New Credit Card merchant Codes: How do I find

[ras_oscar]

I just took delivery of some ammo that I purchased using my credit card. For those of you in the retail business, what is the new merchant code(s) for firearms related purchases and how do I find whether my merchant applied it to this particular purchase? Is it mandatory or up to the individual merchant to decide whether to apply the new code or continue using the old "sporting goods" code?

 

[kshaw]

I just took delivery of some ammo that I purchased using my credit card. For those of you in the retail business, what is the new merchant code(s) for firearms related purchases and how do I find whether my merchant applied it to this particular purchase? Is it mandatory or up to the individual merchant to decide whether to apply the new code or continue using the old "sporting goods" code?

Here are the guides on the MCC codes. One is for VISA and the other for Mastercard.

 

[TapRackBang]

Kshaw, please delete those guides from your post. They are out-of-date and obsolete.
The Mastercard is from 2018, and the Visa from November 2021.
They are not relevant to the new MCC that was implemented in September 2022 just for firearms.

 

[Ismee]

I just took delivery of some ammo that I purchased using my credit card. For those of you in the retail business, what is the new merchant code(s) for firearms related purchases and how do I find whether my merchant applied it to this particular purchase? Is it mandatory or up to the individual merchant to decide whether to apply the new code or continue using the old "sporting goods" code?

Also, if I may, again I ask out of ignorance, Would the codes apply to purchases completed with apple-pay, google-pay, paypal, etc (I use neither). I detected some fraudulent transactions on one of my debit cards and was surprised to realise that ebay classifies almost everthing as apparel.

 

[Jerry M]

Look at your statement, the mcc is listed. Also, note that not all mccs are accurate for the merchant involved.

 

[ras_oscar]

Can anyone tell me what the old "sporting goods" code is and what the new "firearms" code is?

 

[NebTim]

Any updates on this? I read that although MC, Visa and Discover all agreed to use these new codes, as of a few days ago; Discover is the only credit card company that went ahead with using a special new code for firearms, ammo (and probably other firearms related purchases (powder anyone....?)). Its obvious this is so they can report it for some nefarious anti-American purpose. This is the final straw for Discover card; they refused to let people use their card to donate to the Rittenhouse defense fund, and now tracking firearms purchases.... they are going loony like Disney did recently.

 

[Inigoes]

Any updates on this? I read that although MC, Visa and Discover all agreed to use these new codes, as of a few days ago; Discover is the only credit card company that went ahead with using a special new code for firearms, ammo (and probably other firearms related purchases (powder anyone....?)). Its obvious this is so they can report it for some nefarious anti-American purpose. This is the final straw for Discover card; they refused to let people use their card to donate to the Rittenhouse defense fund, and now tracking firearms purchases.... they are going loony like Disney did recently.

The CC companies put the initiative on hold as they were threatened to be sued by over half of the US states attorney generals.

https://www.mdshooters.com/threads/discover-tracking-gun-purchases-what-card-will-be-next.273138/

 

[Allen65]

Any updates on this? I read that although MC, Visa and Discover all agreed to use these new codes, as of a few days ago; Discover is the only credit card company that went ahead with using a special new code for firearms, ammo (and probably other firearms related purchases (powder anyone....?)). Its obvious this is so they can report it for some nefarious anti-American purpose. This is the final straw for Discover card; they refused to let people use their card to donate to the Rittenhouse defense fund, and now tracking firearms purchases.... they are going loony like Disney did recently.

I use my Discover card via PayPal to make donations to MSI. Now if only Everytown or the Giffords would send out postage-paid donation envelopes that I could use to send back notes saying "Sorry, I'm not donating."

 

[NebTim]

Thanks. And that's clever, using their paid postage against them. I recall someone long ago taping something like that to mail a brick back $$$. lol

 

[ras_oscar]

I understand from the news updates that Visa and Amex have paused on implementing the new CC merchant codes.

1. What's to keep them from quietly implementing them once the furor dies down?
2. Has anyone defined what a "suspicious" purchase amount is that warrants a report to ATF, or are they planning to do a monthly dump of all transactions under that merchant code?

3. Is there anything keeping the merchants from retaining their old sporting goods merchant code and not even using the new firearms code at all?

4. Does a merchant select one code to conduct all their credit card transactions or do they divide the individual items within a given order and code them with multiple codes?