Merchant Category Codes (MCC) Explained: A Complete Guide For UK Businesses
Search Merchant Category Codes by industry and understand what your MCC means, how it is assigned and why it matters for card payments.
Updated: September 2026
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Introduction
If your business accepts card payments, it will usually have a Merchant Category Code, commonly known as an MCC. This four-digit code helps acquiring banks, payment processors and card schemes such as Visa and Mastercard identify the type of business behind a transaction.
There are hundreds of MCC codes covering different industries and activities, from restaurants, retailers and taxis to solicitors, charities, tradespeople and online businesses. The code assigned to your business can play a role in how your transactions are classified and how your business is understood within the payments system.
Whether you’re trying to find your own MCC, looking for an MCC codes list or simply want to understand what these codes actually mean, this guide covers what you need to know. You can also use our searchable MCC lookup below to search by four-digit code or business type.
MCC Codes Lookup
Find Your MCC Code
Search by four-digit MCC or business type.
You can search terms such as restaurant, taxi, solicitor, hotel, charity, electrician, pharmacy or accountant, or enter a four-digit code such as 5812.
The results are intended as a useful guide to Merchant Category Codes. Your acquiring bank or payment provider can confirm the MCC actually assigned to your merchant account, as classifications can vary depending on the nature of the business and acquiring arrangement.
What Is An MCC Code?
MCC stands for Merchant Category Code. It is a four-digit numerical code used within the card payments industry to classify a merchant according to its primary business activity.
Visa defines an MCC as a four-digit number assigned to describe a merchant’s primary business, normally based on annual sales volume in local currency. Visa also requires acquiring banks and their agents to select the MCC that most accurately describes the merchant’s business.
For example, MCC 5812 is used for eating places and restaurants, while MCC 4121 covers taxicabs and limousines. MCC 8111 covers legal services, while MCC 5912 is used for drug stores and pharmacies.
The code does not uniquely identify your company. Thousands of businesses operating within the same industry can share the same MCC. This is different from your Merchant ID, usually shortened to MID. Your MID identifies your particular merchant account, while your MCC describes the category of business associated with it.
What Do MCC Codes Actually Do?
Merchant Category Codes give organisations within the card payment system a standard way of understanding what kind of business is accepting a payment.
Whenever somebody pays by card, more information moves through the payment infrastructure than simply the transaction amount. Information associated with the merchant and transaction helps the acquiring bank, card scheme and card issuer process and understand the payment. The MCC forms part of this information.
If a customer spends £50 at a restaurant, for example, the MCC can identify the merchant as a restaurant. It does not provide an itemised record of exactly what the customer ordered or purchased.
Visa states that MCC information is used for purposes including activity tracking, reporting and risk management.
MCCs are also used beyond everyday consumer payments. UK Government procurement card policy, for example, uses Merchant Category Groups and individual MCCs to categorise merchants by their business line.
Who Assigns Your MCC Code?
Your business does not normally choose its own Merchant Category Code. The MCC is generally assigned as part of the merchant acquiring process when your account is established.
During an application, your payment provider or acquiring bank needs to understand what your business actually does. This is why merchant account applications commonly ask about your products or services, expected card turnover, average transaction value, how payments will be accepted and other information about the way your business trades.
Visa places responsibility on acquirers and their agents to assign the correct MCC. Its Merchant Data Standards state that the MCC should most accurately describe the merchant’s business, and Visa can require incorrect assignments to be corrected. Accurate information is therefore important when applying for merchant services.
If you operate an electrical contracting company, for example, the business should be represented accurately rather than being placed into a broader category simply because it appears easier.
The objective is not to find the most favourable MCC. It is to classify the business correctly.
How Do I Find My MCC Code?
There are two slightly different things people normally mean when they ask how to find an MCC code. You might simply want to know which MCC usually applies to your type of business. In that case, the MCC codes lookup at the top of this guide provides a useful starting point.
If you already accept card payments and want to know the exact MCC assigned to your merchant account, your acquiring bank or payment provider is the better source.
Depending on your provider and payment setup, you may also find the MCC within merchant account information, transaction reporting or technical payment data.
Do not assume your Companies House SIC code is your MCC. Although both systems classify businesses, they are separate classifications used for different purposes. Visa itself notes that MCCs and SIC codes do not always correspond, with some SIC classifications consolidated into a single MCC and some MCCs created for activities without a corresponding SIC code.
What MCC Code Is My Business?
The most likely MCC depends on what your business primarily does. For straightforward businesses, the likely classification can be relatively easy to identify. A restaurant may commonly fall under MCC 5812, a taxi company under MCC 4121 and a legal practice under MCC 8111.
Other businesses are less straightforward. A company might sell several types of product, provide different services or operate distinct parts of the business. In these circumstances, the appropriate MCC can depend on which activity represents the merchant’s primary business and how the merchant facilities are structured.
Visa’s rules state that where a merchant has more than one line of business, it can use the MCC representing the activity with the highest sales volume or, where appropriate, use different MCCs for different lines of business.
The lookup on this page can therefore help identify likely classifications, but your acquiring bank or payment provider should confirm the MCC actually used for your merchant account.
Common MCC Codes By Industry
There are hundreds of Merchant Category Codes, so rather than placing an enormous MCC codes list on the page, it is more useful to look at some of the industries UK businesses commonly search for.
Restaurants, Cafés, Pubs And Takeaways
Hospitality is a good example of why MCC classifications can be more specific than simply saying a business sells food or drink.
MCC 5812 covers eating places and restaurants. Caterers use MCC 5811, drinking establishments such as bars and taverns use MCC 5813, while fast-food restaurants use MCC 5814.
A restaurant, pub, takeaway and catering company can therefore all operate within hospitality while potentially falling under different Merchant Category Codes. The primary activity of the merchant matters.
Taxis and Transport
MCC 4121 is used for taxicabs and limousines. Transport as a wider industry contains numerous other classifications. MCC 4111 covers local and suburban passenger transportation, MCC 4112 covers passenger railways, MCC 4131 covers bus lines and MCC 4215 covers courier services.
A taxi or private-hire business may therefore commonly be associated with MCC 4121, but there is no single Merchant Category Code covering every transport business.
Tradespeople and Construction
Merchant Category Codes also distinguish between different types of construction and trade businesses. Examples include MCC 1520 for general residential and commercial contractors, MCC 1711 for heating and air-conditioning contractors, MCC 1731 for electrical contractors, MCC 1750 for carpentry contractors and MCC 1761 for roofing and related contractors.
This means someone searching for an MCC code for a builder or tradesperson should consider what type of work represents the main activity of the business.
A general builder, electrician and heating contractor may all work within the construction sector while having different Merchant Category Codes.
Retail Businesses
There is no single MCC covering every retailer. The system contains separate classifications for many different types of retail business. Examples include grocery stores and supermarkets, hardware stores, shoe shops, electronics retailers, book shops, florists, jewellery stores and pet shops.
This is important because two businesses that would both describe themselves as retailers may still have completely different MCCs.
The type of products primarily sold by the merchant can therefore be more important than the broad description of the business as “retail”.
Professional Services
Professional services also contain a number of separate MCC classifications. MCC 8111 covers legal services, while MCC 8931 covers accounting, auditing and bookkeeping services. Other classifications exist for advertising, employment agencies, computer services, consulting and other professional activities.
There are also broader categories for professional services that do not fit a more specific MCC. However, Visa’s rules say miscellaneous MCCs should generally only be used where there is no specific MCC applicable to the merchant’s business.
Where a specific classification accurately describes the business, that is normally more appropriate than simply placing it into a miscellaneous category.
Pharmacies & Healthcare
Healthcare contains a large number of Merchant Category Codes. MCC 5912 covers drug stores and pharmacies, while separate classifications exist for doctors, dentists, hospitals, opticians, chiropractors, medical laboratories and other healthcare services. There is therefore no single MCC for the entire healthcare sector.
Someone searching for an MCC code for a healthcare business needs to consider the actual service being provided rather than simply searching for “healthcare”.
Charities And Non Profit Organisations
MCC 8398 covers charitable and social service organisations. A charity can still carry out several different activities, though.
For example, an organisation might accept donations while also operating shops, cafés, ticketed events or another substantial trading activity. The appropriate merchant setup therefore depends on what payments are actually being processed and how the organisation operates.
Being a registered charity does not necessarily mean that every transaction carried out by the organisation should automatically fall under the same classification.
Is There an MCC Code For An Online Business?
There is a common misconception that all online businesses share an e-commerce MCC. That is not generally how Merchant Category Codes work.
An MCC primarily describes the type of merchant, while e-commerce describes the way the customer pays.
An online clothing retailer may therefore be classified according to the type of retail activity it carries out, while an online software business may use a classification relevant to its own products or services. Both businesses can accept card-not-present payments online without sharing the same MCC.
Visa’s rules also recognise an e-commerce website as a merchant location, but this does not mean all e-commerce businesses are given one universal category. The underlying business activity remains important.
When applying for an online payment gateway or internet merchant account, your provider will normally need to understand both what your business sells and how customers pay.
