MCC 8661 covers RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATIONS merchants, classified under membership. To maximize rewards at these businesses, look for credit cards with broad spending bonuses or membership category multipliers. MCC Lookup Tool to find which cards earn bonus rewards here.
Churches, synagogues, and mosques use MCC 8661. Purchases like donations, event fees, and religious education materials are coded here.
Cardholders often think only church tithing goes to this category; however, it includes various expenses related to running a religious organization.
MCC 8661 stands for Religious Organizations. It is a four-digit Merchant Category Code used by payment networks to classify businesses in the membership category.
Merchants classified under MCC 8661 (Religious Organizations) operate in the membership sector. Card networks assign this code during merchant onboarding based on the primary business activity.
MCC 8661 (Religious Organizations) is not currently a dedicated bonus category for most major credit cards. For membership 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 8661 (Religious Organizations). 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 membership spending.
MCC 8661 is assigned to businesses providing religious organizations services. While this is a less common merchant category, any purchase that posts with code 8661 will be classified as 'Religious Organizations' by your card issuer, which determines whether membership category bonuses apply to that transaction.
MCC 8661 (Religious Organizations) and MCC 8641 (Civic, Fraternal, and Social Associations) are both in the membership category but cover distinct merchant types. MCC 8661 is used for religious organizations businesses, while MCC 8641 is assigned to civic, fraternal, and social associations 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.