MCC code4 min readUpdated October 15, 2026

MCC 9402: Postal Services – Government Only

MCC 9402 is Visa's code for government post offices. What it covers, 9402 vs 7399 and 4215, the Visa fee rule that names it, and Stripe's restriction.

Nick Bonnassies, CMO at Tagada · checked against 6 sources

Article summary

TL;DR

MCC 9402 is the merchant category code for government post offices. Visa uses it for postal offices run by a government that accept and process packages and mail and sell postage stamps. Private mail and packing shops use 7399, and private couriers use 4215. It isn't a ZIP or postal code.

Visa's definition: government postal offices that accept and process packages and mail for delivery and sell postage stamps.
Private postal services and mail and packing stores use 7399. Couriers use 4215. Stamp shops for collectors use 5972.
Visa's April 2026 rules name 9402 once: Egypt is the only country where a service fee is permitted on it.
9402 isn't on Visa's high integrity risk list, but Stripe lists it as restricted, on its main MCC list and for Cash App Pay.
9402 is a category code, not a ZIP or postal code.

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On this page

You saw "9402" or "Postal Services – Government Only" next to a payment, or in a processor's list. It's the merchant category code for government post offices. Here is Visa's exact wording, the postal businesses that use another code, and the rules that name it.

What MCC 9402 means

MCC 9402 is the merchant category code for Postal Services – Government Only. Visa's manual defines it this way:1

Merchants classified with this MCC are government postal offices that provide a variety of services such as accepting and processing packages and mail for delivery and selling postage stamps.

Visa, Merchant Data Standards Manual, April 2026

The key word is government. Visa lists 7399 and 9399 as the closest codes.1

Which post offices use it? No card network publishes a list. PXP, a payment company, names USPS, Canada Post, Australia Post, La Poste and Japan Post in its MCC directory.5 Finance Mail.ru gives Russian Post as the main example.6 These are directories, not official sources. The code on a given payment is set by that post office's acquirer.

Codes it is not: 9402 vs 7399, 4215 and other government codes

MCC	Visa title	What Visa's manual says	Use it when
9402	Postal Services – Government Only	Government post offices: mail, packages, postage stamps	You are a government post office
7399	Business Services (Not Elsewhere Classified)	Includes "Postal Services – Non-Government", mail and packing stores, packing and mailing centers	You run a private mail or packing shop
4215	Courier Services – Air and Ground, and Freight Forwarders	Individually addressed letters and parcels. Excludes 9402 by name	You are a private courier
4214	Motor Freight Carriers and Trucking – Local and Long Distance, Moving and Storage Companies, and Local Delivery Services	Trucking, moving and local delivery	You haul freight or move households
5972	Stamp and Coin Stores	Postage stamps and coins for collecting or investment. Lists 9402 as similar	You sell stamps to collectors
9399	Government Services (Not Elsewhere Classified)	Government services with no more specific code: DMV, libraries, parks	Another government service
9311	Tax Payments	Collection of taxes and penalties	You collect taxes

Verdict

A government post office: 9402. A private shop that packs and mails: 7399. A private courier: 4215. Any other government office: its own code, or 9399.

Visa's manual shows why the specific code wins: a county that takes tax payments under 9311 can't use it for ballpark registrations, which go to 9399.1

Rules, processors, and what it means for you

Who	What they say about 9402	Source
Visa, high-risk list	Absent from the April 2026 list of high integrity risk MCCs	Merchant Data Standards Manual1
Visa Core Rules	Table 5-6 permits a service fee on 9402 in one country only: Egypt	Core Rules, April 20262
Stripe	"Postal Services - Government Only" is marked restricted. You must contact Stripe to use it	Set merchant category codes3
Stripe, Cash App Pay	9402 is on the restricted list: it may be supported, with more information at account creation	Cash App Pay docs4

The service fee rule. Visa defines a service fee as a fee charged to a cardholder who pays by card in a permitted merchant category. Outside the countries and codes in Table 5-6, it isn't allowed.2 In the US, Canada, Thailand and Latin America, the list includes tax, fines or government services codes, but not 9402.2 More on card fees in our guide to credit card surcharges.

For cardholders. Your bank decides whether 9402 earns rewards or cashback. Check your card's terms. If you were asked for a "postal code" at checkout, that's your billing address, not this code.

For merchants. Only a government postal operator belongs in 9402. Stripe uses MCCs to calculate interchange fees, authorize payments and prevent fraud.3 To check or fix your code, see how to find your MCC code.

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 9402?

MCC 9402 is the merchant category code for Postal Services – Government Only. Visa uses it for government post offices that accept and process packages and mail for delivery and sell postage stamps.

Is 9402 a ZIP code or a postal code?

No. 9402 is a merchant category code: four digits that tell your bank what kind of business took the payment. A ZIP or postal code is part of your billing address. Some checkouts ask for it so your bank can match it to your card.

What is the difference between MCC 9402 and 7399?

9402 is only for government post offices. Visa puts private postal services, mail and packing stores, and packing and mailing centers in 7399, Business Services (Not Elsewhere Classified), even when they sell stamps.

Sources

Checked October 15, 2026

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