MCC codes by website
Merchant category codes describe how a business sells, while website categories describe what a site is about. Linking the two gives payments and spend teams a fast first guess at the right code for any merchant domain.
This guide gives a mapping table with honest confidence levels, the rules that narrow a guess down, and the cases where only a person can decide.
What merchant category codes are
An MCC is a four-digit code attached to a merchant account. The code list is based on the ISO 18245 standard, with card networks adding their own detail and rules.
One code per account
Each merchant account usually carries one main code, chosen for its main line of business.
Who assigns it
The acquirer or payment facilitator sets the code when the merchant is boarded, based on what the merchant sells.
Why it matters
The code can affect interchange, risk rules, rewards, tax reporting and whether a card may be used at all.
Spend management
Corporate and prepaid cards often allow or block whole groups of codes, such as gambling or cash-like purchases.
Why a website can only suggest an MCC
A category tells you what a site shows, and a merchant code tells you how money changes hands. Those two things overlap a lot, but not completely, so treat every mapping as a candidate list.
One topic, many models
A Travel site may be an agency, a hotel, an airline or a guide that earns from ads and takes no card payments at all.
Mixed sites
A shop with a clinic blog carries Shopping and Health & Medicine. The code follows the main source of sales, not the largest topic.
Not every site is a merchant
News, blogs, forums and search sites often sell nothing directly. They map to a code only if they charge for something.
Several accounts
A large company can hold different accounts for its shop, its subscriptions and its events, each with its own code.
Brand specific codes
Airlines, hotels and car rental firms can have their own dedicated codes. A category only tells you the group.
Rules differ by region
Some codes are used only in certain regions or carry network specific conditions. Check with your acquirer or network contacts.
Website category to MCC mapping table
This table maps categories from our set of 59 web filtering categories to the codes they most often point to. Confidence shows how often a single category is enough to pick the code without further detail.
| Website category | Candidate MCCs | Confidence | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dating | 7273 Dating services | High | A higher-risk type under card network rules. |
| Gambling | 7995 Betting, casino and lottery | High | Some regions use separate codes for government licensed gambling. Registration rules apply. |
| Religion & Spirituality | 8661 Religious organizations | High | Shops selling religious goods use retail codes instead. |
| Political | 8651 Political organizations | High | Only for parties and campaigns that collect payments. |
| Job Search/Careers | 7361 Employment and temporary help agencies | Medium | Job boards selling ads to employers may use advertising or business codes. |
| Real Estate | 6513 Real estate agents and managers, rentals | Medium | Listing portals that sell ads differ from agents. |
| Restaurants & Dining | 5812 Eating places, 5814 Fast food | Medium | Bars use 5813. Delivery platforms are a separate case. |
| Alcohol | 5921 Package stores, beer, wine and liquor | Medium | Breweries and bars may use other codes. |
| Tobacco | 5993 Cigar stores and stands | Medium | Online and cross-border sales face extra network rules. |
| Pets & Animals | 5995 Pet shops and pet food, 0742 Veterinary services | Medium | Shop or clinic decides the code. |
| Education/Reference, Webinars/E-learning | 8299 Schools and educational services, 8220 Colleges and universities, 8241 Correspondence schools | Medium | Online course sellers may also use digital goods codes. |
| Cryptocurrency | 6051 Non-financial institutions, quasi cash | Medium | Network rules for crypto purchases change often. |
| Streaming Media, Podcasts | 4899 Cable, satellite and pay TV or radio, 5815 Digital goods media | Medium | Free, ad funded services take no card payments. |
| Gaming | 5816 Digital goods games, 5945 Hobby, toy and game shops | Medium | Games of skill for money are a separate, higher-risk case. |
| Freeware/Software, Web-based Applications, Developer Tools | 5734 Computer software stores, 5817 Digital goods applications, 7372 Programming and data processing | Medium | Subscription software is often coded as software or data processing. |
| CDN / Hosting / Infrastructure, Email and Messaging, Cloud Storage | 4816 Computer network and information services, 7372 | Medium | Some file hosting models count as higher risk. |
| Advertising/Marketing | 7311 Advertising services | Medium | Marketing software firms may use software codes. |
| Government & Legal | 9399 Government services, 9311 Tax payments, 8111 Legal services | Medium | Public bodies and law firms split clearly by site content. |
