diff --git a/src/tally/analyzer.py b/src/tally/analyzer.py
index 0f5f1c1..30e00a7 100644
--- a/src/tally/analyzer.py
+++ b/src/tally/analyzer.py
@@ -46,6 +46,7 @@ def analyze_transactions(transactions):
     """Analyze transactions and return summary statistics."""
     by_category = defaultdict(lambda: {'count': 0, 'total': 0})
     by_merchant = defaultdict(lambda: {
+        'name': '',
         'count': 0,
         'total': 0,
         'category': '',
@@ -89,14 +90,17 @@ def analyze_transactions(transactions):
 
         month_key = txn['date'].strftime('%Y-%m')
 
-        # Track by merchant
-        by_merchant[txn['merchant']]['count'] += 1
-        by_merchant[txn['merchant']]['total'] += effective_amount
-        by_merchant[txn['merchant']]['category'] = txn['category']
-        by_merchant[txn['merchant']]['subcategory'] = txn['subcategory']
-        by_merchant[txn['merchant']]['months'].add(month_key)
-        by_merchant[txn['merchant']]['monthly_amounts'][month_key] += effective_amount
-        by_merchant[txn['merchant']]['payments'].append(effective_amount)
+        # Track by merchant - use composite key (merchant, category, subcategory)
+        # so same-named merchants with different categories appear as separate rows
+        merchant_key = (txn['merchant'], txn['category'], txn['subcategory'])
+        by_merchant[merchant_key]['name'] = txn['merchant']
+        by_merchant[merchant_key]['count'] += 1
+        by_merchant[merchant_key]['total'] += effective_amount
+        by_merchant[merchant_key]['category'] = txn['category']
+        by_merchant[merchant_key]['subcategory'] = txn['subcategory']
+        by_merchant[merchant_key]['months'].add(month_key)
+        by_merchant[merchant_key]['monthly_amounts'][month_key] += effective_amount
+        by_merchant[merchant_key]['payments'].append(effective_amount)
         txn_data = {
             'date': txn['date'].strftime('%m/%d'),
             'month': month_key,
@@ -112,18 +116,18 @@ def analyze_transactions(transactions):
         # Include original_description if transform was applied
         if txn.get('original_description'):
             txn_data['original_description'] = txn['original_description']
-        by_merchant[txn['merchant']]['transactions'].append(txn_data)
+        by_merchant[merchant_key]['transactions'].append(txn_data)
         # Track max payment
-        if effective_amount > by_merchant[txn['merchant']]['max_payment']:
-            by_merchant[txn['merchant']]['max_payment'] = effective_amount
+        if effective_amount > by_merchant[merchant_key]['max_payment']:
+            by_merchant[merchant_key]['max_payment'] = effective_amount
         # Store match info (pattern that matched) - first transaction sets this
-        if 'match_info' not in by_merchant[txn['merchant']] and txn.get('match_info'):
-            by_merchant[txn['merchant']]['match_info'] = txn['match_info']
+        if 'match_info' not in by_merchant[merchant_key] and txn.get('match_info'):
+            by_merchant[merchant_key]['match_info'] = txn['match_info']
         # Collect tags from all transactions
-        by_merchant[txn['merchant']]['tags'].update(txn.get('tags', []))
+        by_merchant[merchant_key]['tags'].update(txn.get('tags', []))
         # Track raw description variations
         raw_desc = txn.get('raw_description', txn.get('description', ''))
-        by_merchant[txn['merchant']]['raw_descriptions'][raw_desc] += 1
+        by_merchant[merchant_key]['raw_descriptions'][raw_desc] += 1
 
         by_month[month_key] += effective_amount
 
@@ -224,7 +228,8 @@ def classify_by_sections(by_merchant, sections_config, num_months=12):
 
