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Some payments cannot be made through Bluechain at all, and some can only be made by bank payment or with our approval. This page forms part of your agreement with us under the Bluechain Terms.
We set these rules to meet card scheme rules, the requirements of our card payment processors and of Modulr FS Limited, UK law and our own risk and financial crime policy. We may update this page at any time. An update takes effect when we publish it and does not affect payments already made.
Anything not listed is allowed. We may still decline any payment we reasonably consider to be high risk, and we may ask you for an invoice or other evidence before we make a payment.
You cannot make payments for any of the following, by card or by bank payment.
| Category | What this covers |
|---|---|
| Illegal activity | Any goods, services or activity that is illegal in the UK or where the payee is based, including fraud, money laundering, terrorist financing, bribery and stolen goods |
| Sanctions | Payments involving any person, entity or country subject to UK, UN, EU or US sanctions |
| Child sexual abuse material | Any material depicting the sexual abuse or exploitation of a child |
| Adult and sexual services | Pornography, escort services, prostitution, sexually oriented massage, strip clubs and similar businesses |
| Gambling | Betting, casinos, lotteries, bingo, gaming chips and credits, spread betting, contracts for difference and binary options |
| Cryptoassets | Buying, selling, exchanging or mining cryptocurrency, coin offerings and NFTs |
| Cash and cash equivalents | Cash, cash advances, money orders, travellers cheques, prepaid card loads and stored value |
| Money transfer and payment intermediaries | Money remittance, wire transfer and peer to peer payment services, other payment intermediaries and wallets, and top ups of accounts or balances. This does not stop you paying into your own Bluechain Balance, or paying a supplier that banks with a payment or e-money firm |
| Foreign exchange and bullion | Buying foreign currency, or precious metals bought as bars, coins or investment |
| Investments and trading | Securities, commodities, funds, proprietary trading and trader evaluation fees |
| High cost lending and credit repair | Payday loans, pawn loans and credit repair services |
| Drugs and psychoactive substances | Illegal drugs, drug paraphernalia, psychoactive substances, CBD products and psilocybin. This does not stop payments for medicines and pharmaceutical products lawfully supplied in the UK, including to pharmaceutical wholesalers and pharmacies |
| Weapons and hazardous goods | Firearms, ammunition, weapons, fireworks, explosives and hazardous or radioactive materials |
| Counterfeit and infringing goods | Counterfeit goods, unapproved medical devices, and goods or services that infringe intellectual property |
| Pyramid and get rich quick schemes | Pyramid and Ponzi schemes, multi level marketing and high yield investment schemes |
| Timeshares | Selling, maintaining or exchanging timeshares |
| Deceptive or harmful businesses | Deceptive marketing, essay mills, click farms, malware, devices that circumvent copy protection, and content promoting hate, violence or terrorism |
| Political donations | Donations to political parties, candidates or campaigns |
| Shell banks and bearer shares | Banks with no physical presence, and entities owned through bearer shares |
You can pay for the following by bank payment, but not by card. These carry card scheme restrictions or a high risk of goods or services not being delivered after we have paid.
| Category | What this covers |
|---|---|
| Air travel and cruises | Airlines, air charter and cruise lines |
| Travel agents and tour operators | Travel agents, tour operators and package holidays |
| Accommodation paid in advance | Hotels and holiday accommodation paid before the stay. Invoices for stays that have already happened can be paid by card |
| Credit and debt repayment | Repaying loans, credit cards, mortgages and finance agreements, and payments to debt collection agencies or to insolvency practitioners for debts |
| Related parties | Payments to yourself or to related people or businesses, as described in section 6.2 of the Bluechain Terms |
| Charitable donations | Donations to charities and crowdfunding. Invoices from registered charities for goods or services, including school fees, can be paid by card |
| Property deposits and purchases | Deposits and payments for buying property. Rent and property management fees can be paid by card |
Contact us before paying for the following by any method. We will review the payee and tell you whether we can process the payment.
| Category | What this covers |
|---|---|
| Tobacco and vaping | Tobacco, cigarettes, e-cigarettes and vaping products |
| High value goods | Jewellery, watches, precious stones, art and antiques |
| Marketplaces and dropshipping | Payments to online marketplaces or to sellers who do not hold the goods they sell |
Where a supplier takes your American Express payment through its own merchant account, the supplier receives your payment directly, and American Express’s and the supplier’s own rules apply. We provide the technology only.