Merchant policy
Prohibited and Restricted Businesses
Last updated: August 17, 2026
Paydios does not support businesses that sell harm, alcohol, dating, adult or sexual products, or other high-risk and illegal activity. Review the tables below before you apply or process payments.
This Policy is part of the Merchant Agreement and Terms & Conditions. Lists are representative, not exhaustive. Paydios, operated by ZeroFlux Technologies, Inc., may treat a business as prohibited or restricted even if it is not named here.
ProhibitedCannot use Paydios
RestrictedExtra review required
Business catalog
Prohibited categories cannot process on Paydios. Restricted categories need extra due diligence and may still be declined.
| # | Category | Examples | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Illegal products and services | Anything illegal where you operate or sell; fake IDs; forged documents; stolen, smuggled, or illegally imported goods; tools that help others break the law. | Prohibited |
| 2 | Harm, violence, and exploitation | Violence or physical harm; hate toward a protected group; human trafficking; sexual content involving minors; animal cruelty; endangered species. | Prohibited |
| 3 | Adult, sexual, and dating | Pornography and AI-generated adult content; escorts and sexual services; strip clubs; sex toys and sexual accessories; mail-order brides; dating, matchmaking, and hook-up apps. | Prohibited |
| 4 | Alcohol | Beer, wine, spirits, and other alcoholic drinks; alcohol delivery or clubs; kits marketed for selling alcohol. | Prohibited |
| 5 | Tobacco, vaping, and nicotine | Cigarettes, cigars, and chewing tobacco; e-cigarettes, vapes, e-liquids, and nicotine pouches; production equipment for these products. | Prohibited |
| 6 | Drugs and cannabis | Illegal drugs and lookalikes; cannabis, marijuana, and THC products; dispensaries; high-THC CBD or CBD edibles; grow equipment and cultivation courses. | Prohibited |
| 7 | Weapons, explosives, and dangerous materials | Firearms, ammunition, and parts; stun guns and similar weapons; explosives; toxic, flammable, or radioactive materials; unmarked replica firearms. | Prohibited |
| 8 | Gambling and prizes | Casinos, sportsbooks, poker, and lotteries; games of chance with a prize; fantasy sports for money; paid skill tournaments with a prize of value. | Prohibited |
| 9 | Unfair or predatory practices | Pyramid schemes and MLM; get-rich-quick offers; fake testimonials; hidden trial billing; fake traffic or reviews; suspicious tech support. | Prohibited |
| 10 | Intellectual property infringement | Counterfeit goods; unauthorized branded resale; pirated software, media, streaming, or IPTV. | Prohibited |
| 11 | Hacking and unauthorized access | Spyware and keyloggers; device unlocking; signal jammers; CAPTCHA solving; tools that access another party’s data or systems without permission. | Prohibited |
| 12 | Unlicensed money services | Acting as a payment facilitator or money transmitter for other sellers; P2P money transmission; cheque cashing; unlicensed trading or investment schemes. | Prohibited |
| 13 | Other prohibited activity | Unauthorized government services; bail bonds; essay mills; deepfakes without consent; donations with no real product unless we approve them. | Prohibited |
| 14 | Health, pharmacy, and nutraceuticals | Online pharmacies; prescription delivery; telemedicine; regulated medical devices; supplements with medical or weight-loss claims. | Restricted |
| 15 | Licensed financial and professional services | Licensed lending, brokerage, insurance, or escrow; buy now, pay later; legal low-THC CBD where licensed; VPN or tech-support products after review. | Restricted |
Prohibited uses of Paydios
These uses are not allowed in any industry.
| Activity | What this includes |
|---|---|
| False or incomplete business information | Misstating your identity, entity, products, website, or processing model. |
| Undisclosed merchants or products | Processing for another seller or a product that was not disclosed at onboarding. |
| Card testing or no real sale | Transactions with no bona fide good, service, or approved donation. |
| Virtual-terminal abuse | Using Paydios mainly to key-enter card data at scale. |
| Chargeback evasion | Avoiding card-network monitoring programs or dispute rules. |
| Sharing cardholder data | Passing payment data to another business for cross-sell. |
| Brand misuse | Using Paydios marks in a way that implies an untrue endorsement. |
Legal & Compliance
legal@paydios.ioGeneral Support
help@paydios.ioSales
sales@paydios.io