MCC 5198 covers PAINTS, VARNISHES, AND SUPPLIES merchants, classified under retail. To maximize rewards at these businesses, look for credit cards with broad spending bonuses or retail category multipliers. MCC Lookup Tool to find which cards earn bonus rewards here.
Home Depot and Lowe's use MCC 5198 for paint supplies. Specific purchases include paint, varnish, brushes, and rollers.
Cardholders often think hardware tools are coded under the same category as paints and varnishes, but they aren't.
MCC 5198 stands for Paints, Varnishes, and Supplies. It is a four-digit Merchant Category Code used by payment networks to classify businesses in the retail category.
Merchants classified under MCC 5198 (Paints, Varnishes, and Supplies) operate in the retail sector. Card networks assign this code during merchant onboarding based on the primary business activity.
MCC 5198 (Paints, Varnishes, and Supplies) is not currently a dedicated bonus category for most major credit cards. For retail 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 5198 (Paints, Varnishes, and Supplies). 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 retail spending.
MCC 5198 is assigned to businesses providing paints, varnishes, and supplies services. While this is a less common merchant category, any purchase that posts with code 5198 will be classified as 'Paints, Varnishes, and Supplies' by your card issuer, which determines whether retail category bonuses apply to that transaction.
MCC 5198 (Paints, Varnishes, and Supplies) and MCC 5013 (Motor vehicle supplies and new parts) are both in the retail category but cover distinct merchant types. MCC 5198 is used for paints, varnishes, and supplies businesses, while MCC 5013 is assigned to motor vehicle supplies and new parts 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.