Credit card number
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The numbers found on credit cards have a certain amount of internal structure, and share a common numbering scheme. Credit card numbers are a special case of ISO 7812 numbers.
An ISO 7812 contains a single-digit major industry identifier (MII), a six-digit issuer identifier number (IIN), an account number, and a single digit checksum.
The major industry identifier is considered to be part of the issuer identifier number.
[edit] Prefixes
The card number's prefix is the sequence of digits at the beginning of the number that determine the credit card network to which the number belongs. The first 6 digits of the credit card number are known as the Bank Identification Number (BIN). These identify the institution that issued the card to the card holder. The rest of the number is allocated by the issuer. The card number's length is its number of digits.
The prefixes and lengths for the most common card types are:
| Card Type | Prefix(es) | Length |
|---|---|---|
| American Express | 34, 37[1] | 15[2] |
| Bankcard[3] | DNE | DNE |
| Diners Club International[4] | 36 | 14 |
| Diners Club US & Canada[5] | 55 | 16 |
| Discover Card[6] | 6011,650 | 16 |
| JCB[citation needed] | 3 | 16 |
| JCB[citation needed] | 1800,2131 | 15 |
| Maestro (debit card) | 5020,6 | 16 |
| MasterCard | 51-55 | 16 |
| Solo (debit card) | 6334, 6767 | 16,18,19 |
| Switch (debit card) | 4903,4905,4911,4936,564182,633110,6333,6759 | 16,18,19 |
| Visa | 4[1] | 13,16[7] |
| Visa Electron | 417500,4917,4913 | 16 |
As of November 8, 2004, MasterCard and Diner's club formed an alliance. Cards issued in Canada and the USA start with 55 and are treated as MasterCards worldwide. International cards use the 36 prefix and are treated as mastercards in Canada and the US, but are treated as Diner's Club cards elsewhere. Diner's club international's website makes no reference to old 38 prefix numbers, and they can be presumed reissued under the 55 or 36 BIN prefix.
Doing a search on VISA's website will find many references to card numbers being 16 digits long. Using the same search techniques to look for 13 digit cards will turn up no results. It might be presumed that 13 digit cards do not exist and have been reissued as 16 digit cards, however old accounts may still use these numbers.
[edit] Other codes
In addition to the main credit card number, credit cards also carry issue and expiry dates (given to the nearest month), as well as extra codes such as issue numbers and security codes. Not all credit cards have the same sets of extra codes.
These numbers are used in addition to the main number to provide extra information to identify that the card is probably genuine.
The Card Security Code is typically the last three digits printed on the signature strip on the back of the card. In the case of American Express cards, it can be a four-digit number printed (but not embossed) on the front of the card.
[edit] References
- ^ a b Card Security Features. Retrieved on 2006-04-05.
- ^ American Express Fraud Prevention Handbook - Pg 13. Retrieved on 2006-04-05.
- ^ Bankcard Association of Australia. Retrieved on 2006-04-05.
- ^ MasterCard Diner's Club Alliance. Retrieved on 2006-04-05.
- ^ Diner's Club - Fraud Management. Retrieved on 2006-04-05.
- ^ Merchant Resources - Fraud Prevention - Card Present Transactions. Retrieved on 2006-04-05.
- ^ Cardholder Identification and Authentication. Retrieved on 2006-04-05.