     # Convert by_merchant to the format expected by section_engine
     merchant_groups = []
-    for merchant_name, data in by_merchant.items():
+    for merchant_key, data in by_merchant.items():
+        merchant_name = data.get('name', '')
         # Skip merchants excluded from spending (income, transfer, investment)
         # They appear on their respective cards, not in spending sections
         if is_excluded_from_spending(list(data.get('tags', []))):
@@ -435,21 +440,22 @@ def export_json(stats, verbose=0, category_filter=None, merchant_filter=None):
             if data['total'] > 0
         ],
         'credits': [
-            {'merchant': name, 'category': data.get('category', ''), 'amount': round(abs(data['total']), 2)}
-            for name, data in by_merchant.items() if data['total'] < 0
+            {'merchant': data.get('name', ''), 'category': data.get('category', ''), 'amount': round(abs(data['total']), 2)}
+            for data in by_merchant.values() if data['total'] < 0
         ],
         'merchants': []
     }
 
     merchants = []
-    for name, data in by_merchant.items():
+    for data in by_merchant.values():
+        merchant_name = data.get('name', '')
         # Apply filters
         if category_filter and data.get('category') != category_filter:
             continue
-        if merchant_filter and name not in merchant_filter:
+        if merchant_filter and merchant_name not in merchant_filter:
             continue
 
-        merchants.append(build_merchant_json(name, data, verbose))
+        merchants.append(build_merchant_json(merchant_name, data, verbose))
 
     # Sort by monthly value descending
     merchants.sort(key=lambda x: x['monthly_value'], reverse=True)
@@ -526,7 +532,7 @@ def fmt(amount, show_sign=False):
         lines.append('')
 
     # Credits/Refunds
-    credit_merchants = [(m, d) for m, d in by_merchant.items() if d['total'] < 0]
+    credit_merchants = [(d.get('name', ''), d) for d in by_merchant.values() if d['total'] < 0]
     if credit_merchants:
         lines.append('## Credits/Refunds\n')
         lines.append('| Merchant | Category | Amount |')
@@ -550,7 +556,7 @@ def fmt(amount, show_sign=False):
     lines.append("## Merchants\n")
 
     # Sort by monthly value (positive merchants only)
-    positive_merchants = [(m, d) for m, d in by_merchant.items() if d['total'] > 0]
+    positive_merchants = [(d.get('name', ''), d) for d in by_merchant.values() if d['total'] > 0]
     sorted_merchants = sorted(
         positive_merchants,
         key=lambda x: x[1].get('monthly_value', 0),
@@ -610,7 +616,8 @@ def export_csv(stats, category_filter=None, merchant_filter=None):
     all_transactions = []
     extra_field_names = set()
 
-    for merchant_name, data in by_merchant.items():
+    for _merchant_key, data in by_merchant.items():
+        merchant_name = data.get('name', '')
         # Apply filters
         if category_filter and data.get('category') != category_filter:
             continue
@@ -727,7 +734,7 @@ def fmt(amount):
     # =========================================================================
     # CREDITS/REFUNDS (if any negative totals)
     # =========================================================================
-    credit_merchants = [(m, d) for m, d in by_merchant.items() if d['total'] < 0]
+    credit_merchants = [(d.get('name', ''), d) for d in by_merchant.values() if d['total'] < 0]
     if credit_merchants:
         print("\n" + "=" * 80)
         print("CREDITS/REFUNDS")
@@ -766,7 +773,7 @@ def fmt(amount):
     print("-" * 80)
 
     # Only show positive-total merchants here (credits shown separately)
-    positive_merchants = [(m, d) for m, d in by_merchant.items() if d['total'] > 0]
+    positive_merchants = [(d.get('name', ''), d) for d in by_merchant.values() if d['total'] > 0]
     sorted_merchants = sorted(
         positive_merchants,
         key=lambda x: x[1].get('total', 0),
@@ -811,13 +818,13 @@ def fmt(amount):
 
         # Build category -> merchants mapping
         cat_merchants = {}
-        for merchant, data in by_merchant.items():
+        for _merchant_key, data in by_merchant.items():
             if data['total'] <= 0:
                 continue
             cat = data.get('category', 'Unknown')
             if cat not in cat_merchants:
                 cat_merchants[cat] = []
-            cat_merchants[cat].append((merchant, data))
+            cat_merchants[cat].append((data.get('name', ''), data))
 
