# Merchant Category Code Search
source: https://developer.mastercard.com/locations-merchants/documentation/use-cases/merchant-category-code-lookup/index.md

## Merchant Category Code Lookup {#merchant-category-code-lookup}

### Overview {#overview}

A Merchant Category Code (MCC) is a four-digit code used to classify a merchant by its line of business. MCCs appear across transaction records, merchant onboarding files, and reporting systems, but the code alone provides little business meaning without an up-to-date mapping of codes to category names.

Location Services API exposes Mastercard's global Merchant Category Code dataset so organizations can retrieve the complete list of active codes or decode an individual code on demand. Customers who need a list can synchronize a local reference table, populate filters and drop-downs, or validate incoming values; customers who need a single code can translate it into a human-readable category name at the point of use.

### Where it applies {#where-it-applies}

* **Financial Institutions** decode MCCs on transactions to present clear merchant categories in statements and digital banking experiences.
* **Merchant Analytics Platforms** use a synchronized MCC reference list to standardize categorization across merchant and transaction datasets.
* **Onboarding \& Risk Teams** validate that the MCC submitted for a merchant is a valid, active code and matches the declared line of business.
* **Marketing \& Segmentation** build category-based audiences and filter merchant searches to merchants in targeted business categories.

## How it works {#how-it-works}

**Retrieve all merchant category codes**

Diagram sequence-category

Example response, limited to five results:

```json
{
  "categories": [
    {
      "categoryName": "Apparel",
      "categoryId": "1"
    },
    {
      "categoryName": "Automotive",
      "categoryId": "2"
    },
    {
      "categoryName": "Beauty",
      "categoryId": "3"
    },
    ...
    {
      "categoryName": "Vending Machines",
      "categoryId": "26"
    },
    {
      "categoryName": "Video/DVD Rental Stores",
      "categoryId": "25"
    }
  ]
}
```

## Relevant Endpoints {#relevant-endpoints}

[Find Merchant Category Codes](https://developer.mastercard.com/locations-merchants/documentation/api-reference/index.md#tag/Categories/operation/getMerchantCategories)
Use this endpoint when a customer needs to obtain a list of Merchant Category Codes. It returns all active codes with their category names

API Reference: `GET /categories`

## Useful Links {#useful-links}

* [View the full Open API Specification](https://developer.mastercard.com/locations-merchants/documentation/api-reference/index.md)
* [Review the API's error responses](https://developer.mastercard.com/locations-merchants/documentation/code-and-formats/index.md)