| Adult | 5967 Direct marketing, inbound teleservices | Medium | Specialist approval and registration usually apply. |
| Lingerie/Swimsuits/Intimate Apparel | 5631 Women's accessory and specialty shops, 5651 Family clothing | Medium | General clothing shops may use 5691. |
| Travel | 4722 Travel agencies and tour operators, 7011 Hotels and lodging, 4511 Airlines | Low | Large travel brands can have their own dedicated codes. |
| Shopping | 5999 Miscellaneous retail, 5311 Department stores, 5399 General merchandise | Low | Use IAB detail to reach a specific retail code. |
| Food & Drink | 5411 Grocery stores, 5499 Misc food stores, 5812 | Low | Recipe sites usually sell nothing. |
| Health & Medicine | 5912 Drug stores and pharmacies, 8011 Doctors, 8099 Medical services | Low | Pharmacy codes carry extra rules. Always review. |
| Financial Services, Online Banking | 6012 Financial institutions, 6211 Security brokers, 6300 Insurance | Low | Product type decides. Many sites only inform. |
| Automotive & Transportation | 5511 Car and truck dealers, 5533 Auto parts, 7512 Car rental, 4121 Taxis and limousines | Low | Dealer, parts or ride service changes everything. |
| Home & Garden | 5712 Furniture, 5200 Home supply warehouses, 5261 Nurseries and garden | Low | IAB detail helps pick the right shop type. |
| Sports & Recreation | 5941 Sporting goods, 7997 Membership clubs, 7999 Recreation services | Low | Shops, clubs and events each use different codes. |
| Arts & Entertainment | 7922 Theatrical producers and ticket agencies, 7832 Cinemas, 7929 Bands and entertainers | Low | Fan and review sites sell nothing directly. |
| Business | 7399 Business services, 8999 Professional services, 7392 Consulting and PR | Low | Broad by design. Add industry data to refine. |
| News/Media, Blogs, Forums, Social Networking, Search Engines | Often none; subscriptions may use 5192 or digital codes | None | Mostly ad funded, not card merchants. |
| Parked / For-Sale Domains, Malware / Phishing / Suspicious | No code | None | A merchant with such a site needs review, not a code. |
| Illegal Drugs | No code | None | Prohibited. Decline. |
Use as a starting point: code names here are shortened. Check the current code list and network rules with your acquirer before you rely on a code for pricing, controls or compliance.
Business model rules that narrow the choice
Once the category gives a short list, the way the site takes money often decides the final code. These rules resolve many low confidence cases.
Physical goods shipped
Use the retail code for the main product group, such as 5942 for books or 5691 for clothing.
Digital downloads
Media, games and apps sold as downloads often fall under the digital goods group, 5815 to 5818.
Recurring subscriptions
Some continuity and subscription merchants are coded 5968, which brings extra network monitoring.
Catalogue and direct sales
Direct marketing codes such as 5964 exist for catalogue merchants and similar models.
Services booked online
Use the service code, such as 7011 for lodging or 8011 for doctors, not a retail code.
No payments at all
Ad funded publishers and information sites are not merchants. Do not force a code on them.
Using IAB detail for a sharper match
Each domain in our database also carries IAB content categories, which are finer than web filtering categories. That extra detail turns many low confidence rows into a single code.
| Web filtering category | Finer content detail | Likely MCC |
|---|---|---|
| Shopping | Books and Literature | 5942 Book stores |
| Shopping | Jewelry | 5944 Jewelry, watch and clock stores |
| Shopping | Consumer Electronics | 5732 Electronics stores |
| Shopping | Toys and games | 5945 Hobby, toy and game shops |
| Shopping | Beauty and cosmetics | 5977 Cosmetic stores |
| Shopping | Flowers and gifts | 5992 Florists or 5947 Gift shops |
| Travel | Hotels and motels | 7011 Lodging |
| Sports & Recreation | Bicycles and cycling gear | 5940 Bicycle shops |
The two category systems live in one record, as explained in our dual taxonomy guide. Category names and definitions are listed in the taxonomy.
A workflow for website to MCC mapping
This flow suits both payments teams checking codes and spend teams building merchant controls. It sends only the uncertain cases to people.
Normalize the domain
Reduce each website to its registered domain, and keep a list of every domain the merchant uses.
Look up categories
Join to the local database file for ranked web filtering categories, IAB detail, country and language.
Apply the mapping table
Turn the primary category into a candidate list with a confidence level, using your own copy of the table above.
Apply business model rules
Narrow the list with what the site sells and how it charges: goods, downloads, subscriptions or services.
Review the uncertain and restricted
Low confidence results and higher-risk codes go to an analyst. High confidence ones can pass automatically.
Compare with the assigned code
Where you see the real code, flag gaps between it and the website. More in merchant website classification for payments.
