Popular MCC Codes In Singapore For Credit Card Spenders And How to Find Them (2021)
Unfortunately, spending on your credit cards to earn cashback, miles or reward points is not straightforward, as banks will not award these rewards on all transactions.
Each credit card will have its own list of qualifying merchants that it will award rewards for.
This is why it is important for you to know the qualifying merchants for your credit card and their respective merchant category code (MCC).
After all, you would not want to make a big-ticket purchase, only to find that it does not qualify for credit card rewards.
But, we got you fam.
Here is a (non-exhaustive) list of the most popular MCC codes crowdsourced via the different banks MCC sheets and online sources like WhatCard and the Visa Supplier Locator to help you can get those credit card rewards.
So do save this article and return to it when you need to!
But, since the information is crowdsourced, it may not be 100% reliable. But they are most likely to be correct.
Do feel free to drop us a comment or email us at: [email protected] with any corrections or feedback.
In other words, they could also be wrong… But they’re most likely correct, lah. Feel free to leave a comment and ping us with any corrections to improve this list.
Do note that this information is accurate as of 6 Jan 2020.
TL;DR: Popular Merchant Category Codes (MCC) Singapore
Here are the various common categories which you can find for rebate category tiers: Simply click on the relevant category below:
- Online
- Shopping Retail
- F&B Dining
- Groceries
- Beauty and personal care
- Electronics and gadgets
- Petrol
- Telco
- Utilities
- Insurance
- Hospitals
- How to Find Individual Merchants MCC
What is an MCC?
If you want to make the most out of your credit card, there are four numbers you need to know.
The all-important MCC: a four-digit number listed in the ISO 18245 standard for retail financial services.
This MCC is used to categories a business by the types of goods or services it provides.
For the uninitiated, merchants that wish to set up a credit card payment system will need to first put in an application for a merchant bank account with the acquiring bank.
This MCC is important to companies as it used to determine the interchange rate – the rate at which card networks like Visa, MasterCard and American Express charges the merchant for its credit card payment service.
Typically, some merchants like charities, educational institutions, and government agencies are given a discount on the interchange rate.
As such, most credit cards do not give rewards for these types of transactions.
Also, do note that the card networks assign the MCCs separately, so they may differ.
But generally, Visa and Mastercard have very similar MCC codes.
Why is it important to consumers?
Because before you make a big purchase eg online or offline, or are selecting which card suits you the best, you would be keen to know what kind of transactions qualify in what category.
An Example of MCC: OCBC 365
To show how this works in real life, let’s take the example of the OCBC 365 credit card.
With the card, you get 6 per cent cashback on dining.
But what constitutes as dining you may ask?
Source: OCBC
Thus, OCBC refers to the MCC of the transaction. If your transaction’s MCC falls into any of the following categories, you get to enjoy the bonus cashback.
As such, this list will help provide greater clarity on which types of merchants qualify.
Category: Online Transactions MCC
Here are the popular online transactions MCCs you need to take note of:
MCCs for Online Shopping and Marketplaces in Singapore
| Merchant | MCC | Category |
|---|---|---|
| Amazon.sg | 5999 | Miscellaneous and Specialty Retail Stores | Online Shopping |
| Aliexpress | 5964 | Direct Marketing–Catalog Merchants | Online Shopping |
| Carousell | 5999 | Miscellaneous and Specialty Retail Stores | Online Shopping |
| EzBuy | 5691 | Men’s and Women’s Clothing Stores | Online Shopping |
| Lazada | 5311 | Department Stores | Online shopping |
| RedMart (via Lazada) | 5411 | Grocery Stores, Supermarkets, Groceries |
| Qoo10.sg | 5399 | Miscellaneous General Merchandise Stores |
| Shopee | 5399 | Miscellaneous General Merchandise Stores |
| Taobao (App) | 5311 | Department Stores | Online Shopping |
| Taobao (PC Browser) | 5411 | Grocery Stores, Supermarkets | Online Shopping |
MCCs for Transport in Singapore
| Merchant | MCC | Category |
|---|---|---|
| Comfort Taxi | 4121 | Taxicabs and Limousines | Taxis & public transport |
| Grab (Taxi Rides) | ||
| GoJek | ||
| Ryde | 5734 | Computer Software Stores | Taxis & public transport |
| Ezlink | 6540 | POI (Point of Interaction) Funding Transactions (Excluding MoneySend) | Taxis & public transport |
| SimplyGo | 4111 | Transportation–Suburban and Local Commuter Passenger, including Ferries Taxis & public transport |
MCCs for Food Delivery in Singapore
| Merchant | MCC | Category |
|---|---|---|
| GrabFood | 5499 | Miscellaneous Food Stores–Convenience Stores, Markets, Specialty Stores, and Vending Machines |
| FoodPanda | Miscellaneous Food Stores–Convenience Stores, Markets, Specialty Stores, and Vending Machines | |
| Deliveroo | Miscellaneous Food Stores–Convenience Stores, Markets, Specialty Stores, and Vending Machines |
This also heavily depends on the payment processors that these online sites use and whether they register the correct MCC or not.
