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I am always looking for the best ways to save money and/or earn rewards and cash back on everyday purchases. The same goes for when I’m booking a Disney vacation or making various purchases for a Disney trip, such as Lightning Lane Multi Passes and Single Passes, Memory Maker photo packages, quick service meals, table service meals, and souvenir shops. I am constantly trying to maximize the rewards I can earn on every purchase.

Most rewards credit cards offer higher rewards on certain categories, such as hotels, live entertainment, amusement parks, restaurants, etc. If you read the fine print for these rewards programs, the extra rewards are usually determined based on the merchant category code (MCC) of the transaction. This is a 4-digit numeric code that the credit card issuer does not control, but it is based on the merchant’s payment system configuration, and it is included with the transaction when it’s posted to your credit card account. Some credit card issuers may allow you to see the MCC in the transaction details on your statement or in your online account, but most of them do not. Therefore, it is not always easy to determine which MCC is present on each purchase.

That’s what I’m here for! I was able to research the MCCs that are used for the most common types of Disney purchases, and I am documenting them here for my own future use and for anyone else who wants to maximize their rewards points and cash back like I do.

Before I get to the details, I want to note that I am not offering financial advice, and everyone should do their own research before applying for and using a credit card. Carrying a balance on a credit card account may incur interest charges which will negate the benefit of any rewards gained for using the card. You must pay the balance off in full every statement period in order to avoid interest charges and truly take advantage of the rewards on credit cards. Therefore, these products and ideas may not work for everyone.

Please also note that some rewards programs have caps that can affect your earnings, and rewards programs and the use of MCCs are subject to change at any time, so keep that in mind as well. There are no guarantees this information can be relied upon in perpetuity!

Now that that’s out of the way… here are the details!

Disney World Vacation Packages (purchased through Disney Resorts)

Vacation packages typically include a Disney resort hotel stay, as well as park tickets and/or dining plans. When booked as a package, everything is typically billed as one transaction using MCC 3780, which is specifically for Disney Resorts. This MCC typically qualifies for “travel” or “hotel” rewards categories, so to maximize your rewards, you may want to use a card that earns extra points on “travel” or “hotel” purchases. Example rewards cards are the Wells Fargo Autograph Card (earns 3% on travel) or the Bank of America Customized Cash Rewards Credit Card (earns 3% on travel, if you choose travel as your bonus category). The Discover More Card and Chase Freedom Unlimited Card also have bonus categories that change every quarter, which may sometimes include travel or hotels (each earns 5% on the bonus category for that quarter).

Lightning Lane and Memory Maker Photo Packages

When you purchase Lightning Lanes (Single or Multi Pass) or Memory Maker photo packages or park tickets separately from your vacation package, these transactions typically use MCC 7996, which is for amusement parks, circuses, carnivals, and fortune tellers. This MCC typically qualifies for “live entertainment” or “theme parks” rewards categories, so to maximize your rewards, you may want to use a card that earns extra points on “live entertainment” or “theme parks” purchases. Example rewards cards are the Citibank Custom Cash Card (earns 5% on your highest spend category each statement period, and live entertainment is one of the categories) or the Citibank Strata Card (earns 3% on live entertainment, if you choose live entertainment as your bonus category). I always use one of these cards when I visit my local fortune teller 😜.

Table Service Restaurants

When you pay for your meal at table service restaurants, these transactions typically use MCC 5812, which is for eating places and restaurants (note – I have found that Oga’s Cantina and The Beak & Barrel also use this code). This MCC typically qualifies for “restaurants” or “dining” rewards categories, so to maximize your rewards, you may want to use a card that earns extra points on “restaurants” or “dining” purchases. Example rewards cards are the PNC Cash Rewards Card (earns 3% on restaurants) or the Citibank Custom Cash Card (earns 5% on your highest spend category each statement period, and restaurants is one of the categories, but pro tip – you may not want to use this card for both your lightning lanes and restaurants in the same cycle, because you’ll only get 5% on one category and 1% on the rest). The Discover More Card and Chase Freedom Unlimited Card also have bonus categories that change every quarter, which may sometimes include restaurants (each earns 5% on the bonus category for that quarter).

Quick Service Restaurants and Snack Locations

When you pay for your meal at quick service restaurants or your snack at certain snack locations, these transactions typically use MCC 5814, which is for express payment service merchants and fast food. This MCC typically qualifies for “restaurants” or “dining” rewards categories, so to maximize your rewards, you may want to use a card that earns extra points on “restaurants” or “dining” purchases. Example rewards cards are the PNC Cash Rewards Card (earns 3% on restaurants) or the Citibank Custom Cash Card (earns 5% on your highest spend category each statement period, and restaurants is one of the categories, but pro tip – you may not want to use this card for both your lightning lanes and restaurants in the same cycle, because you’ll only get 5% on one category and 1% on the rest). The Discover More Card and Chase Freedom Unlimited Card also have bonus categories that change every quarter, which may sometimes include restaurants (each earns 5% on the bonus category for that quarter).

Souvenir Shops and Gift Shops

When you pay for your merchandise at various souvenir and gift shop locations, these transactions typically use MCC 5947, which is for gift, card, novelty, and souvenir shops. I am not aware of any bonus categories that this MCC typically qualifies for, so to maximize your rewards, you may want to use a card that has the highest default or “all other purchases” earning rate. Example rewards cards are the Citibank Double Cash Card (earns 2% on all purchases – 1% when you purchase and another 1% when you pay off the purchase) or the Wells Fargo Active Cash Card (earns 2% on all purchases) or the Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Card (earns 1.5% on all purchases).

Other Considerations

• Purchases Using a Magic Band – When you stay at a Disney resort, you have the option of linking your Magic Band to a credit card. Then you can use your Magic Band as a payment method. Any purchases made using your Magic Band will be added to your resort bill, so when linking a card to your Magic Band, you may want to use a card that earns extra points on “travel” or “hotel” purchases. For example, if you use your Magic Band to pay at a table service restaurant, you are not going to get bonus points based on this being a “restaurant” purchase. Instead, it’s going to be included in your total “hotel” purchase.
• Chase/Disney Rewards Cards – Chase has several different Disney branded rewards cards that earn points on Disney purchases. I don’t personally have any of these cards, as I have found that some of the other options I listed above work better for my purposes, but this is another option that may work well for some people.
• Park Tickets and/or Hotel Reservations Booked Via Third Parties – If you book any part of your Disney visit using a third party, such as a travel agent or a credit card travel portal (Chase Travel, for example) or a retail travel portal (Sam’s Club, for example), the MCC may vary from what I have detailed above.

I hope this information helps you to maximize your rewards earnings during your next Disney trip! If you have any trouble using these tips, or if you think anything should be added that I may have missed, please let me know in the comments or send me an email, and I will continue to add to this post as needed.