemes consider more likely to cause chargebacks, fraud, legal or reputational problems. It is a classification, not a verdict on your business: it means fewer providers will take you on, underwriting asks for more, and terms include safeguards such as reserves. With the right provider, high-risk businesses process cards every day.

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