# MCC Checker - Merchant Category Code Lookup (`sterlingverify/mcc-checker`) Actor

Check whether a merchant's assigned MCC fits its website or business description, using no LLM. You get suggested MCCs with confidence, a match/mismatch verdict, high-risk MCC flags, miscoding patterns, and each PSP's likely stance from its public policies (Stripe, PayPal, Adyen and more).

- **URL**: https://apify.com/sterlingverify/mcc-checker.md
- **Developed by:** [Luke Mangan](https://apify.com/sterlingverify) (community)
- **Categories:** Business, E-commerce, Automation
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

$5.00 / 1,000 merchant checkeds

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

An Actor is a serverless cloud program that runs on the Apify platform. It has two run modes.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.

Apify vocabulary and the platform model are defined once, in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md.

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.

Do not guess an integration path. Every one of them is in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md: the Apify MCP server, Agent Skills with the Apify CLI, the JavaScript and Python clients, the REST API, and the account-free path for an agent with no human to sign in. It also carries the rule on stating cost before the first paid run.

For examples already wired to this Actor's own input schema, see the [API](#api) section below.

Each client library has reference documentation the quickstart does not restate: [JavaScript/TypeScript](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md) (`npm install apify-client`) and [Python](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md) (`pip install apify-client`).

# README

## MCC Checker

**MCC Checker** verifies merchant category codes: it checks whether a merchant's assigned MCC fits its website or business description and suggests better-fitting MCCs, with high-risk flags and each PSP's likely stance from its public policies.

**Best for:** Merchant onboarding and underwriting teams, acquirer risk teams, and PSP sales teams checking whether a prospect fits their appetite.

### How to check a merchant category code (MCC)

1. Add merchants to **Merchants** with a `url` and/or `description` and the `assignedMcc`.
2. Leave **Include PSP appetite** on to see provider policy notes.
3. Click **Start** and review `verdict`, `suggestedMccs` and `highRiskFlags`.

### How it works

Fetches the homepage (title, meta and visible text) and/or uses your description, then scores about 55 MCCs with transparent keyword rules (no paid AI). MCC descriptions come from the public greggles/mcc-codes list (Unlicense). The provider appetite dataset (`data/provider_appetite.json`) summarises public restricted/prohibited business pages from Stripe, PayPal UK, Square UK, Adyen, GoCardless, SumUp UK and Checkout.com, with a source URL and capture date for every entry. `scripts/refresh_appetite.py` re-checks the pages and flags changes. Worldpay has no public list, so it isn't included.

### Output

`url, assignedMcc, verdict, suggestedMccs, highRiskFlags, miscodingNotes, riskCategories, providerAppetite, fetchError`

### Pricing (pay-per-event)

- `merchant-checked`: **$0.005** per result ($5 / 1,000). Platform usage is included; you pay only for results.
- Example: 10,000 merchants cost $50.00.

### Example input

```json
{
  "merchants": [
    {
      "url": "https://www.pokerstars.uk",
      "assignedMcc": "7995"
    },
    {
      "description": "Crypto exchange, buy bitcoin with card",
      "assignedMcc": "6012"
    }
  ]
}
```

### Example output

Values below are illustrative.

```json
{
  "url": "https://example-casino.com",
  "assignedMcc": "5816",
  "verdict": "mismatch",
  "suggestedMccs": [
    {
      "mcc": "7995",
      "confidence": 0.9,
      "highRisk": true
    }
  ],
  "highRiskFlags": [
    {
      "mcc": "7995",
      "reason": "Gambling..."
    }
  ],
  "miscodingNotes": [
    "Gambling content under a gaming/retail MCC..."
  ],
  "riskCategories": [
    "gambling"
  ],
  "providerAppetite": [
    {
      "provider": "Stripe",
      "likelyStance": "restricted",
      "likelyStanceLabel": "Restricted",
      "sourceUrl": "https://stripe.com/legal/restricted-businesses"
    },
    {
      "provider": "Square (UK)",
      "likelyStance": "manual_review_likely",
      "likelyStanceLabel": "Not stated – usually decided by manual review",
      "sourceUrl": "https://squareup.com/gb/en/legal/general/ua"
    }
  ],
  "fetchError": null
}
```

### Use it via API, schedules and integrations

Run it in Apify Console, or call it from your own code with the Apify API or the Python and JavaScript clients. Save an input as a task and add a schedule to run it regularly, and send results to Slack, email, webhooks, Zapier, Make or n8n with Apify integrations. AI agents can find and run it through the Apify MCP server.