Category: Shopping MCC Singapore – Clothing and Retail Outlets
| Merchant Example | MCC | Category |
|---|---|---|
| Dockers | 5611 | Men's Boys clothing and accessories stores |
| Forever21 | 5621 | Women's Ready to wear stores |
| 6IXTY8IGHT | 5631 | Women's accessory and speciality stores |
| Bossini | 5651 | Family clothing stores |
| Aldo | 5661 | Shoe stores |
| Bershka | 5691 | Men's and women's clothing stores |
| Crumpler | 5699 | Misc Apparel and accessory shops |
| Daiso | 5311 | Department stores |
| Fox Kids & Baby | 5641 | Babies and Children's infants' wear stores |
| Hush Puppies | 5651 | Family clothing stores |
Category: F&B Dining MCC
| Merchant Example | MCC | Category |
|---|---|---|
| Domino's Pizza | 5811 | Caterers |
| Toast Box | 5812 | Eating Places and Restaurants |
| Brotzeit German Restaurant and Bar | 5813 | Bars, Cocktail Lounges, Discotheques, Nightclubs and Taverns - Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) |
| McDonald's | 5814 | Fast Food Restaurants |
| Bengawan Solo | 5462 | Bakeries |
Category: Groceries MCC
| Merchant Example | MCC | Category |
|---|---|---|
| Boost | 5499 | Miscellaneous Food Stores (Convenience Stores, Markets, Specialty Stores, and Vending Machines) |
| Giant | 5411 | Grocery Stores, Supermarkets |
Category: Beauty and Personal Care MCC
| Merchant Example | MCC | Category |
|---|---|---|
| Watsons, Guardian Etc. | 5912 | Drug stores and Pharmacies |
Category: Electronics and Gadgets MCC
-
Merchant Example MCC Category Helpling 5045 Computers, peripherals and software Challenger, Best Denki Etc. 5732 Electronics Stores Alan Photo 5021 Office, Photographic, Photocopy and Microfilm equipment Adobe Creative Cloud subscription 5734 Computer software store
Category: Petrol MCC
| Merchant Example | MCC | Category |
|---|---|---|
| 7-Eleven | 5541 | Service Stations (With or Without Ancillary Services) |
| Shell Petrol Kiosks | 5542 | Fuel Dispenser, Automated |
Category: Telco MCC
| Merchant Example | MCC | Category |
|---|---|---|
| Singtel, M1, Starhub, etc. | 4814 | Telecommunication service including local and long-distance calls, credit card calls, calls through the use of magnetic-strip reading telephones and fax services |
Category: Utilities MCC
| Merchant Example | MCC | Category |
|---|---|---|
| Singapore (SP), Geneco, etc. | 4900 | SP Services | Electricity Retailers |
| CPF, HDB, Town Council, etc. | 9399 | Government Services |
Category: Insurance MCC
| Merchant Example | MCC | Category |
|---|---|---|
| - | 5960 | Direct Marketing Insurance services |
| AIA Insurance, Aviva, etc. | 6300 | Insurance Sales, Underwriting, and Premiums (eg monthly or yearly premiums) |
Do note that most credit cards exclude insurance premiums in their rewards calcuations.
Category: Hospitals MCC
| Merchant Example | MCC | Category |
|---|---|---|
| Singapore General Hospital, Mount Alvernia, Mount Pleasant, etc. | 8062 | Hospital and medical fees |
Common Credit Card Exclusions
| Merchant Example | MCC | Category |
|---|---|---|
| GrabPay Top-ups, FEVO Mastercards, etc. | 6051 | Quasi Cash Merchants: Prepaid top-ups |
| AXS Payments | 9399 | Government Services–Not Elsewhere Classified | Excluded |
| Ez-Link Top-ups | 6540 | POI (Point of Interaction) Funding Transactions (Excluding MoneySend) | Taxis & public transport |
How Do I Find My MCC Code Singapore?
Can’t find the merchant you want on this list?
You can head on over to WhatCard to search for a merchant and their MCC.
Visa Supplier Locator Singapore
Also, Visa has recently launched the Visa Supplier Locator in Singapore: a tool which will help you find the MCC of virtually any Visa supporting merchant in Singapore!
Closing Thoughts: Try Your Best to Follow the MCC Codes
Ultimately it’s still your bank’s decision on whether to adopt and follow the MCC codes accordingly.
I have heard of horror stories of folks who got unfairly discounted because they felt that certain restaurants were not registered under the right MCC.
Sources: CITI Merchant Category codes, OCBC Merchant Category codes, WhatCard and the Visa Supplier Locator
