Help and crisis runbooks
Step-by-step UK merchant guides for the moments when a card machine, acquirer or rule causes friction. The acquirer-account crises (declined, funds frozen, account closed or terminated, MATCH or TMF listed) all share one recovery route: the right specialist acquirer for your situation. Each runbook is dated, written by Adam Parker and reviewed by Oliver Mackman, and links to the underlying authoritative source (gov.uk, FCA, Financial Ombudsman, Mastercard or Visa scheme rules).
Why was my merchant account declined?
The five real reasons UK acquirers decline an application, how underwriting actually works, the MATCH-list mistake to avoid, and how to fix a declined application before you reapply.
My card machine is not working
4-step troubleshoot in order, offline mode by acquirer (Dojo, SumUp, Zettle, Square, Stripe), UK support phone numbers, manual fallback, chargeback risk.
Stripe closed my account: what to do
Stripe closed your account with money still in it? Where the balance is, when it is released, the Financial Ombudsman route, and how to place a proper high-risk account.
PayPal closed my account (money on hold)
The 180-day PayPal hold explained, how to get the reason and release date in writing, escalating to the FOS, and the durable high-risk route.
SumUp closed my account
Getting held funds released after a SumUp closure, the evidence pack that clears a risk review fastest, and when to move to a specialist acquirer.
Square closed my account
The up-to-90-day Square deactivation hold, how to get the balance released, and the specialist-acquirer route if your category caused it.
Worldpay closed my account (rolling reserve)
How the rolling reserve releases after a Worldpay closure, contacting underwriting, and re-placing with a specialist high-risk acquirer.
Payment profile suspended
What suspended means versus closed or frozen, the evidence pack that gets it lifted, and stopping the suspend-and-review loop for good.
Card surcharging UK: the rules and calculator
The consumer surcharge ban, when B2B surcharges are legal and uncapped, a surcharge calculator, and what to do instead when you sell to consumers.
Surcharging: B2B vs B2C edge cases
Full B2C ban since 13 January 2018, B2B surcharges still legal with disclosure. Decision tree, sole-trader edge cases, common pitfalls, gov.uk source.
Chargeback notification: what to do
Step-by-step response to a chargeback notification from your acquirer. Evidence pack, deadlines, dispute outcomes.
Acquirer terminated your account
What happens, how to read the termination letter, MATCH list risk, and how to find a new high-risk acquirer.
Acquirer froze your settlement funds
Why funds get held, how long it typically takes, and how to push for release with the right evidence pack.
MATCH list listing suspected
How to confirm a MATCH list entry, the 5-year duration, removal options, and the high-risk acquirer route forward.
Refund batch rejected
Why batch rejects fire, the per-acquirer fix sequence, and how to recover refund obligations without exposing chargeback risk.
Processing limit breached
Your acquirer flagged a volume breach. How to read the notice, the limit-uplift request flow, and acquirer-by-acquirer thresholds.
Declined, frozen, terminated or MATCH-listed?
These all resolve the same way: the right specialist UK acquirer for your situation. As a broker we approach the acquirer most likely to accept your profile, including reason-code-aware and high-risk acquirers. The acquirer pays our commission on signup, so it costs you nothing on top, and we never sell your details on.
Get matched to an acquirerLast reviewed: 27 May 2026.