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Spade Categorization Update

29 days ago by Cooper Hart

We’re excited to share updates on improvements to our merchant categorization system! These changes focus on adding granularity to our category tree and enhancing differentiation for risky and ambiguous categories.
Here's what’s new:

1. New categories and naming updates: Please note that all newly added categories are tier 3 or tier 4 categories that fall under our existing category tree, ensuring compatibility with your integration. Contact support@spade.com for the full file instead

  • Cannabis:
    • Renamed 011-013-001-000 Retail -> Specialty Retail -> Cannabis Dispensary to Retail -> Specialty Retail -> Cannabis (Category code stays the same)
    • New tier 4 categories under Cannabis:
      • 011-013-001-001 Retail -> Specialty Retail -> Cannabis -> Dispensary (Example: Food4Thought, Houston, TX)
      • 011-013-001-002 Retail -> Specialty Retail -> Cannabis -> CBD and Unscheduled Cannabis Products (Example: Drink Brez)
  • Firearms:
    • New tier 3 category Firearms under Retail -> Specialty Retail, and two new tier 4 categories under that:
      • 011-013-022-000 Retail -> Specialty Retail -> Firearms (Example: Kroll International)
      • 011-013-022-001 Retail -> Specialty Retail -> Firearms -> Guns (Example: Primary Arms)
      • 011-013-022-002 Retail -> Specialty Retail -> Firearms -> Ammo and Accessories (Example: Lucky Gunner)
  • Vitamins and Supplements:
    • New tier 3 category Vitamins and Supplements under Retail -> Specialty Retail:
      • 011-013-023-000 Retail -> Specialty Retail -> Vitamins and Supplements (Example: GNC)
  • Firing Ranges and Clubs:
    • New tier 3 category Firing Ranges and Clubs under Entertainment -> Recreation:
      • 004-002-012-000 Entertainment -> Recreation -> Firing Ranges and Clubs (Example: Guntry Club Of Maryland)

2. Categorization Improvements: in addition to adding new categories, we are rolling out improvements to existing categorizations:

  • Adult Entertainment: Enhanced categorization for merchants without a dedicated MCC, including online platforms (e.g., Chaturbate) and physical clubs (e.g., The Box NYC).
  • Casinos and Gambling: Better classification of online gambling games and sports betting merchants (e.g., Underdog Sports, Modo).
  • Convenience Stores vs. Bodegas: Improved differentiation between convenience stores and specialty food retailers (e.g., Chelsea Gourmet Deli categorized as Specialty Food).
  • Cafes vs. Restaurants/Fast Food: Refined categorization for cafes that often share MCCs with restaurants or fast food (e.g., Bluestone Lane categorized as Cafes, while Lisbon Cafe remains a Restaurant).

We’re confident these updates will provide more precise categorization for your use cases. Let us know if you have any questions or feedback!