A Merchant Category Code (MCC) is a four-digit number assigned to merchants by acquiring banks when a merchant account is created. This code categorizes your business based on the goods or services you offer and is recognized by payment networks like Visa and Mastercard.

MCCs are assigned by your acquiring bank, following guidelines set by card networks such as Visa and Mastercard. While these guidelines are clear, assigning the right MCC often involves judgment by the acquirer. Misclassification - whether accidental or intentional - can lead to serious consequences, including penalties or disrupted payment processing.

MCCs influence several critical aspects of your business operations, such as the interchange fee (amounts paid to card-issuing banks for transaction processing), merchant risk profile, spending restrictions or rewards. To determine your MCC, consider the following options: contact your payment processor, refer to payment network classification lists, or use our MCC lookup tool to find and verify your MCC.