Digital goods and software · Merchant category codes
What is MCC 5815 (Digital Goods Media – Books, Movies, Music)?
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MCC 5815 (Digital Goods Media – Books, Movies, Digital Artwork/Images, Music) is the merchant category code for merchants that sell books, films, digital artwork or images, or music delivered in electronic format. A seller of ebooks, digital art or music downloads fits here. Visa says streaming media sold by subscription uses 4899 instead. Visa requires 3D Secure on its online sales for merchants located in Singapore.
- Visa name
- Digital Goods Media – Books, Movies, Digital Artwork/Images, Music
- Stripe name
- Digital Goods Media – Books, Movies, Music
- Restricted by Stripe
- No
- Visa high-integrity risk
- No
- Visa 3D Secure rule for online sales
- Required for merchants located in Singapore
- In PlatformDTC's Industry picker
- Yes, under "Digital products"
- Typical products
- Ebooks, Digital art and images, Music downloads, Film downloads
What PlatformDTC does
PlatformDTC's payments setup lists 5815 in its Industry picker as "Digital goods - Media (books, movies, music)" under "Digital products", and it is one of the popular choices shown first; typing 5815 in the search box finds it. The choice is sent to Stripe as the category code of the store's own payments account and can be changed later under Settings, Payments, Professional details, subject to Stripe's check.
What sells under MCC 5815
Visa uses 5815 for merchants that sell books, films, digital artwork or images, or music delivered in electronic format.
A seller of ebooks, digital art or music downloads fits here. Visa says streaming media sold by subscription uses 4899 instead.
- Ebooks
- Digital art and images
- Music downloads
- Film downloads
Codes it is confused with
Choose the code for the line of business that makes up most of your sales. Visa also allows a separate code for each line of business.
| Code | Name | Use it instead when |
|---|---|---|
| 4899 | Cable, Satellite and Other Pay Television/Radio/Streaming Services | You sell streaming access on a subscription |
| 5817 | Digital Goods – Applications (Excludes Games) | You sell apps or software |
| 5818 | Digital Goods – Large Digital Goods Merchant | You process at least 25 million digital transactions a year |
Risk, 3D Secure and Stripe rules
5815 is not on Visa's high-integrity risk list, so no extra Visa registration is tied to the code itself.
Stripe's list of supported codes does not mark it restricted, so a Stripe account can use it without asking Stripe first.
Visa's rules require acquirers to process online sales under 5815 with Visa Secure (3D Secure) for merchants located in Singapore. Elsewhere, 3D Secure for this code follows the general rules of the merchant's country and the issuer's request.
Frequently asked questions
- Is MCC 5815 high risk?
- No. 5815 is not on Visa's high-integrity risk list. Stripe does not mark it restricted. Visa does require 3D Secure on online 5815 sales for merchants located in Singapore.
- Can a PlatformDTC store use MCC 5815?
- Yes. It is in the Industry picker of PlatformDTC's payments setup under "Digital products", and typing 5815 in the search finds it. PlatformDTC sends the choice to Stripe for the store's own payments account.
Sources
Related
- 4899 — Ongoing delivery of TV, radio or streaming content on a subscription or fee basis.
- 5817 — Apps and software delivered electronically, excluding games.
- 5818 — High-volume digital goods sellers above Visa's transaction threshold.
- 5816 — Electronically delivered games, including in-app purchases; no games of chance.
- 5734 — Stores selling software for business and personal use, maybe hardware too.
- 7372 — Programming, systems design, website design, data entry and processing services.
- 4816 — Internet access, network and information services, website maintenance.