         # Sort categories by total
         sorted_cats = sorted(
diff --git a/src/tally/commands/explain.py b/src/tally/commands/explain.py
index 25f9d30..0047009 100644
--- a/src/tally/commands/explain.py
+++ b/src/tally/commands/explain.py
@@ -115,28 +115,40 @@ def cmd_explain(args):
     # Handle output based on what was requested
     if merchant_names:
         # Explain specific merchants
+        # Build a lookup from merchant name -> list of data entries
+        # (same merchant name may appear with different categories as separate entries)
+        name_to_entries = {}
+        for merchant_data in all_merchants.values():
+            merchant_name = merchant_data.get('name', '')
+            if merchant_name not in name_to_entries:
+                name_to_entries[merchant_name] = []
+            name_to_entries[merchant_name].append(merchant_data)
+
         found_any = False
         for merchant_query in merchant_names:
             # Try exact match first
-            if merchant_query in all_merchants:
+            if merchant_query in name_to_entries:
                 found_any = True
-                _print_merchant_explanation(merchant_query, all_merchants[merchant_query], args.format, verbose, stats['num_months'], views_config)
+                for entry in name_to_entries[merchant_query]:
+                    _print_merchant_explanation(merchant_query, entry, args.format, verbose, stats['num_months'], views_config)
             else:
                 # Try case-insensitive match
-                matches = [m for m in all_merchants.keys() if m.lower() == merchant_query.lower()]
+                matches = [n for n in name_to_entries.keys() if n.lower() == merchant_query.lower()]
                 if matches:
                     found_any = True
-                    _print_merchant_explanation(matches[0], all_merchants[matches[0]], args.format, verbose, stats['num_months'], views_config)
+                    for entry in name_to_entries[matches[0]]:
+                        _print_merchant_explanation(matches[0], entry, args.format, verbose, stats['num_months'], views_config)
                     continue
 
                 # Try substring match on merchant names (partial search)
                 query_lower = merchant_query.lower()
-                partial_matches = [m for m in all_merchants.keys() if query_lower in m.lower()]
+                partial_matches = [n for n in name_to_entries.keys() if query_lower in n.lower()]
                 if partial_matches:
                     found_any = True
                     print(f"Merchants matching '{merchant_query}':\n")
-                    for m in sorted(partial_matches):
-                        _print_merchant_explanation(m, all_merchants[m], args.format, verbose, stats['num_months'], views_config)
+                    for n in sorted(partial_matches):
+                        for entry in name_to_entries[n]:
+                            _print_merchant_explanation(n, entry, args.format, verbose, stats['num_months'], views_config)
                     continue
 
                 # Search transactions containing the query
@@ -182,7 +194,7 @@ def cmd_explain(args):
                     _print_description_explanation(merchant_query, trace, args.format, verbose)
                 else:
                     # Try fuzzy match on merchant names
-                    close_matches = get_close_matches(merchant_query, list(all_merchants.keys()), n=3, cutoff=0.6)
+                    close_matches = get_close_matches(merchant_query, list(name_to_entries.keys()), n=3, cutoff=0.6)
                     if close_matches:
                         print(f"No merchant matching '{merchant_query}'. Did you mean:", file=sys.stderr)
                         for m in close_matches:
@@ -236,7 +248,14 @@ def cmd_explain(args):
                 sys.exit(1)
 
             merchants_list = view_results[view_match]
-            matching_merchants = {name: data for name, data in merchants_list}
+            # Use composite key to avoid collisions when same-named merchants
+            # appear with different categories in the same view
+            matching_merchants = {}
+            for merch_name, data in merchants_list:
+                cat = data.get('category', '')
+                subcat = data.get('subcategory', '')
+                key = (merch_name, cat, subcat)
+                matching_merchants[key] = data
             active_filters.append(f"view:{view_match}")
 
         # Apply category filter
@@ -289,7 +308,7 @@ def cmd_explain(args):
 
             if args.format == 'json':
                 import json
-                merchants = [build_merchant_json(name, data, verbose) for name, data in matching_merchants.items()]
+                merchants = [build_merchant_json(data.get('name', ''), data, verbose) for data in matching_merchants.values()]
                 merchants.sort(key=lambda x: x['monthly_value'], reverse=True)
                 output = {'filters': active_filters, 'merchants': merchants}
                 print(json.dumps(output, indent=2))
@@ -805,7 +824,8 @@ def _print_classification_summary(section, merchants_dict, verbose, num_months):
     print("-" * 50)
 
