MCC 3178 covers MESA AIR merchants, classified under airline. To maximize rewards at these businesses, look for credit cards with broad spending bonuses or airline category multipliers. MCC Lookup Tool to find which cards earn bonus rewards here.
MESA Air and its affiliates use MCC 3178. It codes for specific flight purchases on regional airlines, not major carriers.
Cardholders often think MCC 3178 covers all air travel expenses. Surprises include missing rewards for big-name airlines.
MCC 3178 stands for MESA AIR. It is a four-digit Merchant Category Code used by payment networks to classify businesses in the airline category.
Merchants classified under MCC 3178 (MESA AIR) operate in the airline sector. Card networks assign this code during merchant onboarding based on the primary business activity.
MCC 3178 (MESA AIR) is not currently a dedicated bonus category for most major credit cards. For airline spending at these merchants, a flat-rate rewards card (1.5–2% on all purchases) is typically your most reliable option. Use our MCC Lookup Tool to find the best card for any specific merchant.
Currently, no credit cards in our database have a dedicated bonus category for MCC 3178 (MESA AIR). Most purchases posting with this code will earn base rewards (typically 1–1.5x on everyday cards). A flat-rate cashback card is the most predictable choice for airline spending.
MCC 3178 is assigned to businesses providing mesa air services. While this is a less common merchant category, any purchase that posts with code 3178 will be classified as 'MESA AIR' by your card issuer, which determines whether airline category bonuses apply to that transaction.
MCC 3178 (MESA AIR) and MCC 3000 (UNITED AIRLINES) are both in the airline category but cover distinct merchant types. MCC 3178 is used for mesa air businesses, while MCC 3000 is assigned to united airlines merchants. Both may qualify for the same bonus category on your card — check your card's terms or use our MCC Lookup Tool to confirm.