Home » An Overview of High-Risk Merchant Category Codes in 2026 [List Included]

A merchant category code, or MCC, is a four-digit number used by payment networks to identify the primary type of products or services a business sells. That’s why a restaurant, a travel agency, a subscription service, and an online gaming business will all receive different MCCs.

An MCC can influence how acquiring banks, payment processors, and card networks evaluate your business. If your business falls under a category commonly considered high risk, you may face higher processing fees, rolling reserves, and delayed funding.

This guide explains how high-risk MCC codes work, provides a list of common high-risk MCC codes, and discusses how this classification affects payment processing. You will also learn how to find your MCC, fix an incorrect code, and answers to other common questions we receive from high-risk merchants.

What are high-risk MCC codes and how do they work?

A high-risk merchant category code is a standard four-digit MCC associated with a business category that a card network, acquiring bank, or payment processor considers more difficult to approve or monitor. 

The MCC does not determine risk by itself — it’s just one of many factors underwriters will consider. 

Who assigns an MCC? 

Your acquiring bank or one of its authorized agents normally assigns your MCC when your merchant account is established. When you process through the likes of PayPal and Stripe, they evaluate your business and assign the appropriate code for your submerchant account.

Visa requires acquirers and their agents to select the MCC that most accurately describes the merchant’s primary business activity. When a merchant has multiple business lines, the acquirer may use the MCC associated with the highest sales volume or establish separate MCCs for distinct lines of business.

MCC vs MID vs SIC vs NAICS 

MCCs are easy to confuse with other business codes and account identifiers. Each system serves a different purpose.

How MCCs are used in payment processing 

A Merchant Category Code follows the merchant into the payment-processing environment and helps participants understand the type of business behind a transaction. Visa describes MCC data as a tool for activity tracking, reporting, and risk management.

Payment companies can use your MCC for several purposes:

• Merchant underwriting: Acquirers and processors compare your MCC against their risk policies, prohibited-business lists, and underwriting requirements.
• Card-network compliance: Certain MCCs may trigger network registration, transaction data monitoring, or operational requirements.
• Transaction processing: The MCC identifies the merchant’s business category within authorization and clearing data.
• Risk monitoring: Acquirers and card networks can use MCC data to group and monitor transactions associated with particular industries.
• Pricing and interchange: Merchant category can be one factor used when applying interchange categories and processor pricing, although transaction type, card type, sales channel, and the merchant agreement also affect the final cost.
• Product and feature eligibility: Some payment methods, transaction types, and processing features are limited to — or excluded from — particular MCCs. For example, eligibility for some pre-authorization capabilities can depend on the merchant’s MCC.

Because the MCC affects several parts of the processing relationship, your assigned code should accurately reflect what your business primarily sells.

Is there an official high-risk MCC code list? 

There is no universal high-risk MCC code list that applies to every payment processor, acquiring bank, or card network. 

Visa and Mastercard do identify specific merchant categories that require additional registration, due diligence, or monitoring. However, your MCC is only one part of the classification. Underwriters will also review your business model, products and services, sales channels, operating locations, processing history, and more. 

As a result, two merchants with the same MCC may receive different approval decisions, reserves, processing limits, and pricing.

A list of common high-risk MCC codes

The following high-risk MCC codes list covers business categories that frequently receive additional scrutiny during underwriting. 

Important note: Inclusion in this table does not mean every merchant using the respective MCC will automatically be classified as high risk. Some MCCs cover broad categories, and additional requirements may apply only to a specific activity, sales channel, product, or jurisdiction.

Here’s a quick list in the form of a graphic, followed by a table with additional information.

Mastercard publicly lists the MCCs and merchant activities covered by its Specialty Merchant Registration Program. Visa requires acquirers to register merchants classified under the Visa Integrity Risk Program, or VIRP. The complete MCC and activity mapping is maintained in the separate VIRP Guide, available through Visa Access (its client portal).

High-risk vs restricted vs prohibited categories 

High risk, restricted, and prohibited labels describe different levels of payment-processing eligibility. The terms are not perfectly standardized, so a business that one provider accepts may appear on another provider’s list of restricted or prohibited businesses.

A prohibited category may still be legal — just not supported by particular payment processing providers.

Stripe is a great example. It has a strict list of prohibited and restricted businesses. If you are on that list, you can’t use Stripe, but you can still process payments by opening a high-risk merchant account with a specialized provider like SecureGlobalPay.

Ways to find your MCC code

Your MCC may not appear prominently in your payment dashboard. You can usually find it through your processor, transaction records, or merchant-account documents. 

Follow these steps to find your MCC code:

1. Check your merchant statement: Review your monthly processing statement for a field labeled “MCC,” “merchant category,” or “merchant type.”
2. Review your processor dashboard: Some processors display the MCC in your business profile, account settings, tax information, or transaction details.
3. Contact your processor or acquiring bank: Ask support to confirm the four-digit MCC assigned to your merchant account. Request written confirmation if the classification affects underwriting or compliance.
4. Check transaction data: MCC information may appear in payment API responses, gateway reports, cardholder transaction records, or issuing-bank data.
5. Compare the code with your actual business activity: Review the official MCC description and confirm that it accurately represents the products or services generating most of your payment volume.
6. Check each merchant account separately: A business with multiple MIDs, websites, locations, or acquiring relationships may have more than one MCC.

Public MCC lookup tools can help you understand what a code means, but they cannot confirm which MCC your processor has assigned. Your acquiring bank or payment processor is the authoritative source for your account’s classification.

What should you do if your MCC code is incorrect? 

If your MCC does not accurately describe your primary business activity, ask your payment processor or acquiring bank to review and correct it.

Describe what your business actually sells, how customers place orders, and which activity generates most of your card revenue. Explain whether the original code was assigned incorrectly or your business model has changed since the account was opened. 

If you operate distinct business lines, websites, storefronts, or payment flows, the processor may recommend a separate MID and MCC.

For example, a hotel that operates a separately branded restaurant with its own point-of-sale system may need a lodging MCC for the hotel and a restaurant MCC for the dining business.

Get reliable payment processing for any high-risk venture

SecureGlobalPay is an all-in-one high-risk merchant services provider that helps hard-to-place merchants get approved, open an account, and start processing. We’ll pair you with compatible acquiring banks, prepare your application for underwriting, and give you all of the tools and technology you need to take and process payments. 

Businesses that sign up with SecureGlobalPay get access to:

• Domestic and offshore merchant accounts: We will find an acquiring relationship that fits your industry, location, processing volume, and risk profile.
• High-risk payment gateway: Accept online payments through a modern gateway with recurring billing, virtual terminal capabilities, multiple integrations, and built-in fraud-prevention tools.
• Chargeback and fraud support: Use fraud filters, transaction controls, and chargeback-management tools to reduce avoidable losses and protect your merchant account.
• Multiple payment channels: Process e-commerce, mobile, retail, recurring, MOTO, ACH, and eCheck payments, depending on your approval and business type.
• Flexible funding options: Qualified merchants may be eligible for same-day or next-day funding.
• Dedicated US-based support: Each client gets an industry veteran as their support manager, whom you can get in touch with via phone or email.
• Help preparing for underwriting: SecureGlobalPay can help you organize the documents, policies, processing records, and compliance information that acquiring banks may request.

An accurate MCC and a properly structured application can reduce delays, prevent classification problems, and improve your chances of finding a processor that supports your business.

Apply with SecureGlobalPay and get a payment processing partner that will always have your back.