     sorted_merchants = sorted(merchants_dict.items(), key=lambda x: x[1].get('monthly_value', 0), reverse=True)
-    for name, data in sorted_merchants:
+    for key, data in sorted_merchants:
+        name = data.get('name', str(key))
         reasoning = data.get('reasoning', {})
         category = data.get('category', '')
         months = data.get('months_active', 0)
diff --git a/src/tally/report.py b/src/tally/report.py
index 2435017..045280a 100644
--- a/src/tally/report.py
+++ b/src/tally/report.py
@@ -122,8 +122,13 @@ def make_merchant_id(name):
     # Build section merchants data
     def build_section_merchants(merchant_dict):
         merchants = {}
-        for merchant_name, data in merchant_dict.items():
-            merchant_id = make_merchant_id(merchant_name)
+        for merchant_key, data in merchant_dict.items():
+            # Display name comes from data['name'] when available; fall back to the key
+            merchant_name = data.get('name', merchant_key if isinstance(merchant_key, str) else str(merchant_key))
+            category = data.get('category', '')
+            subcategory = data.get('subcategory', '')
+            # Use a composite ID so same-named merchants with different categories are distinct
+            merchant_id = make_merchant_id(f"{merchant_name}_{category}_{subcategory}")
 
             # Build transactions array with unique IDs
             txns = []
@@ -157,8 +162,8 @@ def build_section_merchants(merchant_dict):
                     'source': match_info.get('source', ''),
                     'explanation': explain_pattern(pattern),
                     'assignedMerchant': merchant_name,
-                    'assignedCategory': data.get('category', ''),
-                    'assignedSubcategory': data.get('subcategory', ''),
+                    'assignedCategory': category,
+                    'assignedSubcategory': subcategory,
                     'assignedTags': sorted(match_info.get('tags', [])),
                     'tagSources': match_info.get('tag_sources', {}),
                 }
@@ -166,9 +171,9 @@ def build_section_merchants(merchant_dict):
             merchants[merchant_id] = {
                 'id': merchant_id,
                 'displayName': merchant_name,
-                'category': data.get('category', 'Other'),
-                'subcategory': data.get('subcategory', 'Uncategorized'),
-                'categoryPath': f"{data.get('category', 'Other')}/{data.get('subcategory', 'Uncategorized')}".lower(),
+                'category': category or 'Other',
+                'subcategory': subcategory or 'Uncategorized',
+                'categoryPath': f"{category or 'Other'}/{subcategory or 'Uncategorized'}".lower(),
                 'calcType': data.get('calc_type', '/12'),
                 'monthsActive': data.get('months_active', 0),
                 'isConsistent': data.get('is_consistent', False),
@@ -204,7 +209,14 @@ def build_section_merchants(merchant_dict):
                 continue
 
             # Convert list of (name, data) tuples to dict format
-            merchant_dict = {name: data for name, data in merchants_list}
+            # Use a composite key to avoid collisions when the same merchant name
+            # appears with different categories in the same section
+            merchant_dict = {}
+            for merch_name, data in merchants_list:
+                cat = data.get('category', '')
+                subcat = data.get('subcategory', '')
+                unique_key = f"{merch_name}||{cat}||{subcat}" if (cat or subcat) else merch_name
+                merchant_dict[unique_key] = data
             merchants = build_section_merchants(merchant_dict)
 
             # Add view info to each merchant
@@ -239,9 +251,14 @@ def build_category_view():
         # Build from by_merchant which contains ALL merchants (not filtered by sections)
         all_merchants = {}
         by_merchant = stats.get('by_merchant', {})
-        for merchant_name, data in by_merchant.items():
-            merchant_id = make_merchant_id(merchant_name)
-            all_merchants[merchant_id] = build_section_merchants({merchant_name: data})[merchant_id]
+        for merchant_key, data in by_merchant.items():
+            merchant_name = data.get('name', '')
+            category = data.get('category', '')
+            subcategory = data.get('subcategory', '')
+            # Use composite key to ensure uniqueness for same-name merchants in different categories
+            unique_key = f"{merchant_name}||{category}||{subcategory}" if (category or subcategory) else merchant_name
+            sub_result = build_section_merchants({unique_key: data})
+            all_merchants.update(sub_result)
 
         # Group by category -> subcategory
         categories = {}