Target always coded as grocery/supermarket?

[Anonymous]

I don't shop a ton at target, but did the other day and noticed on my account that it was coded as grocery store/supermarket.  Had I known that I would have used Discover for the 5% back... Anyway, I'm just wondering if Target codes this way everywhere, or if it's location-specific?

I've never thought of Target as a grocery store/supermarket at all; it wasn't until recent years that they even expanded into that area.  I was pretty surprised by the coding.  Heck, Walmart supercenters are sometimes 50% grocery store and don't code as such with consistency, where Target (mine anyway) is maybe 20%-25% grocery store.

[Anonymous]

Target is specifically exempted for 5% from Discover as is Walmart. They’re literally the only two stores listed as not being eligible by name when you look at the cashback calendar on Discover’s site. 

I dont know about MCC coding for their stores though. 

[Anonymous]

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@Anonymous wrote:

I don't shop a ton at target, but did the other day and noticed on my account that it was coded as grocery store/supermarket.  Had I known that I would have used Discover for the 5% back... Anyway, I'm just wondering if Target codes this way everywhere, or if it's location-specific?

I've never thought of Target as a grocery store/supermarket at all; it wasn't until recent years that they even expanded into that area.  I was pretty surprised by the coding.  Heck, Walmart supercenters are sometimes 50% grocery store and don't code as such with consistency, where Target (mine anyway) is maybe 20%-25% grocery store.

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Target and Walmart are excluded from the 5% as they sell more than just groceries. That being said some "SUPER" stores are excluded as well. It is ends up being how they filed for their merchant code.  Around here we have HEB and HEB Plus. The Plus's merchant code differs from the non Plus HEB. I found this out and called Discover.  I also found out that they CAN give you the cash back via some computer trickery.  They even gave retro'd January for the 5% cashback card. I had pc'd from the 2% Gas/Food card to the 5% and it took effect 01 Feb. 

At this moment not much I can fault Discover for (well other than their 1% for everything else) 

[Anonymous]

Good to know guys, I never read the fine print on the exclusions for the grocery category for Discover.  I guess I didn't miss out on anything [rewards] by not using Discover then   That point aside, is it standard protocol for Target to be coded as grocery store/supermarket?  That just seems very off to me.

[Anonymous]

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@Anonymous wrote:

I don't shop a ton at target, but did the other day and noticed on my account that it was coded as grocery store/supermarket.  Had I known that I would have used Discover for the 5% back... Anyway, I'm just wondering if Target codes this way everywhere, or if it's location-specific?

I've never thought of Target as a grocery store/supermarket at all; it wasn't until recent years that they even expanded into that area.  I was pretty surprised by the coding.  Heck, Walmart supercenters are sometimes 50% grocery store and don't code as such with consistency, where Target (mine anyway) is maybe 20%-25% grocery store.

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Are you using Discover? Is that where the account you see it on?

I only ask because I go to Target often, as I can walk to mine faster than I can drive to it. But it always shows as "Discount Store" on my AMEX statements

[Anonymous]

You got me curious so I looked up the VISA MCCs for our local Target stores. Out of the 10 closest to me, only one codes as discount store. The rest, Target and Supertarget, all code as groceries. 

[Anonymous]

This makes me curious. I had planned a Target run this weekend so maybe I’ll use AmEx instead of my Target card and then check the app to see how it codes there since it’s so easy to see the categories.

[HeavenOhio]

AMEX specially states that Target and Walmart are “superstores.” They won’t qualify for the supermarket reward.