Ticketing is a textbook future-delivery business, and that single fact drives everything about its underwriting. Customers pay today for an event months away, so the acquirer carries the risk that the event is cancelled, the broker fails to deliver, or the venue changes — with cardholders entitled to dispute. Add onsale traffic spikes, high average tickets, and resale-market dynamics, and mainstream processors either decline the category or freeze accounts at the first volume surge. Centurion places ticket agencies and event organizers with acquirers that price this exposure properly.
The pandemic-era wave of mass cancellations reset the category's underwriting: reserves and delivery-proof requirements are now standard, and the merchants who board smoothly are the ones who arrive prepared for that conversation.
Payment now, delivery later — sometimes much later. The longer the gap, the more exposure the acquirer holds, which is why rolling reserves are common in this category.
Cancelled or postponed events generate refund waves and, if refunds lag, chargeback waves. Your refund capability is a central underwriting question.
An onsale can compress a month of volume into an hour. Accounts approved for smooth monthly volume get flagged or throttled unless the pattern is disclosed in advance.
Brokers reselling inventory face 'invalid ticket' and speculative-listing disputes. Delivery proof and guarantee terms are what separate credible brokers in underwriting.
Most ticketing merchants should expect some form of reserve — a rolling percentage held for a set period, or a reserve that releases as events pass. It's not a penalty; it's the acquirer covering the window where they'd otherwise fund refunds for events that never happen. What's negotiable is the structure: percentage, hold period, release schedule, and how it steps down as you build history. Getting those terms defined upfront, in writing, is the difference between a workable ticketing account and a cash-flow problem.
We present ticketing files with event calendars, delivery mechanics, and refund capability documented, negotiate reserve terms you can actually operate against, and secure spike headroom ahead of onsales. Processing options may be available depending on underwriting, business model, location, processing history, and other factors.
Ticketing files center on delivery timelines and refund capacity:
Documentation requirements vary by processing partner and business model. This list is a general guide, not a universal checklist.
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In-depth answers to the questions high-risk merchants ask most.
Every document high-risk underwriters ask for, why they ask, and how to prepare a file that moves quickly.
The dispute lifecycle, prevention tools like alerts and RDR, and how to win representments with compelling evidence.
How rolling, upfront, and capped reserves work, what percentages are typical, and how to negotiate them down over time.
Why merchants land on the Mastercard MATCH list, the reason codes, how long it lasts, and options if you're already listed.
Speak with Centurion Payment Services about your business model and available processing options. Processing options are subject to underwriting and vary by business model, location, and processing history.