Thread: Do bars count as restaurants/dining for earning points?

Hello all,

first of all my first post and look forward to learning from all of you.

My question: do bars count as restaurants when it comes to points/rewards for credit cards..... Before you judge me, I work for a liquor company and the majority of my expense account is used to spend money at bars.

thanks!

I would say depends on the card and bar. Example the same place that is listed under "Restaurant" on my Discover card was listed as "Restaurant: Club & Bar" for Amex. While they both use "Restaurant: Restaurant" for a local bar that contains "Sports Bar" in its name.

I seem to remember that that the merchant sets the category of spending.

It depends on the merchant category code (MCC) which is assigned by the merchant.

Merchant category code (MCC) - Credit Card Terms and Glossary

Ask your card provider which MCCs qualify for reward points.

Here is a list of MCCs.

Internal Revenue Bulletin - August 2, 2004 - Rev. Proc. 2004-43

If you don't want to deal with that, try using the card at the merchant(s) in question, check your reward statement, and do the math to see if you received points.

Some of my favorite bars are listed as restaurants. Its great when I can drink and earn 5x points on my forward card

LOL! Does beer count as nutrition ?

I use my Chase Sapphire Preferred mainly for dinning/entertainment. The bars/club I frequent on an occasional basis will post the charges as dining/entertainment.

2:1 for dining is great when it comes to Onepass pts for me........