Is it possible to determine a vendor from the code on a credit card statement?

[Darryl Lict]

Forgive me if I somehow asked this question earlier, but it appears to have disappeared.

I am trying to reconcile some credit card bills (MasterCard, but I've seen the same phenomena on Visa). Some of the businesses are listed as a 3 or 6 code digit with NO BUSINESS NAME. They typically list an address which can be any of a number of businesses. These businesses are typically ARCO or maybe Lucky's grocery stores. They are NOT strip clubs, because I've learned my lesson and never use a credit card in a strip joint.

Is there some way to connect this code with a particular company? And why the hell can't they just put the damn name of the vendor if it's Costco or Lucky's or some stupid gas station?

I've called up my bank which issued the defit/credit card and they can't help me out. I've looked up Arco stations and Rite-Aid and there is no correlation between store number and the credit card bill code.

WTF?

[Rumor_Watkins]

Originally Posted by Darryl Lict

Forgive me if I somehow asked this question earlier, but it appears to have disappeared.

I am trying to reconcile some credit card bills (MasterCard, but I've seen the same phenomena on Visa). Some of the businesses are listed as a 3 or 6 code digit with NO BUSINESS NAME. They typically list an address which can be any of a number of businesses. These businesses are typically ARCO or maybe Lucky's grocery stores. They are NOT strip clubs, because I've learned my lesson and never use a credit card in a strip joint.

Is there some way to connect this code with a particular company? And why the hell can't they just put the damn name of the vendor if it's Costco or Lucky's or some stupid gas station?

I've called up my bank which issued the defit/credit card and they can't help me out. I've looked up Arco stations and Rite-Aid and there is no correlation between store number and the credit card bill code.

WTF?

How many different Arcos and Rite Aids do you shop at?

Surely you should be able to remember one purchase, and use that charge to start to form your list of "which store" correlates to which number

[Fuzzy Dunlop]

Originally Posted by Darryl Lict

Forgive me if I somehow asked this question earlier, but it appears to have disappeared.

I am trying to reconcile some credit card bills (MasterCard, but I've seen the same phenomena on Visa). Some of the businesses are listed as a 3 or 6 code digit with NO BUSINESS NAME. They typically list an address which can be any of a number of businesses. These businesses are typically ARCO or maybe Lucky's grocery stores. They are NOT strip clubs, because I've learned my lesson and never use a credit card in a strip joint.

Is there some way to connect this code with a particular company? And why the hell can't they just put the damn name of the vendor if it's Costco or Lucky's or some stupid gas station?

I've called up my bank which issued the defit/credit card and they can't help me out. I've looked up Arco stations and Rite-Aid and there is no correlation between store number and the credit card bill code.

WTF?

Try again with your bank. They can tell you who the vendor is. It's hard to speculate why somebody would have told you they couldn't but I'd suggest trying again and insisting.

There's absolutely no reason they can't be friendly and tell you what you need to know, but if they refuse you could tell them that since they can't identify the merchant you need to dispute the charge as unauthorized. Then they'll have to investigate it and of course they know who the vendor is. It should not come to actually filing a chargeback, which you presumably would not due as the charge is valid but unidentified.

For what it's worth, I occasionally get calls from banks inquiring about a charge on one of our mutual customer's accounts. Our name does get printed on the transaction but if you do enough transactions you'll eventually find someone who manages to forget who we are within a month of buying from us. The banker usually calls me directly which is a number Amex/Visa/Mastercard have but isn't printed anywhere on the customer's statement.

[Darryl Lict]

Thanks for the responses.

Originally Posted by Rumor_Watkins

How many different Arcos and Rite Aids do you shop at?

Surely you should be able to remember one purchase, and use that charge to start to form your list of "which store" correlates to which number

I shop at boatloads of different Rite Aids and gas stations because I travel all the time. The ones I'm trying to reconcile are on road trips quite a while ago. One could be a Rite Aid ir a Lucky's. The other could be a WalMart or Shell station.

People have asked me this question before. The obvious answer is that some people are not as meticulous as others, and don't reconcile their accounts as often as would be sensible. I never ask for receipts at gas stations. Believe it or not, many many people are NOT accountants and are sloppy with their bank accounts. I am not alone. By the way, I've never bounced a check in my life.

I would not have asked this question if I could have actually remembered the store where the purchase was made.

Originally Posted by Fuzzy Dunlop

Try again with your bank. They can tell you who the vendor is. It's hard to speculate why somebody would have told you they couldn't but I'd suggest trying again and insisting.

This is good advice. I called my bank itself rather than MasterCard. The people at mbank are worse than worthless.