Merchant Advice Code

Merchant Advice Codes (MAC) are alphanumeric codes employed by Mastercard to convey to merchants the reason for declining a Mastercard payment transaction. These codes are included in authorization request responses, providing merchants with insights into the cardholder’s account status and the specific reasons behind the approval or decline of a payment. Depending on the decline reason, such as when the card limit has been exceeded, merchants may be able to retry the same transaction at a later time.

MACs are implemented to:

• Communicate the reason behind the approval or rejection of a payment transaction, ensuring transparency in the payment process.
• Offer merchants explicit guidance on the essential steps to guarantee a seamless service to their customers, thereby enhancing overall customer satisfaction.

The use of these codes enhances communication efficiency between merchants and payment processors, aiding in the resolution of transaction-related queries and contributing to a more streamlined payment process.