What Is an MCC?
An MCC (Merchant Category Code) is a four-digit code that describes the type of business a merchant runs — for example, 5411 for grocery stores or 4121 for taxis.
The MCC is assigned to the merchant by its bank (the acquirer) when the merchant starts accepting card payments. It is sent together with every card transaction.
ℹ️ Kolo does not assign or change MCCs. We use the code the merchant sends to show the category of your transaction in the app.
How Categories Work in the Kolo App
Every card transaction in your history has a category with its own icon. The category is based on the transaction MCC:
several similar MCCs are grouped into one category (e.g. restaurants, fast food and bars → Restaurants & bars);
if an MCC is not linked to any specific category, the transaction is shown as General;
Kolo operations such as deposits, transfers, swaps and cashback have their own categories even though they have no MCC.
To see the MCC of a transaction, open the transaction details in the app.
⚠️ Important: A category in this list does not mean the card can be used at every merchant with that MCC. Some merchant categories are restricted for certain cards. See [Visa USD 454905] Card Risk Rules & Decline Reasons and [Visa EUR 442601] Card Limits and Restrictions.
Categories and MCC Codes
Everyday Purchases
Category | MCC — Merchant type |
Groceries | 5411 — Grocery Stores, Supermarkets 5499 — Miscellaneous Food Stores – Convenience Stores and Specialty Markets 5451 — Dairy Products Stores 5441 — Candy, Nut, and Confectionery Stores 5462 — Bakeries 5422 — Freezer and Locker Meat Provisioners |
Restaurants & bars | 5812 — Eating Places, Restaurants 5814 — Fast Food Restaurants 5813 — Drinking Places – Bars, Taverns, Nightclubs, Lounges |
Alcohol | 5921 — Package Stores – Beer, Wine, and Liquor |
Pharmacy | 5912 — Drug Stores and Pharmacies 5122 — Drugs, Drug Proprietaries, and Druggist Sundries |
Department stores | 5311 — Department Stores 5310 — Discount Stores 5331 — Variety Stores 5300 — Wholesale Clubs 5309 — Duty Free Stores |
Clothes & shoes | 5651 — Family Clothing Stores 5661 — Shoe Stores 5611 — Men's and Boys' Clothing and Accessories Stores 5691 — Men's and Women's Clothing Stores 5699 — Miscellaneous Apparel and Accessory Shops 5621 — Women's Ready-to-Wear Stores 5631 — Women's Accessory and Specialty Shops 5698 — Wig and Toupee Stores 5641 — Children's and Infants' Wear Stores |
Gifts | 5947 — Gift, Card, Novelty, and Souvenir Shops |
Flowers | 5992 — Florists 5193 — Florists' Supplies, Nursery Stock, and Flowers |
Jewelry | 5944 — Jewelry Stores, Watches, Clocks, and Silverware Stores 5094 — Precious Stones and Metals, Watches and Jewelry |
Books | 5942 — Book Stores 5192 — Books, Periodicals, and Newspapers 5994 — News Dealers and Newsstands |
Stationery | 5943 — Stationery Stores, Office and School Supply Stores 5111 — Stationery, Office Supplies, Printing and Writing Paper |
Home & Electronics
Category | MCC — Merchant type |
Home & garden | 5200 — Home Supply Warehouse Stores 5251 — Hardware Stores 5231 — Glass, Paint, and Wallpaper Stores 5211 — Lumber and Building Materials Stores 5261 — Nurseries, Lawn and Garden Supply Stores |
Furniture | 5712 — Furniture, Home Furnishings, and Equipment Stores (except Appliances) 5713 — Floor Covering Stores 5714 — Drapery, Window Covering, and Upholstery Stores 5718 — Fireplace, Fireplace Screens, and Accessories Stores 5719 — Miscellaneous Home Furnishing Specialty Stores |
Appliances | 5722 — Household Appliance Stores 5732 — Electronics Stores |
Repair | 7699 — Repair Shops and Related Services (Not Elsewhere Classified) 7629 — Electrical and Small Appliance Repair Shops 7641 — Furniture Reupholstery, Repair, and Refinishing 7535 — Automotive Paint Shops 7622 — Electronics Repair Shops 7534 — Tire Retreading and Repair Shops 7538 — Automotive Service Shops 7623 — Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Repair Shops 7692 — Welding Repair 7549 — Towing Services 7531 — Automotive Body Repair Shops |
