MCC Codes and Grocery/Restaurant cashback

[Anonymous]

I was wondering how this works with visa/MC network cards. I saw a thread before on AMEX Blue Cash, where despite AMEX giving a big list of MCC codes so we can know what counts as what, they choose to ignore them on an individual basis on their own network (they will ignore targets and walmarts that have 5411-supermarket/grocery codes for the grocery cashback).

 I have a local target that uses the 5411 code, and the purchase category shows up as Groceries when i look at the detail on online banking on my cap1(mastercard) and BOA(visa). Also my work cafeteria shows up under REstaurants on both of those cards(uses code 5814). Using my Discover and AMEX it is not recognized as a restaurant.

So im wondering if people with MC/VISA cards ever get denied the bonus cashback because the specific card issuer doesn't recognize a certain place in the category it's coded as or have they generally been going by what the MCC code says?

this is where i looked up the codes http://visa.via.infonow.net/locator/usa/supplier/NewSearch.do

[Mailak]

The way I see it, AMEX isn't ignoring coding - they're just using an entirely different set of coding. If I look up my local wal-mart using this link, it is classified in one category but it appears as something else on my AMEX. So, they seem to be working off a different set of merchant classification, which may or may not overlap with the Visa/MC one. 

I'm not the most informed on this topic but this is essentially what I have seen in my own experience.

[Anonymous]

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@Mailak wrote:

The way I see it, AMEX isn't ignoring coding - they're just using an entirely different set of coding. If I look up my local wal-mart using this link, it is classified in one category but it appears as something else on my AMEX. So, they seem to be working off a different set of merchant classification, which may or may not overlap with the Visa/MC one. 

I'm not the most informed on this topic but this is essentially what I have seen in my own experience.

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I believe Amex has their own merchant classification codes, and that they don't exactly match up with Visa.

[ztnjpv]

The way I see it, AMEX isn't ignoring coding - they're just using an entirely different set of coding. If I look up my local wal-mart using this link, it is classified in one category but it appears as something else on my AMEX. So, they seem to be working off a different set of merchant classification, which may or may not overlap with the Visa/MC one. 

I'm not the most informed on this topic but this is essentially what I have seen in my own experience.

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Agreed. When I buy something at Walmart SC with my Visa, it says Groceries. When I buy something with my Amex, it says Discount Stores. It's totally deliberate on their part. They know full well that Walmart and Target grocery shoppers are being excluded from their 6% and 3% cash back on the Blue Cash Cards. It's probably partly why they offer those rewards. If those stores were included, they would NOT offer such high cash back rewards on groceries. 

[Mailak]

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@ztnjpv wrote:

The way I see it, AMEX isn't ignoring coding - they're just using an entirely different set of coding. If I look up my local wal-mart using this link, it is classified in one category but it appears as something else on my AMEX. So, they seem to be working off a different set of merchant classification, which may or may not overlap with the Visa/MC one. 

I'm not the most informed on this topic but this is essentially what I have seen in my own experience.

..........................................................................................................................................................

Agreed. When I buy something at Walmart SC with my Visa, it says Groceries. When I buy something with my Amex, it says Discount Stores. It's totally deliberate on their part. They know full well that Walmart and Target grocery shoppers are being excluded from their 6% and 3% cash back on the Blue Cash Cards. It's probably partly why they offer those rewards. If those stores were included, they would NOT offer such high cash back rewards on groceries. 

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It's not just AMEX though. I was reading Discover's rules regarding cashback and they said they will exclude discount and warehouse store purchases from being considered towards the minimum needed for getting a certain level of cashback. That clearly is directed towards Walmarts and Targets as well. I can understand all of them not being labeled as grocery stores but the "Super" ones which have groceries seem like appropriate candidates for being called grocery stores. Of course, they have big ticket items too and that's what they are trying to exclude.

Hmmph, in return, I now only get my alcohol from a real grocery store on my BCP.