Skip to main content
All CollectionsCards
What Are Merchant Country Restrictions?
What Are Merchant Country Restrictions?

Merchant Country Restrictions let you limit card usage to specific countries for better control and security.

Updated over a week ago

Merchant Country Restrictions let you control where your card can be used based on the country of the merchant. This helps you manage and secure your card by limiting transactions to specific countries.

When you make a purchase, the system checks the merchant’s country against your allowed or restricted list. If the country isn’t on your allowed list, the transaction won’t go through. For example, if you choose “UAE Only,” you can make payments to services like Careem.

Some merchants may process payments in locations different from what you might expect. For example, Uber taxi rides made in the UAE are often processed in the Netherlands, while Meta Ads (Facebook, Instagram) payments are processed in Ireland.

Available Options

We’ve made it easy to set up restrictions. You can choose to restrict transactions to:

  • UAE Only

  • GCC Only

  • Ireland, UAE, UK, and US (We recommend this option if you make ad payments with your card.)

  • All Countries

  • Custom Countries: Select specific countries where you want to allow card use.


How others are using this feature

Use Case

Setting

Why?

Driver

UAE Only

If you’re using the card for fuel or parking tickets, setting it to UAE Only is ideal.

Marketing

Ireland, UAE, UK, and US

For expenses on platforms like Facebook, Google, and LinkedIn, we recommend Ireland, UAE, UK, and US.

Airlines

All Countries

When purchasing airline tickets, consider setting it to All Countries, as airlines often process payments in their home countries. For example, Air India processes payments in India.

Software suppliers

Ireland, UAE, UK, and US

For buying technology, software licenses, or software services, Ireland, UAE, UK, and the US is usually a good option.

PRO Expenses

UAE Only

For PRO-related expenses, you can limit the card to UAE Only.

E-commerce

Custom Countries

For purchases on international platforms, Customer Countries is generally recommended.

Sales Team

GCC Only or Custom Countries

Usually depends on the region covered by the cardholder, but GCC Only or Custom Countries are often selected.

Office Managers

UAE Only

For regular office supplies and stationery, UAE Only should be adequate.

Did this answer your question?