Square · Square Terms of Service

Payment Card Network Compliance

Medium severity
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What it is

You must comply with all rules set by Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover, and Square can hold you responsible if you violate those rules even if you were unaware of them.

Why it matters

Card network rules are complex and frequently updated; unknowingly violating them could result in fines, fund holds, or account termination.

Institutional analysis (Compliance & legal intelligence)

PCI DSS compliance obligations and card network rule adherence create ongoing compliance burdens for merchants; legal and compliance teams should ensure merchants have processes for monitoring card network rule updates and maintaining PCI DSS certification.

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Compliance intelligence locked

Regulatory citations, enforcement risk, and due diligence action items.

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Consumer impact

Square's terms grant the company broad discretion to hold, delay, or withhold merchant funds for risk management reasons, which can significantly disrupt business cash flow. Merchants waive their right to participate in class action lawsuits and must resolve disputes through binding arbitration, limiting their legal remedies. You can opt out of the arbitration clause by sending written notice to Square within 30 days of first accepting the terms.

Applicable agencies

  • FTC
    The FTC oversees consumer protection in payment card markets and can investigate practices that unfairly shift compliance burden risk to merchants.
    File a complaint →

Provision details

Document information
Document
Square Terms of Service
Entity
Square
Document last updated
March 24, 2026
Tracking information
First tracked
March 20, 2026
Last verified
March 20, 2026
Record ID
CA-P-00362009
Document ID
CA-D-00362
Evidence Provenance
Source URL
Wayback Machine
SHA-256
3d79cc9cc45aa3558212c7d86da79a91ba4fe8c01edd664c184c4b174d81f32c
Verified
✓ Snapshot stored   ✓ Change verified
How to Cite
ConductAtlas Policy Archive
Entity: Square | Document: Square Terms of Service | Record: CA-P-00362009
Captured: 2026-03-20 10:40:05 UTC | SHA-256: 3d79cc9cc45aa355…
URL: https://conductatlas.com/platform/square/square-terms-of-service/payment-card-network-compliance/
Accessed: April 4, 2026
Classification
Severity
Medium
Categories

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