Acceptable Use Policy
1. What the cards are for
Universe Card virtual cards are business payment instruments for advertising and related operating spend — ad platforms such as Meta, Google and TikTok, software subscriptions, cloud services and suppliers. All spend must be lawful in your jurisdiction, in the merchant's jurisdiction, and consistent with the rules of the card networks and our issuers.
2. Blocked and monitored merchant categories
The following merchant category codes are controlled programme-wide. Blocked categories decline automatically at authorisation.
| MCC | Category | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 7995 | Gambling / betting | blocked programme rule, non-negotiable |
| 5967 | Adult content · direct marketing | blocked programme rule |
| 6051 | Crypto / quasi-cash | blocked programme rule |
| 7273 | Dating services | blocked reviewable per customer |
| 5968 | Continuity subscriptions | monitored allowed with monitoring |
Attempting to reach a blocked category through miscoded merchants, payment aggregators or intermediaries is a violation, even if an authorisation succeeds.
3. Prohibited activity
- Anything unlawful: fraud, phishing, malware distribution, sale of counterfeit or stolen goods, IP infringement.
- Deceptive advertising practices: cloaking, misleading claims, fake celebrity endorsements, impersonation of brands or public figures, and any advertising that violates the target platform's policies through deception.
- Circumventing sanctions, evading another provider's ban for fraud, or using the cards on behalf of undisclosed third parties.
- Buying, selling, renting or lending Universe Card accounts or cards; sharing accounts outside your verified team.
- Money-service activity through the cards: cash-out schemes, peer-to-peer transfers of card credit, or using the platform to move funds unrelated to genuine business spend.
- Weapons, narcotics, human exploitation, CSAM, and any category our issuers prohibit.
4. Your responsibilities
- Keep account information and business activity descriptions accurate and current.
- Ensure everyone you invite to your team complies with this policy; their activity is your activity.
- Respond to compliance requests (source of funds, merchant clarification) within the requested time.
5. Enforcement
We may decline authorisations, freeze cards, restrict or terminate accounts, and withhold payouts pending review. Violations that trigger legal obligations are reported to the competent authorities and to our issuers. Repeated or serious violations lead to permanent off-boarding; remaining verified balances are returned where the law allows. Decisions can be appealed via support@universecard.io except where we are legally barred from discussing them.
6. Changes
Issuer and network rules evolve; we update this policy accordingly and announce material changes in the cabinet. The version on this page is the current one.