Merchant category codes

MCC 5734: Computer Software Stores

MCC 5734 is the merchant category code for software stores. 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 5734 at a glance

5734

Name: Computer Software Stores

Businesses that sell computer software to customers, in stores or online.

Seeing it on your own card statement?

It means the business is classified as a software seller.

What MCC 5734 covers

MCC 5734 covers businesses selling computer software. Software sold as digital downloads and subscriptions has also been placed under digital goods codes, and businesses that program or design systems for clients fall under 7372.

Code	Name	How it differs
5734	Computer Software Stores	Sellers of software
5732	Electronics Stores	Consumer electronics retail
5045	Computers and Equipment, wholesale	Business-to-business computer sales
7372	Computer Programming and Data Processing	Programming and systems design services

Why the code changes what a business pays

Software sales are mostly card-not-present, often recurring, and often small, which puts them in some of the most expensive interchange categories. A correct code matters, and so does how recurring and stored-card payments are flagged when they are sent, because sales not flagged properly can downgrade.

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 5734 may be the wrong code

Your statement shows a retail or general services code for software sales
Subscription renewals are processed like one-off keyed sales
You sell to businesses but never send Level 2 or Level 3 data
Your payment platform chose your code and nobody checked it

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 5734?

It is the merchant category code for computer software stores.

What is the difference between 5734 and 7372?

5734 is for selling software. 7372 is for computer programming, data processing and systems design services.

Do software subscriptions use MCC 5734?

Some do, but subscriptions and downloads can also fall under digital goods codes. The right code depends on what you sell and how.

Why are software card fees high?

Because most software sales are online, keyed or recurring, which sit in higher interchange categories than in-person sales.

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.

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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.