Who this is for: This article is for admins and controllers who manage Reap Cards and need to understand how categories work across cards and transactions.
Overview
Reap Card uses two types of categories:
- Card category: chosen once when the card is created. Describes what the card is for (e.g. "Travel," "Software & Subscriptions"). It's a label for organizing your cards, and does not affect transactions.
- Transaction category: assigned to each individual transaction based on the merchant. Describes what was actually purchased (e.g. "Flights," "Lodging / Hotels"). Set automatically from merchant codes, and editable if the system gets it wrong.
These two categories are completely independent. A card's category never overrides or changes its transaction categories.
How Transaction Categories Are Assigned
Every card transaction arrives with a merchant-category code (MCC) from the card network. The system maps that code to one of 24 transaction categories.
- Confident match: the transaction category is set automatically. Most transactions resolve this way.
- Unmapped or missing code: the transaction is left blank and surfaced as "needs review." The system never guesses and never auto-assigns "Other."
- "Other" and "On/Off-Ramp Fees": these two categories are pick-only. A person must select them manually. On/Off-Ramp shares merchant codes with banking, so auto-assigning it would risk mis-categorizing bank transactions.
Each transaction is categorized independently, even if multiple transactions are on the same card.
Fix a Wrong Transaction Category
Open the transaction detail and select the correct category from the dropdown. Your override sticks permanently and is never overwritten by the system.
If the same merchant is consistently categorized incorrectly, override each transaction as it appears.
Tip for finance teams: purchases from large marketplaces like Amazon often land under General Merchandise instead of Computers & Electronic Devices, because the merchant registers as general retail.
Given the GST/input-tax implications, check the Computers & Electronic Devices line at month-end close to catch anything that slipped into General Merchandise.
Clear "Needs Review" Transactions
A transaction shows "needs review" when the merchant code is unmapped (no confident match in the category list) or missing entirely (e.g. Reap Net transactions where no code comes through).
To resolve it, open the transaction and pick the correct category. Your selection sticks permanently.
Card Category vs. Transaction Category
Both are called "category," but they do different things and never interact.
Card Category |
Transaction Category |
|
|---|---|---|
| What it describes | What the card is for | What each purchase actually was |
| When it's set | Once, at card creation | Per transaction, from the merchant code |
| Who sets it | The controller creating the card | Automatic (or manually overridden) |
| Does it limit spending? | No. Label only, no restrictions | No |
| Does one affect the other? | No | No |
A card with category "Travel" will still show a software purchase on that card as Software & SaaS in the transaction category. The card category organizes your cards at a glance. The transaction category reflects what was actually bought.
The 24 Transaction Categories
| 1 | Software & SaaS | Auto (includes blockchain/dev tools and digital goods) |
| 2 | Cloud & Infrastructure | Auto |
| 3 | Advertising & Marketing | Auto |
| 4 | Conferences & Events | Auto |
| 5 | Flights | Auto |
| 6 | Lodging / Hotels | Auto |
| 7 | Rideshare & Taxis | Auto |
| 8 | Ground & Other Travel | Auto |
| 9 | Meals & Entertainment | Auto (includes groceries, snacks, and gambling) |
| 10 | Computers & Electronic Devices | Auto (includes phone handsets) |
| 11 | Office Supplies & Furniture | Auto |
| 12 | Utilities | Auto |
| 13 | Telecom | Auto |
| 14 | Shipping & Logistics | Auto |
| 15 | Professional Services | Auto |
| 16 | Legal | Auto |
| 17 | Accounting & Tax | Auto |
| 18 | Insurance | Auto |
| 19 | Banking & Financial Fees | Auto |
| 20 | On/Off-Ramp Fees | Pick-only (shares codes with Banking) |
| 21 | Education & Training | Auto |
| 22 | Subscriptions & Memberships | Auto |
| 23 | General Merchandise | Auto |
| 24 | Other | Pick-only (never assigned automatically) |
The 12 Card Categories
When creating a card (physical or virtual), the controller selects a card category from this list. Card category is required, separate from the card's nickname, and shown on the card.
- Advertising & Marketing
- Cloud & Infrastructure
- Events & Conferences
- General
- Meals & Entertainment
- Office & Equipment
- Professional Services
- Shipping & Logistics
- Software & Subscriptions
- Team & Employee
- Travel
- Utilities & Telecom
Existing Transactions
Old transactions keep their original categories. There is no backfill and no data migration. Only new transactions going forward use the 24-category system.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where did Employee Pension/MPF, Renovation, Payroll, Supplier, and Logistics go?
These categories were removed because they don't apply to card transactions. Logistics has been folded into Shipping & Logistics. Your old transactions keep their original categories; nothing was retroactively changed.
Can I change a transaction category after the transaction?
Yes, always. Open the transaction detail and select the correct category. Your override persists and is never overwritten. When accounting sync ships (future release), categories will lock after sync.
Why is On/Off-Ramp Fees pick-only?
On/Off-Ramp services (crypto ramps) use the same merchant codes as banks. If this category were auto-assigned, every bank transaction would risk being mis-categorized. Instead, bank codes auto-set to Banking & Financial Fees, and you manually select On/Off-Ramp Fees when the charge is actually a ramp fee.
Does the card category limit what I can spend on?
No. Card category is a label only. There are no spend restrictions tied to it.
Something doesn't look right?
If you see a transaction category that doesn't match the purchase:
- Override it in the transaction detail
- If the same merchant is consistently wrong, contact Reap Support with the merchant name
Still stuck? Contact Reap Support with the transaction date and merchant name.
Contact our Support Team
If you have questions or need assistance, contact our support team via the Live Chat in the Reap Dashboard (bottom right corner) or email us at hello@reap.global
For more information, visit Know who to talk to at Reap.