Why Bank Statement Codes Are So Confusing
Bank statement codes are designed to identify who charged your card, but they often fail at this basic job. Between character limits, payment processor prefixes, legal entity names, and abbreviations, the text on your statement can look like a coded message. This guide decodes the 20 most commonly searched billing descriptors so you can stop worrying and start understanding your charges.
For any code not listed here, you can search it instantly at [TransactionLookup.com](https://transactionlookup.com) to identify the merchant behind the charge.
AMZN MKTP US
This stands for Amazon Marketplace US. It appears when you purchase an item sold on Amazon, whether by Amazon itself or a third-party seller. The "MKTP" is an abbreviation of "Marketplace" and "US" indicates the Amazon US store. You may also see variations like "AMZN MKTP US*" followed by additional characters that reference a specific order.
To match this charge to a specific purchase, log into your Amazon account and check your order history. Filter by the charge date and look for matching amounts.
SQ *
The SQ * prefix identifies a merchant using Square for payment processing. Square is one of the most popular payment platforms for small businesses, so you will see this prefix at coffee shops, food trucks, boutiques, salons, and countless other small merchants. The text after "SQ *" is the business name, though it may be abbreviated. For example, "SQ *SUNRISE BAKERY" means you bought something from Sunrise Bakery.
TST*
TST* stands for Toast, a point-of-sale system widely used by restaurants. If you see "TST*" followed by a restaurant name, that is simply the restaurant's payment system identifying itself. "TST*MARIOS ITALIAN" means you dined at a restaurant called Mario's Italian that uses Toast for its payment processing.
POS PURCHASE
POS stands for Point of Sale and indicates an in-person transaction where you physically used your card (swiped, inserted chip, or tapped). "POS PURCHASE" is not a merchant name. It is a transaction type. The actual merchant name should appear elsewhere in the transaction description. If your bank only shows "POS PURCHASE" without a merchant name, you may need to click into the transaction details or call your bank for more information.
ACH DEBIT
ACH stands for Automated Clearing House and refers to electronic bank-to-bank transfers. "ACH DEBIT" means money was pulled from your account electronically. Common sources include utility bills, insurance premiums, loan payments, and online services that use direct bank transfers instead of card payments. The company name usually appears after "ACH DEBIT" in the full descriptor.
CHECKCARD
CHECKCARD is a term some banks use to describe a debit card purchase. It simply means the transaction was processed as a debit (using your checking account funds) rather than as a credit card charge. The merchant name typically follows the word CHECKCARD in the descriptor.
RECURRING PMT
RECURRING PMT (or RECURRING PAYMENT) flags a charge that repeats automatically on a schedule. This is your bank's way of noting that the merchant has authorization to charge your card repeatedly, such as a monthly subscription or a payment plan. The merchant name and amount should appear alongside this label.
WPY*
WPY* is a prefix associated with Worldpay, a major payment processor used by many online and in-person merchants. If you see "WPY*" followed by a business name, it means that business uses Worldpay to process its card transactions. The charge itself is from the merchant, not from Worldpay.
GOOGLE *
Charges beginning with GOOGLE * are from Google services. Common variations include:
- GOOGLE *SERVICES: Google One storage, YouTube Premium, or other Google subscriptions
- GOOGLE *PLAY: An app or in-app purchase from the Google Play Store
- GOOGLE *ADS: Google advertising charges (if you run ads)
- GOOGLE *CLOUD: Google Cloud Platform services
- GOOGLE *YouTube: YouTube TV or YouTube Premium
Check your Google account at pay.google.com to see a complete list of your Google purchases and subscriptions.
APL*APPLE
APL*APPLE.COM/BILL or APPLE.COM/BILL indicates a charge from Apple. This covers a wide range of services:
- App Store purchases
- Apple Music subscription
- iCloud+ storage
- Apple TV+ subscription
- Apple Arcade
- In-app purchases made on your iPhone or iPad
- Apple One bundle
To identify the specific purchase, open the Apple Store app or go to reportaproblem.apple.com and sign in with your Apple ID.
PP*PAYPAL
PP* or PAYPAL * prefixes indicate a payment processed through PayPal. The merchant name follows the prefix, though it is often truncated due to character limits. For example, "PP*ETSY" means you paid an Etsy seller through PayPal, and "PAYPAL *JOHNDOE" could be a peer-to-peer payment to someone named John Doe.
Log into your PayPal account to see the full transaction details, including the recipient, item description, and shipping information.
DEBIT PURCHASE VISA
DEBIT PURCHASE VISA is a transaction type label, not a merchant name. It means you made a purchase with a Visa debit card. The actual merchant information should be included elsewhere in the transaction line or in the transaction details when you click or tap on it in your banking app.
CHKCARD
CHKCARD is another abbreviation for check card, which is simply another name for a debit card. Like CHECKCARD, this is a transaction type identifier. The merchant name should appear alongside it. Some banks format it as "CHKCARD 0415 MERCHANT NAME" where the numbers represent the transaction date.
PENDING
A charge marked PENDING has been authorized but not yet finalized. This means the merchant has reserved the amount on your card but has not completed the transaction. Pending charges typically settle within one to five business days. The amount may change when it posts (for example, a restaurant's pending charge may not include your tip until settlement).
PREAUTH
PREAUTH or PRE-AUTH indicates a pre-authorization hold. This is common at gas stations, hotels, and car rental agencies where the final charge amount is not known at the time of authorization. Gas stations may pre-authorize $100 even if you only pump $40. The hold releases after the actual amount settles.
IDP*
IDP* is a prefix used by certain online payment gateways. It typically appears for digital services, SaaS products, and online subscriptions. The merchant name follows the prefix. If you see "IDP*SOMESERVICE," it means you are paying for an online service called "SomeService" that uses this particular payment gateway.
VZWRLSS
VZWRLSS is an abbreviation for Verizon Wireless. This is your monthly cell phone bill or a device payment charge from Verizon. You may also see it as "VZWRLSS*APOCC VISB" which includes additional Verizon billing codes. The different suffixes represent different types of Verizon charges (device payments, plan charges, accessories).
NETFLIX.COM
This one is relatively straightforward: NETFLIX.COM is your Netflix subscription charge. However, it sometimes confuses people because the amount may differ from what they expect. Netflix has multiple plan tiers, and price increases can change the charge amount without an obvious notification. If the amount looks wrong, log into Netflix and check Settings > Plan Details.
SP * (Shopify)
SP * is the prefix for merchants using Shopify Payments to process their transactions. Shopify is a platform that powers millions of online stores, so this prefix can appear for a huge variety of retailers. "SP * COOL GADGETS" means you purchased from an online store called Cool Gadgets that is built on Shopify. If you do not recognize the store name, try searching it directly to find the website.
How to Handle Any Unfamiliar Code
If you encounter a billing descriptor not covered in this guide, follow these steps:
1. Search it at [TransactionLookup.com](https://transactionlookup.com) for an instant match
2. Search the exact text in a search engine, enclosed in quotes
3. Check the amount and date against your email receipts
4. Look at the transaction details in your banking app, which often shows more information than the statement summary
5. Call your bank if all else fails; they can provide the full merchant details and MCC code