MCC code7 min readUpdated October 15, 2026

MCC 8299: Schools and Educational Services (Not Elsewhere Classified)

MCC 8299 is Visa's code for courses with no closer code. Where online courses, coaching and tutoring land, Visa rules, processor limits and rewards.

Nick Bonnassies, CMO at Tagada · checked against 9 sources

Article summary

TL;DR

MCC 8299 is the merchant category code for schools and educational services that no more specific code covers. Visa lists art, cooking, driving, flying, karate and modeling schools and job training under it. It's a low-risk code, and it's where most online courses, tutoring and skill-based coaching programs end up.

Visa's definition is one sentence: educational courses and services not classified with a more specific MCC. It's a catch-all, used only when no closer code fits.
Visa's manual never mentions online courses, coaching, tutoring or test prep. Degrees go to 8220, lessons and exams sent to the student to 8241, office and trade skills to 8244 and 8249, everything else to 8299.
A course membership stays on 8299. Visa reserves 5968 for subscriptions sold by direct marketing, and lists its negative option form as high integrity risk.
8299 isn't on Visa's high-risk list and Stripe doesn't restrict it. Przelewy24 on Stripe does: 8299 is restricted there.
Card issuers often exclude education codes from rewards. Kotak excludes 8299, and HSBC India's Live+ card pays 0% cashback on it.

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On this page

You saw "8299" next to a course, a coaching program or a driving school payment. It's Visa's catch-all code for education. Here is what it covers, where online courses and coaching land, and what it changes for processors and rewards.

What MCC 8299 means

MCC 8299 is the merchant category code for Schools and Educational Services (Not Elsewhere Classified). Visa's definition:1

Merchants classified with this MCC offer educational courses and services that are not classified with a more specific MCC.

Visa, Merchant Data Standards Manual, April 2026

Visa's "Included in this MCC" column lists art schools, automobile driving schools and driver education, traffic schools, aviation and flying instruction, cooking schools and culinary instruction, job training services, karate schools, modeling schools, and "Services – Schools, Educational Services". Its "Similar Merchants" column names 7911, 8211, 8220, 8241, 8244 and 8249.1

"Not elsewhere classified" matters. Visa says codes ending in 99 are used only when no specific code applies.1 8299 is for when the other education codes don't fit, not a default for anything educational.

Online courses, coaching and tutoring: which code?

Visa's manual never uses the words online course, coaching, tutoring or test prep.1 The table matches each case to Visa's wording. The last column is our reading, not a Visa ruling: your acquirer assigns the code.

What you sell	Visa's wording that decides	Code (our reading)
A recorded or live course, no degree	"Courses and services that are not classified with a more specific MCC"	8299
Lessons and exams sent to the student	Correspondence schools "sending lessons and examinations to the student" by mail or internet	8241
Office, business or computer skills	"General business training", includes computer training	8244
Training for a trade (welding, real estate, trucking)	"Specialized professions", includes technical institutes	8249
A degree, online or on campus	Institutions that "grant academic degrees"	8220
Tutoring, test prep, group coaching that teaches a skill	NoCode names them; "educational courses and services"	8299
Consulting for companies (strategy, marketing, HR)	Services "for private, nonprofit, and public organizations"	7392
Personal, debt or family counseling	"Personal counseling services"	7277
Dance lessons	Dance studios and schools	7911
E-books, videos or music sold as files	Books, movies, digital art or music "delivered in electronic format"	5815
A learning app	Applications or software "delivered in electronic format"	5817

PXP's directory places tutoring centers, test prep, language schools and edtech providers on 8299 and rates the code low risk; it's a directory, not Visa.9

Recorded courses aren't 5815 in Visa's text. 5815 names books, movies, artwork and music, not courses.1 We read a recorded course as 8299 or 8241. For the selling side, see how to sell online courses.

Course platforms. Visa treats each website as a merchant location and says a business with several lines either uses the code of its highest-volume line or one code per line.1 A site that mostly sells courses to learners fits 8299. Software sold to course creators is a software sale, such as 5734 or 7372.

Memberships and payment plans. Visa's 5968 is for subscriptions sold by direct mail, email, apps or salespeople. It adds that merchants "that happen to offer recurring purchase transactions should use the MCC that best describes their business".1 A monthly course membership stays on 8299. Visa lists 5968 in its negative option form among the high integrity risk codes for card-absent sales.1

Visa rules that name MCC 8299

None of the top search results mention them.2

Rule	What it says about 8299	Where
Payment facilitators	A sub-merchant above USD 1 million a year normally needs a direct agreement with the acquirer. Sub-merchants on 8299 are exempt, outside Brazil and Chile, if no party is in a Visa risk program	Core Rules 5.3.1.4, p. 369-370
Service fee	8299 may charge a Visa service fee in Egypt only. It isn't on the US or Canada list, unlike 8220	Core Rules 5.5.3.1, Table 5-6, p. 396-397
Bill payment services	A registered consumer bill payment service paying a school must use the school's code; 8299 is allowed in every region	Core Rules Table 5-35, p. 500-506
B2B payment platforms	8299 can't be a supplier in a business payment solution provider flow	Core Rules 5.12.2.1, p. 508-509

The service fee and bill payment rules are explained in detail on our MCC 8220 page.

