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    MCC Explorer

    API & Database

    API DocsMCP

    API reference · v1

    API Documentation

    Complete reference for the MCC Explorer API

    01Overview

    Getting Started

    The MCC Explorer API provides programmatic access to merchant category codes and merchant mappings. Use it to categorize transactions, build financial tools, and enhance your fintech applications.

    Base URL

    https://www.mccexplorer.com/api/v1

    Authentication

    All API requests require an API key. Include it in the request headers.

    Authentication Headers
    # Option 1: x-api-key header
    curl -H "x-api-key: mcc_your_api_key_here" ...
    
    # Option 2: Authorization header
    curl -H "Authorization: Bearer mcc_your_api_key_here" ...

    Get your API key from the API Dashboard.

    02Plans

    Rate Limits & Features by Tier

    FeatureFreeStarterProBusiness
    MCC Codes, Categories & Descriptions
    Merchant LookupPrimary MCCFullFullFull
    Merchant Mappings, Aliases & Regions
    MCC Details & Merchant Details
    Vote Counts & Confidence Scores
    Bulk Lookup (100/call)
    Full Dataset Export (JSON/CSV)
    Hosted MCP Server
    Requests100/month (10/day)5,000/month100,000/month1,000,000/month
    Rate Limit10/min30/min120/min600/min
    Top up with credit packs

    What counts as a request

    • MCC codes, categories and descriptions: 1 request per call, whatever the page size.
    • Merchant lookup: 1 request covers the first 3 merchants returned; each extra merchant (limit up to 20) costs 1 more.
    • Merchant lists (include=merchants): 1 request per merchant returned.
    • Bulk lookup: 1 request per merchant name (best match each).
    • The cost of each call is returned in the X-Request-Cost header. Failed calls cost nothing.

    03Reference

    Endpoints

    GET/api/v1/mcc-codesfree

    List MCC Codes

    Retrieve a paginated list of all MCC codes with optional filtering.

    Parameters

    NameTypeRequiredDescription
    categorystringOptionalFilter by category name (partial match)
    searchstringOptionalSearch across code, description, and category
    includestringOptionalSet to 'merchants' to include up to 10 merchants per code (Starter+; max 10 codes per page, 1 request per merchant returned)
    limitnumberOptionalNumber of results (default: 50, max: 100; 10 with merchants)
    offsetnumberOptionalPagination offset (default: 0)

    Example Request

    Request
    curl -X GET "https://www.mccexplorer.com/api/v1/mcc-codes?category=Retail&limit=10" \
      -H "x-api-key: mcc_your_api_key_here"

    Example Response

    Response
    {
      "data": [
        {
          "mcc_code": "5411",
          "category": "Grocery Stores",
          "description": "Grocery Stores, Supermarkets"
        },
        {
          "mcc_code": "5412",
          "category": "Grocery Stores",
          "description": "Convenience Stores"
        }
      ],
      "meta": {
        "total": 1038,
        "limit": 10,
        "offset": 0,
        "has_more": true
      }
    }
    GET/api/v1/mcc-codes/:codefree

    Get MCC Code

    Retrieve a single MCC code by its code number.

    Parameters

    NameTypeRequiredDescription
    codestringRequiredThe MCC code (e.g., '5411')
    includestringOptionalSet to 'merchants' to include merchant mappings (Starter+; 25 per page, 1 request per merchant returned)
    merchant_pagenumberOptionalPage of merchants (default: 1)

    Example Request

    Request
    curl -X GET "https://www.mccexplorer.com/api/v1/mcc-codes/5411?include=merchants" \
      -H "x-api-key: mcc_your_api_key_here"

    Example Response

    Response
    {
      "data": {
        "mcc_code": "5411",
        "category": "Grocery Stores",
        "description": "Grocery Stores, Supermarkets",
        "mcc_details": "Used for grocery and supermarket purchases...",
        "merchant_count": 45,
        "merchants": [
          {
            "name": "Walmart",
            "is_primary": true,
            "vote_count": 127,
            "confidence_score": 0.95,
            "aliases": ["WAL-MART", "WALMART.COM"]
          },
          {
            "name": "Costco",
            "is_primary": true,
            "vote_count": 98,
            "confidence_score": 0.92
          }
        ]
      }
    }
    GET/api/v1/lookupfree

    Merchant Lookup

    Look up MCC codes by merchant name or statement descriptor. Free plan: primary MCC of the top 3 merchants; Starter+ adds secondary codes, aliases, regions and confidence.

    Parameters

    NameTypeRequiredDescription
    merchantstringRequiredMerchant name or statement descriptor (min 3 characters)
    limitnumberOptionalMax merchants returned (Starter+; default: 3, max: 20). The first 3 cost 1 request, each extra merchant 1 more

    Example Request

    Request
    curl -X GET "https://www.mccexplorer.com/api/v1/lookup?merchant=amazon" \
      -H "x-api-key: mcc_your_api_key_here"

    Example Response

    Response
    {
      "data": {
        "query": "amazon",
        "match_count": 3,
        "matches": [
          {
            "merchant": "Amazon",
            "mcc_code": "5942",
            "category": "Book Stores",
            "description": "Book Stores",
            "is_primary": true,
            "confidence": 0.95,
            "vote_count": 234,
            "aliases": ["AMZN MKTP", "AMAZON.COM"]
          },
          {
            "merchant": "Amazon Web Services",
            "mcc_code": "7372",
            "category": "Computer Programming",
            "description": "Computer Programming, Data Processing",
            "is_primary": true,
            "confidence": 0.92
          }
        ]
      }
    }

    04Errors

    Error Codes

    Status CodeDescription
    200Success
    400Bad Request - Invalid parameters
    401Unauthorized - Invalid or missing API key
    403Forbidden - Feature not available in your tier
    404Not Found - Resource doesn't exist
    429Rate Limit Exceeded - Too many requests
    500Internal Server Error

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