Merchant Guidelines

These Merchant Guidelines and Acceptable Use Policy ("Guidelines") establish the operational, compliance, security, risk management, and acceptable use requirements applicable to merchants utilizing services, technologies, software platforms, payment orchestration tools, integrations, or related solutions offered by PL Payments, Inc. in connection with payment processing services facilitated through third-party processors, sponsor banks, acquiring institutions, and other financial or payment network participants ("Processing Partners").

These Guidelines are incorporated by reference into any applicable merchant agreement, platform agreement, service agreement, application, onboarding documentation, or related commercial arrangement entered into with PL Payments, Inc.

Because PL Payments, Inc. operates within the financial services ecosystem as a payment orchestration platform, independent sales organization ("ISO"), and software-as-a-service provider, merchants are required to comply with applicable laws, card network rules, sponsor bank requirements, processor requirements, anti-fraud obligations, underwriting standards, and industry security standards at all times.

Failure to comply with these Guidelines may result in enhanced monitoring, reserve requirements, delayed settlements, suspension of processing privileges, account termination, reporting to Processing Partners or card networks, or other corrective actions deemed necessary by PL Payments, Inc. or its Processing Partners.

These Guidelines should be read in conjunction with the applicable Merchant Services Agreement, Privacy Policy, Cookie Policy, Website Terms of Use, and any processor-specific requirements or supplemental policies communicated by PL Payments, Inc. from time to time.

Merchants utilizing the services of PL Payments, Inc. may only engage in lawful business activities that have been disclosed during onboarding and approved through underwriting and risk review processes. Merchants may not utilize the services for activities that violate applicable law, card network rules, sponsor bank requirements, regulatory guidance, or the risk policies of PL Payments, Inc. or its Processing Partners.

PL Payments, Inc. expressly prohibits merchants engaged in or associated with activities deemed unlawful, excessively high-risk, reputationally harmful, operationally incompatible, or otherwise prohibited by applicable Processing Partners, sponsor banks, or card networks.

Merchants may not utilize the services for any business activity materially different from the activity disclosed during onboarding or underwriting without prior written approval from PL Payments, Inc.

PL Payments, Inc. reserves the right, at any time and in its sole discretion, to determine whether a merchant activity, product, service, transaction pattern, marketing practice, or operational activity constitutes prohibited or unacceptable use.

Merchants are solely responsible for maintaining appropriate administrative, technical, physical, and organizational safeguards designed to protect customer information, payment information, systems, devices, and business operations from unauthorized access, misuse, disclosure, compromise, or destruction.

Because payment processing activities involve highly sensitive financial information, merchants must maintain security controls consistent with industry standards, card network requirements, sponsor bank obligations, and applicable laws and regulations.

Merchants must comply with all applicable Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards ("PCI DSS") and any successor security standards established by the PCI Security Standards Council or applicable card networks.

Merchants that collect, process, transmit, store, or otherwise handle cardholder data ("CHD") or Sensitive Authentication Data ("SAD") must ensure such information is protected in accordance with PCI DSS requirements at all times. Merchants are strictly prohibited from storing Sensitive Authentication Data after authorization where prohibited under PCI DSS or card network rules.

Merchants must maintain valid PCI DSS certification, validation, attestation, or Self-Assessment Questionnaire ("SAQ") documentation appropriate to their processing environment and transaction volume and must provide such documentation to PL Payments, Inc. upon request.

PL Payments, Inc. does not itself store payment card information or cardholder data. Tokenization, payment credential storage, and payment processing functions are facilitated through third-party Processing Partners. Merchants must utilize only approved payment flows, integrations, tokenization methods, and encryption standards approved by PL Payments, Inc. or applicable Processing Partners.

Merchants must utilize commercially reasonable encryption technologies and secure transmission methods to protect data in transit and data at rest where applicable. Merchants are prohibited from transmitting payment information through insecure communication channels or storing payment credentials outside approved environments.

Failure to maintain adequate security controls or PCI DSS compliance may result in suspension, reserve requirements, termination, reporting obligations, or other corrective actions.

Merchants are responsible for maintaining accurate, complete, and legally compliant customer-facing policies and disclosures on their websites, applications, checkout pages, invoices, receipts, and related customer interaction channels.

Refund and return policies must be clearly presented to consumers prior to purchase and must comply with applicable law, card network rules, and Processing Partner requirements.

Merchants utilizing surcharges, convenience fees, service fees, or related fee structures must comply with all applicable federal and state laws, card network requirements, sponsor bank rules, and processor requirements governing such practices.

Merchants are solely responsible for determining whether surcharging or convenience fee practices are lawful within the jurisdictions in which they operate.

PL Payments, Inc. reserves the right to prohibit or restrict surcharge practices at any time based on compliance, legal, operational, reputational, or processor-related considerations.

Merchants are prohibited from engaging in unfair, deceptive, abusive, misleading, fraudulent, or unlawful acts or practices in connection with their products, services, transactions, marketing activities, customer communications, or billing practices.

Merchants must comply with all applicable consumer protection laws and regulations, including laws relating to unfair, deceptive, or abusive acts or practices ("UDAAP").

PL Payments, Inc. reserves the right to investigate merchant practices, monitor consumer complaints, require corrective actions, impose reserves, suspend processing activity, or terminate merchant relationships where UDAAP concerns are identified.