Is MCC 8299 high risk?

No. The risk comes from the offer, not the code.

Who	What they say about 8299	Source
Visa	Not on the April 2026 list of high integrity risk MCCs	Merchant Data Standards Manual1
Stripe	Supported code `educational_services`, not restricted. 8241, 8244 and 8249 aren't restricted either	Set merchant category codes3
Przelewy24 on Stripe	8299 is restricted: it "may be supported, but require additional information at account creation". 8220, 8241, 8244 and 8249 are prohibited, and "higher education and vocational training services" can't use P24	Przelewy24 payments4
Stripe, all accounts	Prohibits "get rich quick" schemes that "promise fast and easy money", and businesses that "make outrageous claims" or use deceptive testimonials	Stripe business list5

For coaching, the line is the promise. A program that teaches a skill is ordinary education; one sold on income claims falls under Stripe's prohibited list, whatever its code.5 Visa's high-risk codes are in our high-risk MCC codes guide.

For cardholders

A course or coaching charge on 8299The seller is classified as an education providerCheck how your card treats education codes before paying
No cashback on a courseMany issuers exclude education codesRead your card's rewards terms; the code itself won't change

Two issuer examples: Kotak Mahindra Bank lists 8299 with the other education codes, excluded from reward points, milestones and annual fee waivers, and subject to a fee above set spend thresholds.6 HSBC India's Live+ card credits cashback "solely on the MCC categorisation" and puts 8299 under "Education & Government" at 0% cashback.7 CardExpress reports Udemy and Coursera charges in India under 8299; that's community-reported, not official.8

For merchants: check or change your MCC

Stripe notes that MCCs are used to calculate interchange fees, authorize payments and prevent fraud.3

Find your code. On Stripe, it's the mcc on your account, set from your declared industry, then your website. Stripe Connect accounts fall back to the platform's code or to 5734. Elsewhere, ask your payment processor in writing.
Test the specific codes first. Degree: 8220. Lessons and exams sent out: 8241. Office or computer skills: 8244. A trade: 8249. Nothing fits: 8299.
Split lines of business. Courses on 8299, software or physical products on their own codes, if your acquirer agrees.
Check each payment method. Przelewy24 needs extra information for 8299 at account creation.
Ask for a correction. Send your acquirer your offer and Visa's wording. Each merchant account carries its own code.

Visa's rule: use a '99' code only when no specific code applies.

Step-by-step help for Stripe, Adyen, Shopify Payments and PayPal is in how to find your MCC code.

How Tagada helps

Sell courses and coaching with your own funnel

Tagada follows Visa and Mastercard rules and the laws that apply to payments. TagadaPay underwrites each file and refuses deceptive marketing of trials, subscriptions and cancellation. Tagada runs payment plans and memberships with trials, billing cycles, retries and recoveries. Checkout adds one-click upsells, order bumps, A/B tests, Apple Pay and Google Pay, and payments route across Stripe, Adyen and TagadaPay with one logic.

Updated on October 15, 2026

Nick Bonnassies

CMO at Tagada

CMO at Tagada. Before Tagada, Nick built direct-to-consumer brands that generated over $115M in sales, raised over $25M in crowdfunding and sold two of them. He also works as a fractional CMO on marketing operations and AI systems.

Frequently asked questions

What is MCC 8299?

MCC 8299 is the merchant category code for schools and educational services not elsewhere classified. Visa uses it for educational courses and services that no more specific code covers, and lists art, cooking, driving, flying, karate and modeling schools, traffic schools and job training services under it.

What is the MCC code for online courses?

Visa has no code that names online courses. In our reading of Visa's wording, a course with no degree attached fits 8299. If you send lessons and exams to students, 8241 (correspondence schools) is closer. Office or computer skills fit 8244, trade training 8249, and an accredited university teaching online stays on 8220. Your acquirer makes the final call.

What MCC is used for coaching?

Visa's manual doesn't mention coaching. Our reading: a program that teaches a skill fits 8299. Consulting delivered to organizations, such as strategy, marketing or HR, matches 7392. Personal, debt, marriage or family counseling is 7277. Dance coaching has its own code, 7911.

Is MCC 8299 high risk?

No. It isn't on Visa's April 2026 list of high integrity risk codes, and Stripe lists it as a supported code that isn't restricted. One exception: Przelewy24 on Stripe marks 8299 as restricted and bans higher education and vocational training. The risk rises with the offer, for example income promises, which Stripe prohibits.

Do payments under MCC 8299 earn credit card rewards?

Often not. Each issuing bank decides. Kotak Mahindra Bank excludes 8299 from reward points, milestones and annual fee waivers. HSBC India's Live+ card groups it under Education and Government at 0% cashback. Read your card's terms before paying for a course.

Sources

Checked October 15, 2026

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