Ever swiped your credit card expecting cashback, only to check your statement and realise—wait, where’s my rebate? That’s because not all spending is classified the way you think.
Welcome to the sneaky world of Merchant Category Codes (MCCs)—the behind-the-scenes labels that banks use to categorise transactions. These codes determine whether your purchase qualifies for cashback, miles, or bonus points.
I can hear your brain right now. You’re thinking—do I REALLY need to know this?
Well, yes. If you don’t understand how MCCs work, you could be leaving money on the table—losing out on perks just because a transaction was classified differently than expected.
What you assume is “dining” or “online spending” could actually be categorised as something else entirely. And boom—your rewards? Gone. Let’s avoid that, shall we?
In this article, we’ll be looking at:
- What MCCs are and how they affect your credit card rewards
- Common misclassifications that could impact your rebates
- The MCCs of some popular brands and franchises
Guide To Popular Merchant Category Codes (MCCs) in Singapore (2025)
- So, what are merchant category codes (MCCs) really?
- Confusing MCC exhibit A: RedMart and Lazada
- How do I check the MCC to prevent confusion?
- Confusing MCC exhibit B: Dining within hotels
- What is the MCC for online transactions?
- 20 popular brands and their unexpected MCCs
- MCCs for popular online marketplaces
- MCCs for Grab services
- MCCs for food delivery apps
- MCCs for F&B outlets
- MCCs for clothing and retail outlets
- MCCs for duty-free shopping
- MCCs for Japanese department stores
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. This, in turn, affects our credit card rewards. Ah-ha–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).
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.
How do I check the MCC to prevent confusion?
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:
Let’s say you spend $400 on a hotel buffet for your family—hoping that it’ll be classified as “local dining” so you can earn the 5X rewards. So, you then go and check your statement:
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If you’re like me and don’t want to be put on hold for hours or go through your old credit card invoices, you could also 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.
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.
Another method, which is pretty unorthodox but still valid, is to use the amaze card from Instarem. Just fail a transaction while using the amaze card and it’ll let you see the MCC code of the business on your transaction history.
Just follow these simple steps:
- Lock your Instarem card.
- Lock the credit card linked to your Instarem app.
- Change your Instarem payment method to the Amaze Wallet and ensure the balance is S$0.
After that, make the purchase using your Amaze card. Then, just check your transaction history in the app to find the business’s MCC.
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
Also, know that certain card networks assign the MCCs in the same way, but some do them a little differently. So there might not be any standardisation across Stripe, Visa checkout, MasterCard, etc.
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:
| Dining MCCs | Description | Applicable Payment Brands |
| MCC 5811 | Caterers | Visa, Mastercard |
| MCC 5812 | Eating Places, Restaurants | Visa, Mastercard |
| MCC 5814 | Fast Food Restaurants | Visa, Mastercard |
What is the MCC for online transactions?
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:
| MCCs | Description | Applicable Payment Brands |
| 5311 | Department Stores | Visa, Mastercard |
| 5691 | Men’s and Women’s Clothing Stores | Visa, Mastercard |
| 5722 | Household Appliance Stores | Visa, Mastercard |
| 5732 | Electronics | Visa, Mastercard |
| 5941 | Sporting goods | Visa, Mastercard |
| 5977 | Cosmetic Stores | Visa, Mastercard |
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:
| MCCs | Description | Applicable Payment Brands |
| MCC 3000 to 3299 | Airlines, air carriers | Visa, Mastercard, TSYS |
| MCC 4511 | Airlines, air carriers (not elsewhere classified) | Visa, Mastercard |
| MCC 3300 to 3499 | Car rental | Visa, Mastercard |
| MCC 3615 | Travelodge motels | Visa, Mastercard |
| MCC 7011 | Lodging – hotels, motels, resorts (not elsewhere classified) | Visa, Mastercard |
| MCC 4112 | Passenger railways | Visa, Mastercard |
| MCC 4411 | Cruise lines | Visa, Mastercard |
| MCC 4722 | Travel agencies and tour operators | Visa, Mastercard |
| MCC 5962 | Direct marketing – travel-related arrangement services | Visa, Mastercard |
| MCC 5309 | Duty-free Stores | Visa, Mastercard |
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!
| Merchant | MCC | Description |
| Amazon | MCC 5999 | Miscellaneous and Specialty Retail Stores |
| Lazada | MCC 5311 | Department Stores |
| RedMart (via Lazada) | MCC 5411 | Grocery Stores, Supermarkets |
| Qoo10 | MCC 5699 | Accessory and Apparel Stores—Miscellaneous |
| Shopee | MCC 5699 | Accessory and Apparel Stores—Miscellaneous |
| Ez Buy | MCC 5691 | Men’s and Women’s Clothing Stores |
| IKEA | MCC 5712 | Equipment, Furniture and Home Furnishings Stores (except Appliances) |
| Taobao app | MCC 5311 | Department Stores |
| Taobao website | MCC 5411 | Grocery Stores, Supermarkets |
| GrabPay | MCC 7399 | Business Services Not Elsewhere Classified |
| Grab rides | MCC 4121 | Taxicabs and Limousines |
| GrabFood | MCC 5499 | Miscellaneous Food Stores–Convenience Stores, Markets, Specialty Stores, and Vending Machines |
| FoodPanda | MCC 5499 | Miscellaneous Food Stores–Convenience Stores, Markets, Specialty Stores, and Vending Machines |
| Ryde | MCC 5734 | Computer Software Stores |
| Dominoes | 5811 | Caterers |
| Deliveroo | MCC 5499 | Miscellaneous Food Stores–Convenience Stores, Markets, Specialty Stores, and Vending Machines |
| iShopChangi | MCC 4582 | Airports, Airport Terminals, Flying Fields |
| Duty Free Shopping at Changi Airport | MCC 5309 | Duty Free Stores |
| Don Don Donki | MCC 5411 | Grocery Stores, Supermarkets |
| Tokyu Hands | MCC 5311 | Department Stores |
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.