Merchants are responsible for implementing commercially reasonable fraud prevention, transaction monitoring, customer authentication, and risk mitigation controls appropriate to the nature of their business and transaction activity.

Processing Partners, sponsor banks, and card networks actively monitor merchant chargeback ratios, fraud activity, dispute rates, authorization patterns, refund activity, transaction anomalies, and related risk indicators.

Merchants are solely responsible for all chargebacks, returns, reversals, disputes, refunds, fines, assessments, penalties, and fraud-related losses associated with their business activities.

PL Payments, Inc. reserves the right to impose operational controls, transaction limitations, enhanced due diligence measures, reserve requirements, or other risk mitigation procedures at any time based upon merchant activity or Processing Partner requirements.

Merchants must comply with all applicable federal and state privacy, cybersecurity, and consumer protection laws governing the collection, storage, processing, sharing, transmission, retention, and disposal of personal information and consumer data.

Merchants are responsible for maintaining legally compliant privacy policies and customer disclosures describing how personal information is collected, used, stored, shared, retained, and protected.

Merchants may not sell, improperly disclose, misuse, or unlawfully share consumer information obtained in connection with payment transactions or services facilitated through PL Payments, Inc.

Merchants must implement commercially reasonable safeguards designed to protect consumer information from unauthorized access, misuse, disclosure, alteration, or destruction.

Any sharing of information with third-party vendors, service providers, processors, or subcontractors must comply with applicable law and must be limited to lawful and authorized business purposes.

All payment processing services are subject to the rules, requirements, risk determinations, operational procedures, and discretionary decisions of applicable Processing Partners, sponsor banks, acquiring banks, card networks, ACH operators, and financial institutions.

PL Payments, Inc. and its Processing Partners reserve the right to establish, modify, or impose operational controls or financial protections deemed necessary to manage legal, compliance, fraud, operational, financial, or reputational risk.

Merchants acknowledge that Processing Partners and financial institutions may independently determine reserve requirements, settlement timing, underwriting status, or risk classifications at their sole discretion.

PL Payments, Inc. shall not be responsible for losses arising from actions or determinations made by Processing Partners, sponsor banks, card networks, or other financial institutions.

To the extent a merchant utilizes Automated Clearing House ("ACH") services, electronic funds transfer services, bank account debiting capabilities, recurring ACH billing, or any ACH-related payment functionality facilitated through PL Payments, Inc. or its Processing Partners, the merchant agrees to comply with all applicable National Automated Clearing House Association ("NACHA") Operating Rules, guidelines, supplements, and related requirements, as amended from time to time.

Merchants acknowledge that ACH transactions are governed by NACHA Rules, applicable federal and state laws, sponsor bank requirements, and network operating standards. Merchants are solely responsible for ensuring that all ACH transactions submitted through the services are properly authorized, lawful, accurately described, and compliant with applicable NACHA requirements.

Merchants must maintain appropriate authorization records and evidence of consumer consent for all ACH transactions and recurring debit arrangements and must provide such records upon request by PL Payments, Inc., Processing Partners, sponsor banks, regulators, or applicable network participants.

PL Payments, Inc. and its Processing Partners reserve the right to reject, suspend, delay, monitor, limit, or refuse ACH transactions at any time based on risk, compliance concerns, NACHA requirements, sponsor bank directives, fraud indicators, operational considerations, or legal obligations.

Merchants remain solely responsible for all ACH-related losses, returns, reversals, fines, penalties, assessments, investigations, and compliance obligations arising from their activities.

Merchants accepting payment card transactions through services facilitated by PL Payments, Inc. must comply with all applicable rules, regulations, operating requirements, technical standards, and compliance programs established by applicable payment card networks, including but not limited to Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, and any successor or affiliated payment networks (collectively, "Card Network Rules").

Merchants are solely responsible for understanding and complying with all applicable Card Network Rules relevant to their business activities and payment acceptance practices.

Merchants acknowledge that card networks, sponsor banks, acquiring institutions, and Processing Partners actively monitor merchant activity for excessive chargebacks, elevated fraud ratios, unauthorized transactions, deceptive practices, prohibited activity, or other indicators of elevated risk.

PL Payments, Inc. reserves the right to take any action deemed necessary to comply with Card Network Rules, sponsor bank obligations, processor requirements, regulatory expectations, or risk management standards, including suspension or termination of merchant access to services.

Merchants shall remain solely liable for all losses, fines, penalties, assessments, chargebacks, disputes, monitoring program costs, or liabilities arising from violations of Card Network Rules or related payment industry requirements.

PL Payments, Inc. reserves the right to monitor merchant activity, transaction behavior, website content, operational practices, complaint activity, marketing materials, and compliance-related information to ensure adherence to these Guidelines and applicable legal or network requirements.

Merchants agree to cooperate fully with any compliance review, investigation, audit, underwriting inquiry, fraud investigation, security review, or information request initiated by PL Payments, Inc. or applicable Processing Partners.

Failure to cooperate may result in suspension or termination of services.

PL Payments, Inc. reserves the right to modify, amend, supplement, or replace these Guidelines at any time and without prior notice.

Updated versions become effective immediately upon publication or communication unless otherwise stated. Continued use of services following any update constitutes acceptance of the revised Guidelines.

These Guidelines shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Delaware, without regard to conflict of law principles.

All questions regarding these Guidelines may be directed to: