Glossary

MCC (merchant category code)

An MCC is the four-digit code card schemes use to classify a merchant's type of business.

The Merchant Category Code is assigned by the acquirer at onboarding. It tells schemes and banks what the merchant sells: for example, 5411 is grocery stores and 7995 is gambling and betting.

The MCC affects interchange fees, monitoring rules and even whether the buyer's bank will approve the transaction. High-risk codes (betting, forex, dating) get stricter scrutiny, and some issuers decline them by default.

A wrong MCC is a common reason for account closures: if the real business doesn't match the code, the acquirer risks scheme fines and shuts the account.

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Related terms

AcquiringAcquiring is the service of accepting cashless payments: a bank or payment company takes the buyer's paymen…High-risk merchantA high-risk merchant is a business that banks and providers classify as elevated risk due to chargebacks, r…InterchangeInterchange is the fee the acquirer pays the card-issuing bank for every transaction.

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