Guide To Popular Merchant Category Codes (MCCs) in Singapore (2026)

Credit card promos in Singapore have gotten so fussy in the past couple of years. It’s not enough to spend on “dining” or “online shopping” anymore. What matters is how the merchant is coded behind the scenes (their MCC, aka Merchant Category Code).

That’s why you can eat at a hotel restaurant and somehow earn “travel” rewards… or top up a wallet and find it doesn’t count as “online spend”.

In this updated Jan 2026 guide, we’ll show you what MCCs are, why they affect cashback/miles, and the quickest ways to check a merchant’s MCC in Singapore before you drop serious money.

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So, what are merchant category codes (MCCs) really?

Let’s de-mystify the concept of Merchant Category Codes (MCC). These four-digit codes are assigned to businesses based on the products and services they offer. They’re determined by card networks like Visa, MasterCard and American Express, which use them to decide how much to charge businesses for accepting credit card payments (interchange fee). 

Before you say you don’t want any part in this (like I almost did), you should know that MCCs are used by banks to categorise our spending. Many card perks (e.g., travel/miles, dining, groceries) specify eligible MCCs in their terms—so whether your spend codes as an MCC for that category directly affects if you’ll earn bonus rewards. Aha, now I have your attention.

So let’s just go through some of the popular MCCs and maybe shed some light on the potentially confusing ones. Citibank’s got a pretty comprehensive list of MCCs which allows you to see the different codes they have for the various types of goods and services.

But aren't MCCs quite straightforward?

Yeah, most of the time, they are. The same way roses are red and violets are blue, Esso is a petrol kiosk and NTUC Fairprice is a supermarket.

However, there are grey areas and it can get a little confusing for some merchants… like RedMart (or should we say, Lazada).

Confusing exhibit A: RedMart and Lazada

When RedMart was still RedMart.com, it was clearly categorised as a supermarket. But ever since Lazada bought it over, things have changed a fair bit.

Initially, I thought it would be stamp-plus-chop under Lazada's MCC of 5311 (Department Stores). But lo’ and behold, a quick look at your statement would reveal that they actually separate the RedMart-Lazada and regular Lazada orders.

Citibank’s terms and conditions for Lazada and Redmart actually corroborates this. The RedMart-only purchase will qualify as groceries (MCC 5411 - Grocery Stores) instead of department stores (MCC 5311 - Department Stores).

Image: Citi

So, although there's no official answer, you're probably safe if you want your RedMart purchase to count as a grocery-type expenditure—even if you bought it on Lazada. But there’s no harm in checking if you really want to make sure.

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How do I check the MCC to prevent confusion?

via GIPHY

Unfortunately, there's no "official" way to check MCCs.

After some googling, I can confirm that banks like Citi, DBS, UOB do have a PDF of MCC codes online. However, there is no one standardised list that matches these codes to the businesses in Singapore. What you could try to do is contact the business you’re trying to buy from and see if they can tell you what MCC code they’re registered under.

Most people end up just working backwards—basically guessing the MCC based on how many reward points they earn for what they spent.

For example:

My advice? Don’t just wait and be put on hold for hours or pull your hair out going throug old credit card invoices. We're in 2026, try looking online.

WhatCard is a community-driven site that helps users figure out the best credit cards to use for various businesses and brands in Singapore. As part of that, it also reveals MCC codes for certain merchants. While it may not have every code, it’s a solid resource for finding MCCs for popular brands.

Image: WhatCard.sg

There’s also HEYMAX. They’re primarily a miles accumulation platform but you can use it to look up retailers and their MCC codes.

You’ll need to sign up for an account since they don’t let you use the search function otherwise. But no stress—the sign-up’s super quick. Once you’re in, just search for the merchant, and boom, the MCC pops right up. 

Image: HeyMax

Another method, which is pretty unorthodox but still valid, is to use the amaze card from Instarem. Simply make a small test transaction, then view the transaction details in the app—many users find the MCC shown there.

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Confusing exhibit B: Dining within hotels

Yes, eating at hotel restaurants may not count as "dining". What?

I know. Basically, because these places are housed within a hotel, and hotels technically focus on lodging, the MCC code follows suit.

To be fair, the bank wouldn't know anything about the nature of your expenditure. Whether it was a wedding banquet expenditure, or a staycation—all they know is that a hotel (say, Shangri-La) charged you.

ALSO READ: Best Buffets Singapore: Carousel, Colony, Edge, Peppermint, The Line Buffet Prices

MCCs are provided by the merchant’s acquirer/payment processor based on the network’s MCC definitions, so the same brand can show up under different MCCs depending on how it’s set up.

That’s going to affect the type of rewards you get out of your spending category. So, if you were hoping to get some cashback rewards under your “dining” benefits at a hotel restaurant, you might find that you’re getting miles or something different because the restaurant was classified under a hotel/travel MCC. 

Typically, for an expenditure to qualify as "dining", it must be made at a merchant with the following MCCs:

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What is the MCC for online transactions?