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

client = ApifyClient("YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN")
run = client.actor("sterlingverify/mcc-checker").call(run_input={"merchants": [{"description": "Crypto exchange, buy bitcoin with card", "assignedMcc": "6012"}]})
for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items():
    print(item)
```

### FAQ

#### Does it use AI?

No LLM is used. It scores about 55 MCCs with transparent keyword rules.

#### Is the PSP stance an approval decision?

No. It is guidance summarised from public policy pages on the capture date shown, not an approval guarantee.

### Disclaimer

**Guidance only, not an approval guarantee.** MCC suggestions are keyword-based and can be wrong; the acquirer and card scheme rules decide the correct MCC. Provider appetite is summarised from each provider's public policy pages on the capture date shown. It is guidance only — not an approval guarantee — and providers decide case by case and change their policies. A stance of `manual_review_likely` (label: "Not stated – usually decided by manual review") means the category was not listed as allowed, restricted or prohibited on the public page; blanks are usually decided by manual review on the provider's side. Not affiliated with any provider or card scheme. Not legal or compliance advice.

### Related sterlingVerify tools

Part of the sterlingVerify UK payments, KYB and data toolkit on Apify Store:

- [Merchant Website Compliance Checker for Onboarding](https://apify.com/sterlingverify/merchant-compliance-checker): onboarding review of a merchant's website
- [Payments Stack Detector](https://apify.com/sterlingverify/payments-stack-detector): find which PSPs, wallets and BNPL a store uses
- [PCI Readiness Scanner](https://apify.com/sterlingverify/pci-readiness-scanner): passive checkout security check with a likely SAQ type
- [BIN Lookup](https://apify.com/sterlingverify/bin-lookup): bulk BIN lookup for scheme, type, issuer and country
- [Payments Region Checker](https://apify.com/sterlingverify/payments-region-checker): EEA, SEPA, SCA and interchange classification by country or BIN

# Actor input Schema

## `merchants` (type: `array`):

List of {"url":"https://...","description":"...","assignedMcc":"5999"} (url or description required, assignedMcc optional). Plain URL or description strings are accepted too.

## `includeProviderAppetite` (type: `boolean`):

Add each payment provider's likely stance (allowed / restricted / prohibited / manual_review_likely) from their public restricted-business pages, with source links. manual_review_likely means not stated publicly and is usually decided by manual review. Guidance only, not an approval guarantee.

## `userAgent` (type: `string`):

Optional custom User-Agent for fetching websites.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "merchants": [
    {
      "description": "Online casino with slots, poker and sports betting odds",
      "assignedMcc": "5816"
    },
    {
      "description": "We sell CBD oils, vitamins and weight loss supplements online",
      "assignedMcc": "5999"
    }
  ],
  "includeProviderAppetite": true
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `results` (type: `string`):

All results in the default dataset

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "merchants": [
        {
            "description": "Online casino with slots, poker and sports betting odds",
            "assignedMcc": "5816"
        },
        {
            "description": "We sell CBD oils, vitamins and weight loss supplements online",
            "assignedMcc": "5999"
        }
    ]
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("sterlingverify/mcc-checker").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = { "merchants": [
        {
            "description": "Online casino with slots, poker and sports betting odds",
            "assignedMcc": "5816",
        },
        {
            "description": "We sell CBD oils, vitamins and weight loss supplements online",
            "assignedMcc": "5999",
        },
    ] }

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("sterlingverify/mcc-checker").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "merchants": [
    {
      "description": "Online casino with slots, poker and sports betting odds",
      "assignedMcc": "5816"
    },
    {
      "description": "We sell CBD oils, vitamins and weight loss supplements online",
      "assignedMcc": "5999"
    }
  ]
}' |
apify call sterlingverify/mcc-checker --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,sterlingverify/mcc-checker"
        }
    }
}
```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/x4XT5Ab2i5NSw8pik/builds/0wBnVli1DxRnpJkO2/openapi.json