---
title: "Merchant category code"
description: "A merchant category code (MCC) is a four-digit number that describes a merchant's business. Common travel MCC codes and how card controls use them."
canonical: https://engine.com/glossary/merchant-category-code
updated: 2026-11-02
author: "Engine Editorial"
---

# Merchant category code

A merchant category code (MCC) is a four-digit number assigned to a merchant to describe its primary business, such as 7011 for hotels, motels and resorts.

Also called: MCC

Updated November 2, 2026 by Engine Editorial

## What is a merchant category code (MCC)?

A merchant category code is the four-digit label a card network uses to say what kind of business took a payment. This cheat sheet covers how to think about MCCs and where card rules built on them go wrong. Common travel codes are further down.

### How to think about it

- **It describes the primary business.** Visa defines the MCC as a four-digit number describing a merchant's primary business, based on annual sales volume.
- **The acquirer assigns it.** Visa requires acquirers to assign the correct MCC to each of their merchants, and can require corrections.
- **Big travel brands have their own.** Major airlines, car rental companies and hotel chains can have merchant-specific MCCs, such as 3504 for Hilton Hotels and 3357 for Hertz.
- **Card controls use it.** Card programs can block categories of merchants by MCC. Government agencies block certain MCCs on GSA SmartPay cards to prevent fraud and misuse.

### Where card rules go wrong

- **Blocking only the generic code.** An airline, car rental or lodging merchant with its own MCC must use it for its core business, so a rule written only for 7011 or 4511 misses those brands.
- **Assuming everything at a hotel codes as lodging.** A separate business on hotel premises, like a florist, uses its own MCC whether or not it's affiliated with the hotel.
- **Blaming the card for a decline.** GSA tells merchants that a card may be refused because the merchant's MCC is blocked by the agency.

## Common travel MCC codes

| MCC | Visa title | Note |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 3000 to 3350 | Individual airline MCCs | For airlines with their own code |
| 4511 | Airlines and air carriers (not elsewhere classified) | For airlines without their own code |
| 3357 | Hertz | A car rental brand with its own code |
| 7512 | Automobile rental agency | For car rental companies without their own code |
| 3501 | Holiday Inns | A hotel brand with its own code |
| 3504 | Hilton Hotels | A hotel brand with its own code |
| 7011 | Lodging: hotels, motels, resorts, central reservation services (not elsewhere classified) | For lodging without its own code |
| 4121 | Taxicabs and limousines | |
| 4722 | Travel agencies and tour operators | |
| 5812 | Eating places and restaurants | |

## See travel spend by project and team

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[Get started](https://engine.com/sign-up)

## Questions

### How many digits is a merchant category code?

Four. Visa describes the MCC as a four-digit number assigned to describe a merchant's primary business.

### What is the MCC for hotels?

The general lodging code is 7011. Hotel chains with their own merchant-specific MCC, such as 3501 for Holiday Inns, must use that code for their core business.

### Who assigns a merchant's MCC?

Under Visa's rules, the acquirer assigns the MCC to each merchant and must get it right. Visa can require corrections.

### Can a business have more than one MCC?

Yes. A merchant with more than one line of business can use the MCC for its highest-volume business or a different MCC for each line, and some transactions, like ATM cash withdrawals, require their own code.

## Go deeper

- [Purchasing card (P-card)](https://engine.com/glossary/purchasing-card)
- [Virtual card](https://engine.com/glossary/virtual-card)
- [Level 3 data](https://engine.com/glossary/level-3-data)
- [Engine travel reporting and analytics](https://engine.com/features/travel-reporting-analytics)

## Sources

1. Visa, "Visa Merchant Data Standards Manual (October 2026)," https://usa.visa.com/content/dam/VCOM/download/merchants/visa-merchant-data-standards-manual.pdf, accessed November 2, 2026.
2. U.S. General Services Administration, "GSA SmartPay 2 vendor brochure," https://vsc.gsa.gov/drupal/sites/default/files/internal-files/SP2_vendor_brochure_final.pdf, accessed November 2, 2026.
3. Visa, "Visa Virtual Card for Business," https://usa.visa.com/pay-with-visa/cards/small-business-cards/virtual-cards.html, accessed November 2, 2026.
4. Engine, "Travel Reporting and Analytics," https://engine.com/features/travel-reporting-analytics, accessed November 2, 2026.