Braintree Prohibited & Restricted Businesses List

Braintree bans products or services that can only legally be sold to buyers above a certain age.

You cannot use Braintree to process payments on behalf of other businesses or to buy and collect on their receivables, even with a license.

Bail bond businesses cannot take payments through Braintree.

Law practices focused on bankruptcy work are excluded from Braintree's payment services.

Penny-auction sites, where users pay for each bid they place, are not allowed.

Selling business opportunities or investment opportunities, such as wealth-building programs or franchise-style offers, is banned.

Chain-letter schemes that ask participants to pay and recruit others are prohibited.

Money-movement services like cashing checks, sending wires, or selling money orders cannot run on Braintree.

Debt collection agencies are excluded from Braintree's payment services.

Fakes, knockoffs, and anything that violates someone else's copyright, trademark, or trade secrets are banned.

Services that sell credit card protection or identity theft protection plans are not allowed.

Credit repair firms, credit counselors, and mortgage relief or reduction consultants are all excluded.

Cruise line operators cannot process payments through Braintree.

Businesses that exchange or deal in currencies are prohibited.

Devices or software built to bypass copy protection, such as mod chips and descramblers, are banned.

Businesses that sell door to door cannot use Braintree for payments.

Sellers of pipes, bongs, and other drug-related accessories are excluded.

Foreign government entities, including embassies and consulates, cannot take payments through Braintree.

Services that write essays or academic papers for students are banned.

Any setup designed to dodge the card networks' chargeback monitoring programs is prohibited.

Sellers of extended warranty or protection plans are excluded.

Programs promoting no-money-down real estate deals cannot process through Braintree.

Flea market businesses are on Braintree's banned list.

Fortune telling and similar psychic services cannot use Braintree.

Programs promising fast wealth are prohibited.

Sellers of human hair, synthetic hair, and hair extensions are excluded from Braintree.

Loan modification services, which negotiate changes to borrowers' loan terms, are banned.

Mail-order bride and similar international matchmaking services are prohibited.

Dispensaries and marijuana-related businesses cannot take payments through Braintree.

Licensed or unlicensed money transmitters and money service businesses are excluded.

MLM companies and pyramid schemes cannot process payments on Braintree.

Billing models that charge customers unless they actively opt out, such as negative-option offers, are banned.

Offers that promise cardholders big rebates or perks after they have already paid are prohibited.

Pharmacies that sell online or without seeing the customer in person, and services that refer customers to them, are banned.

Selling tobacco or e-cigarettes online or by any method where the buyer is not present is prohibited.

Sellers of prepaid calling cards, phone service plans, or cell phones are excluded.

Products marketed with drug-like health claims but sold outside the regulated pharmacy channel, a category that commonly sweeps in supplements and nutraceuticals, are banned.

Products or services that illegally promote hate, violence, harassment, or abuse are prohibited.

Cash-equivalent products such as stored-value accounts and quasi-cash instruments cannot be sold through Braintree.

Brokerages that trade securities are excluded from Braintree's payment services.

Adult content, adult products, and other sexually oriented businesses are banned with no approval pathway.

Passing a customer's card data to another merchant so they can bill for add-on offers is prohibited.

Brokers that arrange shipping or package forwarding cannot use Braintree.

Selling followers, likes, views, or other social media engagement is banned.

Sports picks, forecasting, and odds-making services are prohibited.

Selling prescription medications, illegal drugs, or lookalike substances designed to mimic them is banned.

Sellers of telecom equipment and telephones are excluded.

Telemarketing businesses cannot process payments through Braintree.

Timeshare sales and resale businesses are banned.

Cryptocurrencies and any virtual credits that can be cashed out, resold, or converted into real-world goods are banned.

Firearms, ammunition, and other weapons cannot be sold through Braintree.

Nightclubs, bars, and similar entertainment venues are excluded from Braintree's payment services.

Businesses that collect payment well before goods or services are delivered fall under this ban.

Airlines are off the table by default, but Braintree may allow one with its prior written approval.

Gambling in all its forms, including lotteries, online gaming, contests, and sweepstakes, is banned unless Braintree grants prior written approval, and only in some countries or regions.

Selling memberships that run longer than one year requires Braintree's prior written approval.

Remote or personal computer tech support businesses need Braintree's prior written approval to be considered.

Tour operators are excluded by default but may be allowed with Braintree's prior written approval.

Travel agencies and travel clubs need Braintree's prior written approval to be considered.