Digital Products & Subscription Businesses
The MCC system also includes classifications covering different types of digital products. Published MCC references include MCC 5815 for certain digital media, MCC 5816 for digital games and MCC 5817 for digital applications.
There are also MCC classifications relating to certain direct marketing and recurring business models. However, simply charging customers every month does not mean every subscription business will have the same MCC.
A software as a service company, subscription box retailer and membership organisation can all take recurring payments while carrying out very different underlying activities.
This is another situation where the actual nature of the business needs to be considered rather than choosing a code solely because of the way customers are charged.
What if Your Business Does More Than One Thing?
Many modern businesses do not fit perfectly into a single category. A hotel might operate a restaurant, spa and gift shop. A retailer could have several distinct areas of activity. A leisure business might combine accommodation, food, entertainment and retail.
Visa specifically addresses merchants with more than one line of business.
Its rules state that a merchant qualifying for more than one MCC can use the MCC describing the business with the highest sales volume for its Visa sales or use different MCCs for each line of business.
There can be further distinctions where separate businesses operate from the same premises. Visa gives the example of a flower shop operating within a hotel. If the flower shop has a separate business identity or point of sale, it should use the MCC appropriate to florists rather than simply being classified under the hotel’s MCC.
If your business has several substantial activities, make them clear when speaking with your acquiring bank or payment provider rather than trying to decide the classification yourself.
MCC Codes Vs SIC Codes
Merchant Category Codes are sometimes confused with SIC codes because both are used to classify business activity. They are not the same system.
In the UK, SIC codes are commonly associated with Companies House and are used to describe a company’s economic activities. Merchant Category Codes are used within the card payments ecosystem.
Visa notes that MCC descriptions have been derived in part from SIC and ISO classifications, but also makes clear that Visa MCCs and SIC codes do not always correspond.
A company can therefore have one or more SIC codes registered at Companies House while also having an MCC associated with its merchant account.
If you need the exact Merchant Category Code used for your payment processing, check with your acquiring bank or payment provider rather than relying on your Companies House classification.
Do MCC Codes Affect Card Processing Fees?
Your MCC can be relevant within payment processing, but it would be misleading to suggest that every merchant with a particular MCC automatically pays a particular processing rate.
Merchant services pricing depends on a much wider range of factors.
These can include the types of cards customers use, whether transactions are domestic or international, transaction values, whether payments are taken face to face or online, your pricing model and the commercial terms offered by your payment provider.
The nature of your business can still matter because an acquiring bank needs to understand the merchant it is processing payments for.
Your MCC forms part of that wider picture, but it should not be treated as a simple price list where one code automatically equals one card processing rate.
If your aim is to understand what you are really paying to accept card payments, reviewing your merchant statement and actual transaction profile is much more useful than trying to determine your costs from an MCC alone.
MCC Codes And High Risk Merchant Accounts
Merchant Category Codes are frequently discussed in relation to high-risk merchant accounts.
Certain industries can require more specialist underwriting because of characteristics such as higher chargeback exposure, recurring billing, delayed fulfilment, regulatory requirements, international customers or high transaction values.
An MCC helps the acquiring bank understand the type of merchant involved, and Visa itself identifies risk management as one of the uses of MCC data. However, an MCC by itself does not mean every business within that category will be treated identically.
Different acquiring banks have different acceptance policies and risk appetites. Providers can also consider factors such as processing history, chargeback levels, expected turnover, average transaction value, fulfilment periods and how products or services are sold.
If one payment provider does not support your sector, the answer should not be to disguise the business under a different MCC. It is better to find an acquiring bank that properly understands and supports the activity you actually carry out.
Can The Wrong MCC Code Cause Problems?
An incorrect MCC means your merchant account is not accurately describing the business behind the transactions. This matters enough for Visa to require acquirers and their agents to assign the correct MCC and to reserve the right to require incorrect assignments to be corrected.
Businesses should therefore provide accurate information when applying for merchant services. It is also worth considering whether the information held by your provider remains accurate if your business changes substantially over time.
A company may begin by selling one product or service and eventually generate most of its revenue from something completely different. If the underlying activity of your business has materially changed, or you believe the original classification was incorrect, speak with your payment provider.
Can You Change Your MCC Code?
You cannot normally log into your merchant account and choose a different MCC yourself. If you believe your business has been incorrectly classified, contact your acquiring bank or payment provider and explain what your business does.
There can be legitimate reasons for reviewing an MCC. The original classification might have been incorrect, the business may have changed its primary activity or another line of business may now account for the majority of its turnover.
Your provider can then determine whether the MCC currently assigned remains appropriate.
