Merchant Category Codes
Merchant Category Codes (MCC) are unique codes assigned by Visa to identify the type of goods or services a business provides, such as restaurants, fuel stations, or hotels.
Category Controls
Alaan offers Category Controls by grouping MCC into categories to make it easier for you to manage and restrict card transactions.
For example, if you want to limit spending on a particular Card at fuel stations, you can set a restriction for the “Fuel” category, which includes all Fuel Stations that have used the relevant MCC.
How to use them
You can set category restrictions on both new and existing physical or virtual cards. You have two options for managing these restrictions:
Allow Categories Only: You can choose to allow the card to be used only with the types of merchants listed in the categories below. However, keep in mind that if you select all the categories, the card won't work with just any merchant—it will be limited to those that fall under the specified categories.
Block Categories Only: Alternatively, you can choose this option to restrict the card from being used with the specific categories listed below. This means that transactions with the types of merchants mentioned in the table will be declined.
MCC Categories on Alaan and Examples
Category Control Name | Category Description | Merchant Examples |
Fuel | Charges related to purchasing fuel for vehicles. | ADNOC, Emarat, ENOC, EPPCO, etc. |
Repairs | Costs for vehicle or equipment repairs and maintenance. | Uniplus Auto Spare Parts, New Infinity Auto, High Star Auto Spare, Hydro Power Trading, etc. |
Airlines | Charges for flight tickets and related airline services. | Fly Dubai, Emirates, etc. |
Hotels and Lodging | Expenses for staying at hotels or other accommodation. | JW Marriott Hotels, Booking.com, Radisson Blu, Crowne Plaza, etc. |
Medical Services and Pharmacies | Payments for medical services and purchases from pharmacies. | Al Ghail Pharmacy, Aster Pharmacy, Medeor Hospital, etc. |
Fast Food and Restaurants | Charges for dining at fast food places and restaurants. | Deliveroo, Hungerstation, L'ETO, Neighborhood Café & Bar, Talabat, Uber Eats Pending, Al Shahad Foods, etc. |
Taxi, Car Rental, etc. | Expenses for taxi rides, car rentals, and related services. | Dubai Taxi, National Taxi, Uber, MakeMyTrip, Emirates SkyCargo, DHL Express, Careem Ride, etc. |
Telecommunication Services | Payments for phone services and internet. | Etisalat, DU Quick Pay, Virgin Mobile, Zoom, etc. |
Government Services | Fees for various government services and transactions. | Abu Dhabi Global Market, Abu Dhabi Police, Connections Tawjeeh Center, Dubai Health Authority (DHA), Dubai Insurance Company, ICP Smart Services, MOHRE: Ministry of Human Resources & Emiratisation, UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), Digital Dubai Authority, VFS Global, ASAS Directing Employees and Workers Centre, etc. |
Advertisement | Costs associated with online ads and marketing on various platforms. | Facebook Ads, Meta, LinkedIn Ads, Google Ads, Pinterest Ads, Snap Inc. (Snapchat), etc. |
Parking | Charges for parking services. | Mawgif (National Parking Company), GreenParking, etc. |
Supermarket | Purchases made at supermarkets and online grocery stores. | Amazon.ae, Big Value Supermarket, Carrefour, Deliveroo, Lulu Hypermarket, Noon, Spinneys, Talabat, Union Coop, Waitrose UAE & Partners, Instashop, etc. |
Software and Technology | Payments for software, technology services, and online platforms. | Adobe, Twilio Inc, Apple, Mailchimp, Webflow, Bluehost, ChatGPT, Atlassian, Google, etc. |
Miscellaneous Hospitality and Property Management | This category is used for payments related to property management fees, rental payments, commissions, and deposits at real estate agents and brokers, hotels, etc. | Dubai Word Trade Centre, Bayut, Property Finder, Atlantis The Royal, Motor City, Luxury Owners Association Management Company, Emaar Properties, Danube, etc.
|
Miscellaneous Business Services | This category is used for a wide range of business-related services that don’t fit into the specific categories provided. | Apollo.io, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Docusign, Google (Cloud, GSuite, Domains, Play Store, etc), Noon Pay, Remote.com Linktree, Linear, etc. |
Things to have in mind
Unexpected MCC
The MCC allocated by Visa to a merchant might be unexpected given the actual service provided, which can affect how the restrictions work. An example is AWS whose MCC falls under Miscellaneous Business Services, not Software and Technology as one could expect.
Same company, different MCC
some companies use the same MCC for all their services. For instance, Careem might use one code for both ride-hailing and food delivery. So, even if you’ve restricted “Taxi, Car Rental, etc.,” you might still be able to order food delivery from Careem.