The Meaning of Credit Card Numbers

If you take a stopping point expression at your credit cards, you'll probably inquire what all those numbers stand up for. Every figure actually stand ups for something specific. Let's have got got a expression at each of those numbers in sequence.

The First Digit

Gasoline cards, section shop cards and phone cards have their ain programs.

The major credit card companies operate on a standardised system for assigning credit card numbers. The first figure in the series will always be a 3, 4, 5 or 6. This number designates the type of card you have. For instance, a 3 agency it's a travel and amusement card, such as as American Express or Diners Club. A 4 is Visa and Visa-branded debit cards, cash cards; a 5 is MasterCard and MasterCard-branded debit cards, cash cards; and 6 is Discover.

The Other Numbers

American Express and Diners Baseball Club usage the second figure to place the company. That agency that Diners Baseball Club cards will begin with either 36 or 38, and American Express cards will lead off with 34 or 37.

The remaining numbers in the series are used for other purposes, depending upon the card type and issuer. Generally, the numbers grouped after the gap series is the routing number of the bank and the adjacent grouping is the user's account number. The concluding figure is particular -- a check digit. This is a number calculated by applying a specific formula, and it is used as a fraud check.

Look At Your Card

American Express utilizes figures 3 and 4 for business or personal card type and the currency of the cardholder's country of origin. Digits 5 through 11 are the account number. Digits 12 through 14 show the card number attached to that account. The last figure is, of course, the check digit.

Visa utilizes figures 2 through 6 for the bank number. Beginning with figure 7 and running through 12 or 15, they're the account number, and the last number is the check digit. The number of figures in a grouping may change because Visa cards don't all have got the same number of digits.

With MasterCard, the second figure through figure 3 (to as high as 6) is the bank number. All remaining digits, except the end check digit, places the cardholder's account.

And that's it. A slightly complex system necessary to track millions of credit cards across the globe.