Merchant category codes

MCC 5045: Computers, Computer Peripheral Equipment and Software (Wholesale)

MCC 5045 is the merchant category code for computers and equipment, wholesale. 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 5045 at a glance

5045

Name: Computers, Computer Peripheral Equipment and Software (Wholesale)

Wholesalers and distributors selling computers, peripherals and software to businesses.

Seeing it on your own card statement?

It means the business is classified as a computer and equipment wholesaler.

What MCC 5045 covers

MCC 5045 covers businesses that sell computers, peripheral equipment and software at wholesale, to other businesses rather than to consumers.

Code	Name	How it differs
5045	Computers and Equipment, wholesale	B2B computer and software distribution
5044	Office and Photographic Equipment, wholesale	Office machines and copiers
5065	Electrical Parts and Equipment	Electrical and electronic components
5734	Computer Software Stores	Retail software sales

Why the code changes what a business pays

Wholesale codes tell the networks a business sells to other businesses, which is where commercial card programs and large-ticket sales apply. A computer distributor coded as a retail store looks like a consumer seller to every system that reads the code.

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.

Why the code matters more for B2B sellers

For wholesalers and distributors, the code is only half the story. Business, corporate and purchasing cards carry their own interchange, and the lower rates depend on Level 2 and Level 3 data reaching the card networks with every sale. On Visa corporate and purchasing cards, complete data can cut interchange by close to a full percentage point; on Visa business cards the gap is smaller, about a quarter of a point as of 2026. A correct code with incomplete data still leaves money on the table on every large invoice.

See Level 3 credit card processing, Visa’s Commercial Enhanced Data Program and the Credit Manager Toolkit.

Signs MCC 5045 may be the wrong code

Your statement shows a retail code for a wholesale business
Large invoices paid by card clear at standard rates
Your business-card sales downgrade
You have never been asked about Level 2 or Level 3 data

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 5045?

It is the merchant category code for wholesale computers, computer peripheral equipment and software.

What is the difference between 5045 and 5734?

5045 is wholesale, selling to businesses. 5734 is retail software stores.

Do B2B sellers need Level 3 data?

Yes, if they take corporate or purchasing cards. Complete Level 3 data can lower interchange by close to a full percentage point on those cards.

Can a distributor change its merchant category code?

Yes, by asking its processor, as long as the code matches what the business actually does.

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, including the Level 2 and Level 3 data your business-card sales depend on, 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.