MCC, SIC and NAICS side by side
Three code systems describe businesses, each for a different audience. Many MCC numbers resemble older SIC codes, but the systems are maintained separately.
MCC
- Used by card payments.
- Describes how a merchant sells.
- Set by the acquirer.
- Affects pricing, controls and risk rules.
SIC
- Older industry code system.
- Still used in some filings and data sets.
- Four digits, broad groups.
- Often used in B2B data.
NAICS
- Industry system for North America.
- Up to six digits, more detail.
- Used in statistics and procurement.
- Common in B2B enrichment.
For industry codes on the same domains, see SIC and NAICS codes by website and website to industry.
Where website to MCC mapping pays off
The same mapping supports several teams. Each one uses it to make a decision before a transaction exists, or to check a code after the fact.
Merchant onboarding
Suggest a code for new applicants and flag declared codes that do not fit the site.
Corporate card controls
Predict which code a supplier will charge under, so allow and block rules work first time.
Supplier and vendor data
Group suppliers by likely code in accounts payable and procurement systems.
Rewards and cashback
Estimate which partner shops fall into bonus categories before launch.
Portfolio analytics
Compare assigned codes with site categories across all merchants to find likely miscoding.
Fraud review
Spot transactions at merchants whose website does not fit the code they process under.
Three worked examples
The domains are invented. Each shows the same steps reaching a different level of certainty.
example-lovematch.app
Category Dating, subscription model. The mapping gives 7273 with high confidence, flagged as a higher-risk type for review.
example-coastalstays.com
Category Travel with IAB detail Hotels and motels, bookings paid online. The likely code is 7011, medium confidence.
example-wellness.store
Categories Shopping and Health & Medicine. It could be a pharmacy, a supplement shop or a cosmetics shop, so it goes to an analyst.
example-citynews.com
Category News/Media, funded by ads with a small paid newsletter. Most of the site is not a merchant at all, so the mapping returns no code unless the paid product is boarded on its own.
Common mapping mistakes
Most errors in website to code mapping come from the same few shortcuts. Each one is simple to guard against in rules or in review notes.
| Mistake | What happens | Better approach |
|---|---|---|
| Coding by topic alone | A recipe blog gets a grocery code although it sells nothing. | Check that the site takes payments before suggesting any code. |
| Using the largest topic | A shop with a large advice section is coded as a service. | Code the main source of sales, not the main source of pages. |
| Defaulting to miscellaneous retail | Too many merchants land in 5999, which hides real risk. | Use finer content detail before falling back to a catch-all code. |
| Ignoring restricted lines | A general shop that also sells tobacco or supplements is coded as general retail. | Read secondary categories as well as the primary one. |
| Mapping once and forgetting | A merchant changes what it sells and the code no longer fits. | Compare categories at each monthly refresh. |
| Treating guesses as facts | Spend controls block a supplier that actually uses another code. | Store the confidence level and confirm with real transaction data. |
Limits to keep in mind
A website based code is a well informed estimate. These limits explain when to trust it and when to check further.
The acquirer decides
Only the acquirer's record shows the code actually assigned. A website can suggest it, never prove it.
Marketplaces
Sellers on a large platform may be paid under the platform's account or their own, with different codes.
Offline sales
Shops that sell mostly in person can show only a small part of their range online.
Rule changes
Networks add, split and redefine codes from time to time. Keep your mapping table under review.
Frequently asked questions
What is an MCC code?
A four-digit number that describes the type of business a merchant runs, such as 5812 for restaurants or 5942 for book stores. The acquirer assigns it when the merchant is set up.
Can you find a merchant's MCC from its website?
You can find the likely codes: the category points to candidates and the business model narrows them. The assigned code can only be confirmed from transaction or acquirer data.
Why is the mapping from website category to MCC approximate?
Categories describe content, while MCCs describe how a merchant earns money. A travel site might be an agency, a hotel or a blog, each with a different code or none.
Are MCC codes the same as SIC codes?
No, many MCC numbers resemble older SIC codes, but the systems are separate. NAICS is a further, separate industry system.
Which website categories map most cleanly to an MCC?
Narrow ones: Dating, Gambling, Religion & Spirituality, Political, Job Search/Careers and Real Estate. Broad categories such as Shopping and Health & Medicine need extra detail.
Who uses website to MCC mapping?
Acquirers and payment facilitators at onboarding, corporate card and spend teams setting controls, rewards programs and analysts grouping merchants. Test a single site with our domain checker.
Suggest a merchant code for any domain
Over 120 million categorized domains with web filtering and IAB categories in one record, refreshed monthly. Join them to your merchant or supplier list inside your own systems.