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Thanks to the rise of e-commerce, more cards are rewarding customers for making online transactions nowadays. So you might be wondering what MCC to look out for if your card benefit is for online shopping.

However, "online" is not a business category per se—it's not a good or service to be sold! So there is no MCC for it specifically. It's just a type of transaction, and generally, it includes any transaction made online.

So, the typical practice is for credit card companies and merchant account providers to use MCCs within retail segments to determine the categorisations of your online purchases.

Here are some of the common ones:

Sad to say, one common exclusion for the online spending category is travel. Some credit cards exclude travel-related spending, so you might not be able to earn bonus rewards for swiping your expensive flights and hotel bookings. These are some of the common travel MCCs:

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Next up, I'm going to list out the MCC codes for a few frequently used brands in Singapore.

These have been checked against Mastercard’s official list (Nov 4 2025) and current lookup resources as of January 2026, but do note that MCCs can change over time. So for double, and triple confirmations, use the resources I've indicated (WhatCard.com, HeyMax etc) to ensure that your spending categories and codes are lining up.

Top 20 popular merchants and their unexpected MCCs

So to save you some trouble, I did some research online and compiled a list of popular merchants and their MCCs. Take a look!

As I mentioned earlier in the article, there is no official confirmation on this, and the below MCCs are based on my research from banks, forums, as well as the community-driven site,www.WhatCard.sg.

In other words, they could also be wrong, or things could have changed or been updated since.

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MCCs for online shopping & marketplaces (Amazon, Qoo10, Lazada, EzBuy, Taobao and more)

There's no MCC for online marketplace platforms, so they all kind of fall into different categories. Lazada is a department store, Qoo10 is a “miscellaneous general merchandise” store, while EzBuy is just "men's and women's clothing".

The funny one is Taobao—according to WhatCard, there is a difference between the Taobao app and website. If you order on mobile, it's considered a department store. But if you order on your computer, it's actually...a supermarket.

If that's true, your cart of $4 dresses and $0.50 knick-knacks will count as grocery shopping. I know—hilarious.

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MCCs for ride-hailing services (Grab, Gojek, Ryde, Comfort)

There’s a high chance all of us reading this article spend a fortune on ride-hailing apps. It’s no surprise that popular avenues like Grab, Gojek, and Comfort are listed under “Taxicabs and Limousines”.

However, Ryde is listed under 5734 which is listed as Computer Software Stores in Citi’s MCC list. What?

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MCCs for Grab services (GrabPay, GrabFood and Grab rides)

Let’s take a closer look at Grab because—well they have a ton of services aside from transport.

Grab rides, GrabFood orders, and GrabPay wallet top-ups can code differently depending on the payment flow (e.g., rides often MCC 4121; food often MCC 5499; top-ups can be quasi-cash). Always check with your bank statement or an MCC lookup tool first.

Personally, I don't think it matters because GrabPay is in all likelihood big enough for banks to just consider it a stored value top-up to be excluded at their discretion. Do note that most credit cards don't earn you cashback on stored value top-ups, with some exceptions being the UOB Absolute Cashback Card and Amex True Cashback Card.

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MCCs for food delivery apps (GrabFood, FoodPanda and Deliveroo)

It would seem most food delivery apps have the same MCC. It's considered a convenience store of sorts, so they may not be considered dining.

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MCCs for popular F&B outlets

When it comes to food and dining, I tend to lump it all together. But as you can see from the table above, MCCs have a different take.

While fast-food staples like McDonald’s and Subway are grouped under the usual “fast food restaurants” category, there are some surprising differences. For instance, Pizza Hut and Domino’s don’t always share the same code. Even Toast Box, which I personally think of as fast food, falls under a completely different MCC.

Here’s another curveball: IKEA’s restaurant doesn’t share the same MCC as IKEA itself (5712). Totally separate and the complete opposite of how hotel and hotel restaurant MCCs are dealt with! 

It’s not something you’d immediately think about—after all, it’s literally in the same building—but as you can see, it makes a difference.

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MCCs for popular clothing and retail outlets

Skimming through the list, you’ll spot about 5 main categories. Here’s a fun one: Cotton On and Cotton On Kids are listed separately, but Uniqlo? All lumped together under “Family Clothing Stores.” 

Who would’ve guessed? 

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MCCs for duty-free shopping at Changi Airport (and iShopChangi)

Changi Airport is interesting too—although the physical duty-free shop in Changi Airport is considered a "duty free store", carting out online via iShopChangi is not.

That one seems to be considered a transaction with the airport, and will not earn you any rewards.

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MCCs for Japanese department stores (Don Don Donki and Tokyu Hands)

Lastly, I checked the MCCs for these 2 Japanese mega stores. They're super popular, and I always wondered what they'd be classified as.

It seems that Don Don Donki is a supermarket, while Hands is just a department store.

Share this article with your friends and family who are deliberating on which credit card to get!

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