How To Find A Merchant Category Code

Every purchase is labelled with a four-digit Merchant Category Code (MCC) that tells your credit card company the type of store you shopped at. Sometimes, you can find a purchase’s MCC on your credit card statement or in your transaction history.

What are merchant category codes?

The four numbers in a Merchant Category Code (MCC) sort your purchase based on the type of store where you made them.

Think of it as a Dewey Decimal System for credit cards – transactions belong to large categories (like 5600 – 5699 for "Clothing Stores") and small sub-categories (like 5651 for “Family Clothing Stores”).

The CRA uses MCCs for taxation while payment networks use them to decide how much they should charge the merchant. For cardholders, the most relevant use of an MCC is checking whether your shopping has earned credit card rewards.

Credit card issuers only grant rewards if you spend money in the right categories. As the footnotes explain, your purchases’ MCCs must match the rewards categories set by your bank.

How to find a merchant category code

Understanding how your credit card classifies certain transactions can help you identify your most (and least) rewarding shopping habits.

To find the MCC of a particular purchase, check your credit card statement or transaction history under "Merchant Description." If it’s not listed there, you’ll have to ask your bank what category it belongs to and where you can get rewards.

How to maximize credit card rewards

It can be hard to understand the reasoning behind certain codes because:

• MCCs aren’t completely standardized
• Merchants and banks can’t change individual MCCs on request
• Stores qualify for specific MCCs based on their primary source of income

The last point presents a problem for shoppers at department stores like Loblaws or Walmart.

Depending on the merchant’s cash flow, every transaction you make might be classified as belonging to an "Electronics Retailer" when you were trying to earn 5% cash back at “Grocery Stores.” The MCC attached to your purchase can also change depending on which department’s checkout counter you use.

Here’s how to make sure you’re getting properly rewarded for your purchases:

• Check how your credit card categorizes the stores you frequent the most often
• Get a store credit card
• Shop at official partners
• Use the checkout in the store department that matches your rewards categories
• Use your bank’s online shopping portal

You might also want to grab one of the best rewards credit cards in Canada. Here are the top earners in each rewards category and where you can use them:

FAQ

Does the category code depend on what you buy?

Merchant Category Codes reflect the type of store where you made a purchase and not necessarily the nature of the purchase itself. For example, if you buy a snack at a convenience store attached to a gas station, the MCC may be labeled "Gas Station" because the location makes most of its money from gas.

Who sets merchant category codes?

Merchant Category Codes are largely standardized by the International Organization of Standardization (ISO) but each credit card company and network is free to set its own codes and qualifying criteria.

Why aren’t my purchases earning rewards?

To earn rewards, the Merchant Category Codes of your purchases must match your credit card’s reward categories. A mismatch can occur if you shop at a store with multiple departments or buy an item from a store that makes most of its money selling a different type of item.

What’s a merchant category number?

A Merchant Category Number is the same thing as a Merchant Category Code – a four-digit label that credit card companies use to classify transactions based on the type of store that initiated them.