Configure merchant rules
Whitelist or block specific retailers and control exact-match behavior in the receipt policy.
Merchant rules are the main way to tie a receipt challenge to a partner network. They sit inside the Merchant field requirement and determine which retailer names are allowed, which are blocked, and how strictly the OCR match should be interpreted.
Configure the merchant block
- Open
Configuration->Receipt Acceptance Policy. - Turn on
MerchantinField Requirements. - Use
Allowed Merchantswhen only named retailers should count. - Use
Restricted Merchantswhen most retailers are allowed except a blocked list. - Turn on
Require Exact Matchwhen near-matches should not be tolerated.
Choose one list strategy
In most campaigns, use one approach or the other:
- an allowlist when the challenge is restricted to partner merchants
- a denylist when the challenge is broad but some merchants must be excluded
Using both lists at once is usually harder to reason about and more likely to create edge cases.
When to use exact match
Require Exact Match is useful when merchant naming must be very strict, for example a premium partner with many similarly named stores. Leave it off when OCR variation is common and a slightly more tolerant match is acceptable.
Validation messages to watch
| Validation message | What it means |
|---|---|
Receipt game '{{touchpoint_name}}' has conflicting merchant lists ({{conflicting_merchant}} appears in both allowed and restricted) | The same merchant was added to both lists. |
Receipt game '{{touchpoint_name}}' has both allowed ({{allowed_count}}) and restricted ({{restricted_count}}) merchants | The setup may be harder to understand and maintain. |
Receipt game '{{touchpoint_name}}' has empty merchant name in allowed list | One of the allowlist entries is blank. |
Receipt game '{{touchpoint_name}}' has empty merchant name in restricted list | One of the denylist entries is blank. |
Example
If the challenge should work only for Target, Walmart, and Kroger, place those names in Allowed Merchants and leave Restricted Merchants empty.