Geo control lets you set location-based spending restrictions for card transactions at physical points of sale (POS), purchases made online, and manually entered transactions. If you need to block spending in a specific country or region, you can apply these rules in the card rules section. For step-by-step instructions, see the suggested reading below.
Suggested reading:
- Set card rules
- How to set up spending limits and other rules on multiple cards in bulk?
How does it work?
Geographic restrictions are based on the country where the merchant is registered. If you choose to apply Geo controls to restrict spending in specific countries, all transactions originating from the countries you select will be automatically declined.
Important: Some merchants process payments through billing entities in other countries. Even if they look like they’re on your allowed list, payments might be declined if those countries are blocked in your card rules. To avoid this, you can review your Geo control settings to make sure that frequently used merchants aren’t affected.
How can I check my Geo control settings in the web app?
Note: You’ll need to log in as a Super admin, Admin, Limited admin or Manager/Leader to make changes to your Geo control settings.
- From the left-side menu, select Cards.
-
Select a card from the list.
- Select the Rules tab.
- Select Geo control. You’ll be able to see all countries that are enabled or restricted for payments.
Tip: If you need to update the settings for more than one of your cards and you’re on one of our Unlimited plans, you can use the card rules preset feature to quickly apply settings to multiple cards at once. For a complete guide to card rule presets, refer to this article.
Can Geo control be used on all card types?
You can apply Geo control rules on the following cards:
- Plastic cards.
- Virtual cards.
Geo control rules can't be applied to:
- Subscription cards.
- Online ads cards.
- Temporary virtual cards for pre-approved spend.
What payment scenarios does Geo control support?
If you choose to apply Geo controls to any of your cards, the following scenarios will be covered:
- A plastic card used for a contactless payment.
- A plastic card connected to Apple Pay or Google Pay where the device is presented for a contactless payment.
- A plastic card used to make a Chip & PIN payment.
- A plastic card used to make a cash withdrawal from an ATM.
- A virtual card connected to Apple Pay or Google Pay where the device is presented for a contactless payment.
- A virtual or plastic card used to make online payments.
- Payments made via telephone or mail.
- Manual Key Entry - payments where card details are manually entered in the terminal.
Are there any payment scenarios not covered by Geo controls?
- Offline payments - These are in-person transactions where a physical card or device is used, but the merchant is not connected to the Mastercard network in real-time. This can occur in scenarios like in-flight purchases, toll booths, and some public transportation.
Geo control lets you set location-based spending restrictions for card transactions at physical points of sale (POS), purchases made online, and manually entered transactions. If you need to block spending in a specific country or region, you can apply these rules in the card rules section. For step-by-step instructions, see the suggested reading below.
Suggested reading:
- Set card rules
- How to set up spending limits and other rules on multiple cards in bulk?
How does it work?
Geographic restrictions are based on the country where the merchant is registered. If you choose to apply Geo controls to restrict spending in specific countries, all transactions originating from the countries you select will be automatically declined.
Important: Some merchants process payments through billing entities in other countries. Even if they look like they’re on your allowed list, payments might be declined if those countries are blocked in your card rules. To avoid this, you can review your Geo control settings to make sure that frequently used merchants aren’t affected.
How can I check my Geo control settings in the web app?
- From the navigation menu, select Cards.
- Select a card from the list.
- Select the Rules tab.
- Select Geo control. You’ll be able to see all countries that are enabled or restricted for payments.
Tip: If you need to update the settings for more than one of your cards and you’re on one of our Unlimited plans, you can use the card rules preset feature to quickly apply settings to multiple cards at once. For a complete guide to card rule presets, refer to this article.
Can Geo control be used on all card types?
You can apply Geo control rules on the following cards:
- Plastic cards.
- Virtual cards.
Geo control rules can't be applied to:
- Subscription cards.
- Online ads cards.
- Temporary virtual cards for pre-approved spend.
What payment scenarios does Geo control support?
If you choose to apply Geo controls to any of your cards, the following scenarios will be covered:
- A plastic card used for a contactless payment.
- A plastic card connected to Apple Pay or Google Pay where the device is presented for a contactless payment.
- A plastic card used to make a Chip & PIN payment.
- A plastic card used to make a cash withdrawal from an ATM.
- A virtual card connected to Apple Pay or Google Pay where the device is presented for a contactless payment.
- A virtual or plastic card used to make online payments.
- Payments made via telephone or mail.
- Manual Key Entry - payments where card details are manually entered in the terminal.
Are there any payment scenarios not covered by Geo controls?
- Offline payments - These are in-person transactions where a physical card or device is used, but the merchant is not connected to the Mastercard network in real-time. This can occur in scenarios like in-flight purchases, toll booths, and some public transportation.
What countries are enabled/disabled by default for card payments?
Region: Europe
Enabled countries: Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Guernsey, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Isle of Man, Italy, Jersey, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom.
Disabled countries: Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Faroe Islands, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, Macedonia, Russia, Serbia, Turkey, Ukraine, Vatican City.
Tip: You can enable any of these countries using geo controls.
Region: North America
Enabled countries: United States.
Disabled countries:
Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Canada, Curaçao, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Grenada, Greenland, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Montserrat, Nicaragua, Panama, Puerto Rico, Caribbean Netherlands, St. Barthélemy, St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Martin, St. Pierre & Miquelon, St. Vincent & Grenadines, Sint Maarten, Trinidad & Tobago, Turks & Caicos Islands, United States, U.S. Virgin Islands.
Tip: You can enable any of these countries using geo controls.
Region: Asia
Enabled countries: 0
Disabled countries: Afghanistan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong SAR China, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Macau SAR China, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Myanmar (Burma), Nepal, North Korea, Oman, Pakistan, Palestinian Territories, Philippines, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, St. Helena, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Syria, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Yemen.
Tip: You can enable any of these countries using geo controls.
Region: South America
Enabled countries: 0
Disabled countries: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Falkland Islands, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, Venezuela
Tip: You can enable any of these countries using geo controls.
Region: Oceania
Enabled countries: 0
Disabled countries: Australia, American Samoa, Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Cook Islands, Fiji, French Polynesia, Guam, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Niue, Norfolk Island, Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Pitcairn Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau,
Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Wallis & Futuna.
Tip: You can enable any of these countries using geo controls.
Region: Africa
Enabled countries: 0
Disabled countries:
Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cape Verde, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo - Kinshaha, Congo - Brazzaville, Côte d’Ivoire, Djibouti, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Swaziland, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
Tip: You can enable any of these countries using geo controls.