MCCs for online shopping & marketplaces (Amazon, Qoo10, Lazada, EzBuy, Taobao and more)
| Merchant | MCC | Description |
| Amazon | MCC 5999 | Miscellaneous and Specialty Retail Stores |
| Lazada | MCC 5311 | Department Stores |
| RedMart (via Lazada) | MCC 5411 | Grocery Stores, Supermarkets |
| Qoo10 | MCC 5399 | Miscellaneous General Merchandise Stores |
| Shopee | MCC 5399 | Miscellaneous General Merchandise Stores |
| Carousell | MCC 5999 | Miscellaneous and Specialty Retail Stores |
| EzBuy | MCC 5691 | Men’s and Women’s Clothing Stores |
| IKEA | MCC 5712 | Equipment, Furniture and Home Furnishings Stores (except Appliances) |
| Taobao app | MCC 5311 | Department Stores |
| Taobao website | MCC 5411 | Grocery Stores, Supermarkets |
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.
MCCs for ride-hailing services (Grab, Gojek, Ryde, Comfort)
| Merchant | MCC | Description |
| Grab | MCC 4121 | Taxicabs and Limousines |
| Gojek | MCC 4121 | Taxicabs and Limousines |
| Comfort | MCC 4121 | Taxicabs and Limousines |
| Ryde | MCC 5734 | Computer Software Stores |
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?
MCCs for Grab services (GrabPay, GrabFood and Grab rides)
| Merchant | MCC | Description |
| GrabPay | MCC 7399 | Business Services Not Elsewhere Classified |
| Grab rides | MCC 4121 | Taxicabs and Limousines |
| GrabFood | MCC 5499 | Miscellaneous Food Stores–Convenience Stores, Markets, Specialty Stores, and Vending Machines |
Let’s take a closer look at Grab because—well they have a ton of services aside from transport.
For Grab rides and GrabFood, it’s quite straightforward. However, there’s a lot of speculation about GrabPay.
Some people think it may be considered stored value or quasi cash, but WhatCard says it’s “business services not elsewhere classified”. I have no idea who is right—@Grab, what say you?
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.
MCCs for food delivery apps (GrabFood, FoodPanda and Deliveroo)
| Merchant | MCC | Description |
| GrabFood | MCC 5499 | Miscellaneous Food Stores–Convenience Stores, Markets, Specialty Stores, and Vending Machines |
| FoodPanda | MCC 5499 | Miscellaneous Food Stores–Convenience Stores, Markets, Specialty Stores, and Vending Machines |
| Deliveroo | MCC 5499 | Miscellaneous Food Stores–Convenience Stores, Markets, Specialty Stores, and Vending Machines |
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.
MCCs for popular F&B outlets
| Merchant | MCC | Description |
| McDonalds | 5814 | Fast Food Restaurants |
| Dominoes | 5811 | Caterers |
| Toast Box | 5812 | Eating Places and Restaurants |
| Old Chang Kee | 5814 | Fast Food Restaurants |
| Subway | 5814 | Fast Food Restaurants |
| Pizza Hut | 5814 | Fast Food Restaurants |
| Bengawan Solo | 5462 | Bakeries |
| IKEA restaurant | 5814 | Fast Food Restaurants |
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.
MCCs for popular clothing and retail outlets
| Merchant | MCC | Description |
| Aldo | 5661 | Shoe stores |
| Bossini | 5651 | Family clothing stores |
| Zara | 5691 | Men’s and Women’s Clothing Stores |
| Uniqlo | 5651 | Family Clothing Stores |
| H&M | 5691 | Men’s and Women’s Clothing Stores |
| Cotton On | 5691 | Men’s and Women’s Clothing Stores |
| Cotton On Kids | 5641 | Children’s and Infants’ Wear Stores |
| Love Bonito | 5621 | Women’s Ready to Wear Stores |
| Forever21 | 5621 | Women’s Ready to Wear Stores |
| G2000 | 5691 | Men’s and Women’s Clothing Stores |
| Pedro | 5661 | Shoe stores |
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?
MCCs for duty-free shopping at Changi Airport (and iShopChangi)
| Merchant | MCC | Description |
| iShopChangi | MCC 4582 | Airports, Airport Terminals, Flying Fields |
| Duty Free Shopping at Changi Airport | MCC 5309 | Duty Free Stores |
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.
MCCs for Japanese department stores (Don Don Donki and Tokyu Hands)
| Merchant | MCC | Description |
| Don Don Donki | MCC 5411 | Grocery Stores, Supermarkets |
| Hands (Formerly Tokyu Hands) | MCC 5311 | Department Stores |
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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About the author
Having been writing for a little over 10 years, KC has flexed his pen in a variety of industries—think automotive, fitness, entertainment, and finance. He’s ultimately on a mission to prove that any topic, no matter how serious, can be made fun.
Off-duty? It’s all about food, drinks, parties, and gaming marathons.
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