The purpose of changing a Merchant Category Code should be to represent the business accurately, not to avoid underwriting requirements or make the business appear to operate in a different sector.
Visa And Mastercard MCC Codes
Merchant Category Codes are used across major card schemes including Visa and Mastercard, but businesses should be cautious about assuming that every classification will be implemented identically by every card scheme or acquiring bank.
Visa maintains detailed Merchant Data Standards explaining how MCCs should be assigned and contains a numeric MCC listing with definitions. It also states that acquirers and their agents are responsible for selecting the correct MCC.
Fiserv’s public MCC reference similarly notes that the MCC standard is defined by ISO 18245 but that individual acquirers can categorise merchants differently.
This is why the MCC codes lookup on this page should be treated as a reference tool.
It can help you identify the classifications normally associated with restaurants, taxis, solicitors, tradespeople and other industries, but the exact MCC on your merchant account should ultimately be confirmed by your payment provider or acquiring bank
MCC Codes, Credit Card Rewards & Spending Controls
Merchant Category Codes are useful on the cardholder side of a transaction as well. Card issuers can use merchant category information to understand the type of business where a customer has spent money. This can support products where certain categories of spending receive different rewards or benefits.
Merchant categories can also be used to help control spending on business and procurement cards. An organisation might want employees to use company cards for accommodation, travel and business supplies while restricting unrelated categories of expenditure.
The UK Government’s procurement card policy provides a practical example. It states that card payments are categorised into Merchant Category Groups with a further breakdown into MCCs identifying merchants by business line.
This helps explain why a four digit code that many merchants rarely think about can have uses throughout the wider card payment system.
Is There A Full MCC Codes List?
Yes. There are hundreds of Merchant Category Codes covering different types of businesses, services and transactions. Visa publishes a numeric MCC listing with definitions, while payment organisations such as Fiserv also publish extensive Merchant Category Code references.
A full technical list can become difficult to navigate, particularly when it includes highly specialist classifications that will not be relevant to most UK businesses. That is why we have made the MCC list searchable at the top of this guide rather than reproducing hundreds of rows on the page.
If you know the MCC, search using the four-digit number. If you do not know it, search using a description of your business such as restaurant, taxi, solicitor, electrician, charity or pharmacy.
Remember that the results are a reference. Your acquiring bank or payment provider can confirm the actual MCC assigned to your merchant account.
How Payments World Helps Businesses With Merchant Accounts
Knowing your likely MCC can help you understand how your business is classified, but it does not tell you which payment provider is best suited to support it.
Payments World works with more than 25 acquiring banks and payment providers, allowing us to consider the wider payment requirements of a business rather than trying to place every merchant with the same provider.
We look at factors such as your sector, card turnover, average transaction value, processing history, how you accept payments and the payment functionality your business requires.
This can be particularly useful for specialist sectors, businesses that have previously struggled to obtain merchant facilities or companies whose payment requirements have become more complex as they have grown.
If your business carries out several different activities, it is also important that those activities are properly explained when approaching an acquiring bank.
The aim is not to find an MCC that makes an application look easier. It is to accurately represent your business and identify providers that are suitable for the way you actually trade.
Conclusion: Understanding Your Merchant Category Code
Merchant Category Codes are ultimately a standardised way of describing the type of business behind a card transaction.
There may be hundreds of MCC codes, but most businesses do not need to understand all of them. What matters is knowing the classification relevant to your own activity and making sure your payment provider has an accurate understanding of what your business does.
If you are searching for the MCC code for your industry, the lookup on this page provides a useful starting point. If you need to know the exact code currently attached to your merchant account, your acquiring bank or payment provider can confirm it.
Your MCC is only one part of your overall merchant services setup, but accurate classification matters. Combined with the right acquiring bank, appropriate pricing and a payment solution suited to the way you trade, it helps ensure your merchant account properly reflects your business.
Like this article? you can find more useful information by checking out the rest of our blogs here.
Frequently Asked Questions
FAQs
MCC stands for Merchant Category Code. It is a four-digit code used within card payments to classify a merchant according to its primary business activity.
Your likely MCC depends on the type of goods or services your business primarily provides. You can use the MCC codes lookup on this page to search by business type, but your acquiring bank or payment provider should confirm the exact MCC assigned to your merchant account.
If you want to identify the MCC commonly associated with your industry, search our MCC lookup by business type. If you already have a merchant account and need to know your exact assigned MCC, contact your acquiring bank or payment provider.
Yes. There are hundreds of Merchant Category Codes covering different industries, services and types of transaction. Rather than displaying a very long technical table, the MCC search tool on this page allows you to search the list by four-digit code or business type.
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