How to Find Merchant Category Codes (MCC) in Singapore For Credit Card Users

As much as we love spending on credit cards to earn cashback, miles, or rewards,

It’s not as straightforward as we might think as banks will not give you rewards on all transactions.

This is where Merchant Category Codes (MCCs) come in and why it is important for you to know the qualifying merchants and their respective MCCs for your credit card.

After all, you would not want to make a big-ticket purchase, only to find that it does not qualify for credit card rewards.

So here’s how you can make sure that your purchase qualifies for credit card rewards by identifying MCCs, plus a couple services that could help you take away the hassle of finding MCCs yourself!

Disclaimer: This is a non-sponsored article. The information provided by Seedly serves as an educational piece and is not intended to be personalised investment advice. ​Readers should always do their own due diligence and consider their financial goals before signing up for any products. MCCs are crowdsourced and based on information from banks, WhatCard, and MAX.

P.S. We’re a little annoyed that people Google MCC code as MCC already stands for merchant category code but for the sake of SEO, we’ll be using the term MCC code.

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TL;DR: Guide to Merchant Category Codes (MCC) Singapore

Jump to:

• What is an MCC?
• How to Find Individual Merchants MCC

Nonetheless, if you want to double-check if your purchase qualifies for credit card rewards, we have compiled a (non-exhaustive) list of the most popular MCC codes crowdsourced via the different banks’ MCC sheets and online sources:

• Online
• Shopping Retail
• F&B Dining
• Groceries
• Beauty and personal care
• Electronics and gadgets
• Petrol
• Telco
• Utilities
• Insurance
• Hospitals

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What is an “MCC code”?

If you want to make the most out of your credit card, there are four numbers you need to know.

Commonly referred to as “MCC code” or the more proper abbreviation “MCC”, a Merchant Category Code is a four-digit number listed in the ISO 18245 standard for retail financial services.

This MCC is used to categorise 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 is used to determine the interchange rate – the rate at which card networks like Visa, MasterCard, and American Express charge 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 five 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 can enjoy the bonus cashback.

As such, this list will help provide greater clarity on which types of merchants qualify.

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Merchant Category Code Singapore

Online Transactions MCC

Transport MCC

Food Delivery MCC

This also heavily depends on the payment processors that these online sites use and whether they register the correct MCC or not.

Shopping MCC – Clothing and Retail Outlets

F&B Dining MCC

Groceries MCC

Beauty and Personal Care MCC

Electronics and Gadgets MCC

Petrol MCC

Telco MCC

Utilities MCC

Insurance MCC

Do note that most credit cards exclude insurance premiums in their rewards calculations.

Hospitals MCC

Common Credit Card Exclusions

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How Do I Find My Merchant Category Code in Singapore?

WhatCard.sg

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.

MAX – heymax.ai

Recently, a new company called MAX has launched that helps you optimise your credit card rewards!

Currently, you can identify what MCC a merchant is under with MAX Reward search. We’ve tried it ourselves and have found it to be very reliable thus far.

But the real kicker about MAX is its upcoming MAX card that helps you pick out the best credit card to use.

We haven’t got to test the MAX card just yet as it is still in the waitlist phase. However, if it can do what it promises, it’ll take away all the hassle of selecting the best credit card to use and earn rewards!

Powered by AI and crowdsourced algorithms, Max Card picks the best card for the job. Every payment is auto-routed to the credit card that will earn you the most rewards. All you need is one card, Max.

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Try Your Best to Follow the MCC Codes

Until services like the MAX card becomes fully operational, we still have to follow MCCs as far as we can. Tedious, I know.

But if you want to be very sure that you can earn credit card rewards, especially on big purchases like weddings or renovations, it’s a necessary hassle.

Or, you could just go for an unlimited cash back card that gives you cashback on virtually anything:

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