MCC 8249 covers VOCATIONAL SCHOOLS AND TRADE SCHOOLS merchants, classified under education. To maximize rewards at these businesses, look for credit cards with broad spending bonuses or education category multipliers. MCC Lookup Tool to find which cards earn bonus rewards here.
Trade schools like Lincoln Tech and Universal Technical Institute use MCC 8249. Purchases for courses, supplies, and services at these institutions fall under this code.
Cardholders often think any educational expense goes here; however, traditional colleges and universities have a different MCC.
MCC 8249 stands for Vocational Schools and Trade Schools. It is a four-digit Merchant Category Code used by payment networks to classify businesses in the education category.
Merchants classified under MCC 8249 (Vocational Schools and Trade Schools) operate in the education sector. Card networks assign this code during merchant onboarding based on the primary business activity.
MCC 8249 (Vocational Schools and Trade Schools) is not currently a dedicated bonus category for most major credit cards. For education 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 8249 (Vocational Schools and Trade Schools). 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 education spending.
MCC 8249 is assigned to businesses providing vocational schools and trade schools services. While this is a less common merchant category, any purchase that posts with code 8249 will be classified as 'Vocational Schools and Trade Schools' by your card issuer, which determines whether education category bonuses apply to that transaction.
MCC 8249 (Vocational Schools and Trade Schools) and MCC 8211 (Elementary and Secondary Schools) are both in the education category but cover distinct merchant types. MCC 8249 is used for vocational schools and trade schools businesses, while MCC 8211 is assigned to elementary and secondary schools 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.