Transport & Travel
Category | MCC — Merchant type |
Taxi | 4121 — Taxicabs and Limousines |
Public transport | 4131 — Bus Lines 4112 — Passenger Railways 4111 — Local and Suburban Commuter Passenger Transportation, incl. Ferries |
Auto & fuel | 5541 — Service Stations 5542 — Automated Fuel Dispensers 5511 — Car and Truck Dealers (New & Used) – Sales, Service, Repairs, Parts, Leasing 5521 — Car and Truck Dealers (Used Only) 5531 — Auto and Home Supply Stores 5532 — Automotive Tire Stores 5533 — Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores 5983 — Fuel Dealers – Fuel Oil, Wood, Coal, Liquefied Petroleum |
Parking & tolls | 7523 — Parking Lots, Parking Meters and Garages 4784 — Tolls and Bridge Fees |
Car rental | 7512 — Automobile Rental Agency 7513 — Truck and Utility Trailer Rentals 7519 — Motor Home and Recreational Vehicle Rentals |
Airlines | 4511 — Airlines and Air Carriers 4582 — Airports, Flying Fields, and Airport Terminals |
Hotels & lodging | 7011 — Lodging – Hotels, Motels, Resorts 7012 — Timeshares 7032 — Sporting and Recreational Camps 7033 — Trailer Parks and Campgrounds |
Travel | 4722 — Travel Agencies and Tour Operators 4411 — Cruise Lines |
Health, Beauty & Education
Category | MCC — Merchant type |
Medical & dental | 8011 — Doctors and Physicians (Not Elsewhere Classified) 8021 — Dentists and Orthodontists 8031 — Osteopaths 8041 — Chiropractors 8042 — Optometrists and Ophthalmologists 8043 — Opticians, Optical Goods, and Eyeglasses 8049 — Podiatrists and Chiropodists 8050 — Nursing and Personal Care Facilities 8062 — Hospitals 8071 — Medical and Dental Laboratories 8099 — Medical Services and Health Practitioners (Not Elsewhere Classified) |
Beauty & health | 7230 — Beauty and Barber Shops 5977 — Cosmetic Stores 7297 — Massage Parlors 7298 — Health and Beauty Spas |
Sport | 5941 — Sporting Goods Stores 5940 — Bicycle Shops – Sales and Service 7997 — Membership Clubs – Sports, Recreation, Athletic, Country Clubs, Private Golf Courses 7941 — Commercial Sports, Professional Sports Clubs, Athletic Fields, Sports Promoters |
Education | 8220 — Colleges, Universities, Professional Schools, and Junior Colleges 8211 — Elementary and Secondary Schools 8299 — Schools and Educational Services (Not Elsewhere Classified) 8244 — Business and Secretarial Schools 8351 — Child Care Services 8249 — Trade and Vocational Schools 8241 — Correspondence Schools |
Pets | 5995 — Pet Shops, Pet Foods, and Supplies Stores 0742 — Veterinary Services |
Entertainment & Digital
Category | MCC — Merchant type |
Entertainment | 7996 — Amusement Parks, Carnivals, Circuses, Fortune Tellers 7998 — Aquariums, Seaquariums, Dolphinariums, Zoos 7999 — Recreation Services (Not Elsewhere Classified) 7991 — Tourist Attractions and Exhibits 7929 — Bands, Orchestras, and Miscellaneous Entertainers 7933 — Bowling Alleys 7932 — Billiard and Pool Establishments 7922 — Theatrical Producers (except Motion Pictures), Ticket Agencies |
Cinema | 7832 — Motion Picture Theaters 7829 — Motion Picture and Video Tape Production and Distribution 7841 — Video Tape Rental Stores |
Games | 5816 — Digital Goods – Games |
Gambling & betting | 7995 — Betting – Lottery, Casino Gaming Chips, Off-Track Betting, Wagers 7801 — Government-Licensed Online Casinos (Online Gambling) 7802 — Government-Licensed Horse/Dog Racing 9754 — Gambling – Horse, Dog Racing, State Lottery |
Subscriptions | 5968 — Direct Marketing – Continuity/Subscription Merchants 4899 — Cable, Satellite, and Other Pay Television and Radio Services |
