Merchant Category Codes (MCCs) are four digit codes assigned to each merchant to help banks and card schemes decide how to treat transactions. The most important use for the consumer is that the bank often uses it to decide whether to pay cashback or other rewards to the consumer, and how much.
In general a MCC is either a general description of the industry or sector of the merchant (e.g 0742 – Vetinary Services) or, for certain large and potentially risky organisations (e.g 3099 – Cathay Pacific Airlines).
How do I find out which MCC a merchant is using?
Usually you can guess and, if not, the merchant may be able to share this information with you. If not, most banks have an easy trick which allows you to find out the MCC for previous transactions. You can then use this information to inform which card to use on future transactions.
Most traditional banks and credit cards with online banking have this trick:
- HSBC
- Aeon
- Bank of China
The digital banks e.g ZA Bank, Mox etc. do not have a website and have security features which make retrieving the MCC very difficult.