Merchant category codes

MCC 5999: Miscellaneous and Specialty Retail Stores

MCC 5999 is the merchant category code for miscellaneous retail. It tells every card network what kind of business you are, and that decides which interchange rates your sales can qualify for.

Written by Robert Day, Founder and Managing Partner of weAudit.com, previously an executive at Fifth Third Processing Solutions, later Vantiv and Worldpay, now part of Global Payments, the world’s largest card processor. Published October 2026.

MCC 5999 at a glance

5999

Name: Miscellaneous and Specialty Retail Stores

Retail businesses that do not fit a more specific retail code: specialty shops, niche product sellers and many online retailers.

Seeing it on your own card statement?

It means the business is classified as miscellaneous retail. Because 5999 is a catch-all, it can describe almost any kind of store.

What MCC 5999 covers

MCC 5999 is the catch-all for retail. It covers stores and sellers whose products do not fit a more specific code, from specialty gift and hobby items to niche online shops.

Code	Name	How it differs
5999	Miscellaneous and Specialty Retail Stores	The catch-all for retail that fits nowhere else
5311	Department Stores	Large stores selling many categories
5331	Variety Stores	General low-price merchandise
5947	Gift, Card, Novelty and Souvenir Shops	A specific code for gift retail

Why the code changes what a business pays

Because 5999 is a catch-all, it is also the code an account ends up with when nobody took the time to find the right one. A more specific code can qualify for different interchange programs, and card issuers and fraud systems read a vague code as less information about the business. Payment companies also watch 5999 closely, because higher-risk sellers sometimes land there.

The code is set when the account is opened, usually by whoever filled in the application. Nobody checks it again unless you ask. A wrong code costs money on every sale for as long as the account is open, and it never appears on the statement as a fee.

Signs MCC 5999 may be the wrong code

Your business clearly fits a more specific retail code, but your statement shows 5999
Your account was opened online in minutes, and nobody asked what you sell
You see more declines or holds than your sales justify
A reseller set up the account and nobody has checked the code since

See the full merchant category code list, run your numbers with the fee calculator, or read why setup matters more than the rate you were quoted.

Common questions

What is MCC 5999?

It is the merchant category code for miscellaneous and specialty retail stores: retail businesses that do not fit a more specific retail code.

Is MCC 5999 a high-risk code?

Not by itself, but because it is a catch-all, payment companies watch it more closely. A specific, accurate code gives issuers and processors a clearer picture of the business.

Can I change from MCC 5999 to a more specific code?

Yes, by asking your processor, as long as the new code describes what your business actually sells.

Does MCC 5999 affect credit card rewards?

It can. Rewards categories are tied to merchant codes, and 5999 rarely falls in a bonus category, so a purchase there usually earns the base rate.

Can the wrong code cost a business money?

Yes. The code decides which interchange programs a sale can qualify for, so a wrong one can cost money on every sale without ever appearing as a fee.

Send us a statement. We will check your code, and everything else.

Our first audit is free and takes about five minutes of your time. We check whether your account is coded and set up correctly, and if there is nothing to find, you will know that too.

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About this page: merchant category codes are defined by the ISO 18245 standard and published by the card networks, which occasionally add, retire or rename codes and do not always use identical names. Code names here follow Visa and Mastercard published lists, checked October 2026. Whether a code is right for a particular business depends on what it actually sells; your processor and the card networks make the final assignment.