Software & digital services | 5817 — Digital Goods – Applications (Excludes Games) 5818 — Digital Goods – Large Digital Goods Merchant 5734 — Computer Software Stores 5045 — Computers, Computer Peripheral Equipment, Software 7372 — Computer Programming, Data Processing, and Integrated Systems Design |
Bills & Services
Category | MCC — Merchant type |
Utilities & internet | 4900 — Utilities – Electric, Gas, Water, Sanitary 4816 — Computer Network / Information Services |
Mobile top-up | 4814 — Telecommunication Services 4812 — Telecommunication Equipment and Telephone Sales |
Insurance | 6300 — Insurance Sales, Underwriting, and Premiums 6381 — Insurance Premiums 5960 — Direct Marketing – Insurance Services |
Taxes & budget | 9311 — Tax Payments 9399 — Government Services (Not Elsewhere Classified) |
Fines | 9222 — Fines 9223 — Bail and Bond Payments |
Charity & donations | 8398 — Charitable and Social Service Organizations 8641 — Civic, Social, and Fraternal Associations 8661 — Religious Organizations |
Advertising | 7311 — Advertising Services |
Courier | 4215 — Courier Services – Air and Ground, and Freight Forwarders |
Freight | 4214 — Motor Freight Carriers, Trucking, Moving and Storage, Local Delivery 4225 — Public Warehousing and Storage |
Money Movement
Category | MCC — Merchant type |
Cash | 6011 — Financial Institutions – Automated Cash Disbursements (ATM) 6010 — Financial Institutions – Manual Cash Disbursements |
Deposits | 6050 — Quasi Cash – Member Financial Institution No MCC — account top-up inside Kolo |
Transfers | 6532 — Payment Service Provider – Money Transfer for a Purchase 6536 — MoneySend Intracountry 6537 — MoneySend Intercountry No MCC — transfer between Kolo users |
Swap | 6211 — Security Brokers / Dealers No MCC — currency or asset swap inside Kolo |
Cashback | No MCC — cashback credited by Kolo |
Other
Category | MCC — Merchant type |
General | 5999 — Miscellaneous and Specialty Retail Stores 8999 — Professional Services (Not Elsewhere Classified) 7399 — Business Services (Not Elsewhere Classified) Any MCC that is not listed in the categories above |
FAQ
Why is my transaction shown in the wrong category?
Why is my transaction shown in the wrong category?
The category depends on the MCC the merchant sends. Some merchants are registered under a broader or unexpected code — for example, an online store may use a general retail MCC, and a marketplace may use the same MCC for all its sellers.
Kolo cannot change the MCC of a merchant. If you think the code is incorrect, you can contact the merchant.
Why is my transaction shown as General?
Why is my transaction shown as General?
General is used for MCCs that describe miscellaneous businesses (5999, 8999, 7399) and for any MCC that is not linked to a specific category in the app.
The same merchant shows different categories. Why?
The same merchant shows different categories. Why?
A merchant can accept payments through different banks or payment providers, and each of them may send a different MCC. For example, a purchase made directly on a website and the same purchase made through a payment provider can have different codes.
Does the category affect whether my payment goes through?
Does the category affect whether my payment goes through?
The category shown in the app is for your convenience only. However, the MCC itself is used by card risk rules, so some merchant categories may be restricted for your card. Check the risk rules and restrictions article for your card.
Why don't deposits, transfers or swaps have an MCC?
Why don't deposits, transfers or swaps have an MCC?
An MCC exists only for card payments at merchants. Operations inside Kolo — account top-ups, transfers between users, swaps and cashback — are not card transactions, so they are shown with their own category instead of an MCC.
Need Help?
If you have questions about a specific transaction or its category, our support team will be happy to help. 💚