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One of the key elements of a credit or debit bank card is its number - a unique identifier that is used in various transactions with a payment card (withdrawal, crediting, transfer of funds). Do not confuse a card number with a card account: this is a completely different concept. Let's consider in more detail its structure, where it is located and how it is applied.
What is a card number, and what structure does it have
The card number is its main identifier and is usually completely applied to it (with rare exceptions). The bank card itself is the key to the card account in the bank (card account) that issued this card ( the issuing bank). It is the number that establishes an unambiguous relationship between a piece of plastic and a card account.
The number can be mapped in various ways. If the digits of the number are simply printed and do not protrude above the surface of the card, then such plastic is called non-embossed (usually these are cards with entry-level payment systems or instant issuance). The embossed version of a payment card is a little more expensive due to its design: it has a special embossing that allows you to make certain information on the card convex - the card number and a number of its other elements are squeezed out (for what all this is necessary).
English banking terminology denotes the card number as PAN, which stands for "Primary Account Number". There are two standards that determine the presence of a number on a plastic payment instrument. These are ISO / IEC standard No. 7812-1. The first is developed, and the second is international, and it is issued by SWIFT (the English-language abbreviation of the organization "community of world interbank financial telecommunications").
The number format set by the international standard defines the following structure (the structure set by the domestic guest is somewhat different):
P VVV VV MM MMMM MMM L, where
P VVV VV is the BIN of the plastic card, which determines the identification number of the issuing bank (first 6 digits),
MM MMMM MMM is the identifier of the plastic card itself issued by a particular bank (numbers from 7 to 15).
Each digit in the block of numbers has its own specific meaning, and having this information, you can find out some details about the card.
So, the first digit P always indicates the payment system of a plastic card:
Digits from 7 to 15 (card identifier) in encrypted form indicate the type of card (credit or debit), region, year of issue and other information used for authorization and other actions in the process of making transactions with the card.
16 digit L is a check, and verification of the "correctness" of the number is carried out on it. This is the so-called code Luna (Luhn) - a special check digit, it is calculated using a special algorithm from a combination of digits of the card number. It is not always included in its composition, but most often it is present on cards with 13-digit numbers.
Most modern plastic cards have a 16-digit number. It is divided into four blocks, each with four numbers.
Old bank cards may contain a 13-digit number. There are also numbers consisting of 18 (Maestro Momentum of Sberbank) or 19 digits. In this case, the first four blocks of four digits (16 digits) are designated according to the international standard, and the unformatted remainder indicates the presence of a special subprogram or direction within which the cards were issued.
Where is the bank card number
The card number is located on the front surface (above the name of the holder, if it is registered), regardless of the payment system of the card: Visa, MasterCard, American Express or another, therefore, having a plastic card in hand, you can accurately find out its number. You can learn more about the location of other various elements on a bank card. And if you want to find out the account to which the card is linked, you should look in the card agreement (drawn up in the bank during the registration of this banking product).
To find out the number of a card, for example, of bank, we look at the 16 digits in the center of the front side of the card.
How the bank card number is used
The card number must be known when it is required to perform such financial transactions with funds on the card:
- Make a money transfer from one card to another. Often funds are transferred from a Sberbank card to a card of the same bank by its number, other well-known transfer services are provided by international payment systems Visa (Money Transfer) and MasterCard (MoneySend);
- Pay for the goods in the online store (payment for any service in the network). In this case, the number must be entered into the form with the bank card details. You will also need to specify other details of the payment card, such as the holder's full name, plastic expiration date and the CVV2 / CVC2 secret authentication code.
Does the card number change when it is reissued?
In the case when a bank card is reissued due to a change in personal data, due to its loss or due to compromise, the number changes. Not all numbers change, but there will be no full correspondence with the previous number. In this case, the card account will not change - it will remain the same.
Compromise of a bank card is a situation in which its card details become known to another person, as a result of which its further use is unsafe, as it can lead to unauthorized debiting of funds from the card account.
If the card has simply expired, then such a re-issue will not change the number already assigned.
Let's refer to the answer of the representative of bank on the bank's hotline to the question about changing the number:
This rule may not apply in all banks, there are exceptions.
So, let's summarize.
When the card is reissued after the expiration date, its number does not change (there are exceptions), while the PIN code, CVV2 / CVC2 authentication code, name and surname do not change. The card account number must remain the same. When a card is reissued due to compromise, all of the above details are changed on it (usually, but there are exceptions).
- What is a card number, and what structure does it have
- Where is the bank card number
- How the bank card number is used
- Does the card number change when it is reissued?
One of the key elements of a credit or debit bank card is its number - a unique identifier that is used in various transactions with a payment card (withdrawal, crediting, transfer of funds). Do not confuse a card number with a card account: this is a completely different concept. Let's consider in more detail its structure, where it is located and how it is applied.
What is a card number, and what structure does it have
The card number is its main identifier and is usually completely applied to it (with rare exceptions). The bank card itself is the key to the card account in the bank (card account) that issued this card ( the issuing bank). It is the number that establishes an unambiguous relationship between a piece of plastic and a card account.
The number can be mapped in various ways. If the digits of the number are simply printed and do not protrude above the surface of the card, then such plastic is called non-embossed (usually these are cards with entry-level payment systems or instant issuance). The embossed version of a payment card is a little more expensive due to its design: it has a special embossing that allows you to make certain information on the card convex - the card number and a number of its other elements are squeezed out (for what all this is necessary).
English banking terminology denotes the card number as PAN, which stands for "Primary Account Number". There are two standards that determine the presence of a number on a plastic payment instrument. These are ISO / IEC standard No. 7812-1. The first is developed, and the second is international, and it is issued by SWIFT (the English-language abbreviation of the organization "community of world interbank financial telecommunications").
The number format set by the international standard defines the following structure (the structure set by the domestic guest is somewhat different):
P VVV VV MM MMMM MMM L, where
P VVV VV is the BIN of the plastic card, which determines the identification number of the issuing bank (first 6 digits),
MM MMMM MMM is the identifier of the plastic card itself issued by a particular bank (numbers from 7 to 15).
Each digit in the block of numbers has its own specific meaning, and having this information, you can find out some details about the card.
So, the first digit P always indicates the payment system of a plastic card:
- 3,5,6 is Maestro;
- 5 - MasterCard;
- 3 - American Express;
- 4 - VISA.
Digits from 7 to 15 (card identifier) in encrypted form indicate the type of card (credit or debit), region, year of issue and other information used for authorization and other actions in the process of making transactions with the card.
16 digit L is a check, and verification of the "correctness" of the number is carried out on it. This is the so-called code Luna (Luhn) - a special check digit, it is calculated using a special algorithm from a combination of digits of the card number. It is not always included in its composition, but most often it is present on cards with 13-digit numbers.
Most modern plastic cards have a 16-digit number. It is divided into four blocks, each with four numbers.
Old bank cards may contain a 13-digit number. There are also numbers consisting of 18 (Maestro Momentum of Sberbank) or 19 digits. In this case, the first four blocks of four digits (16 digits) are designated according to the international standard, and the unformatted remainder indicates the presence of a special subprogram or direction within which the cards were issued.
Where is the bank card number
The card number is located on the front surface (above the name of the holder, if it is registered), regardless of the payment system of the card: Visa, MasterCard, American Express or another, therefore, having a plastic card in hand, you can accurately find out its number. You can learn more about the location of other various elements on a bank card. And if you want to find out the account to which the card is linked, you should look in the card agreement (drawn up in the bank during the registration of this banking product).
To find out the number of a card, for example, of bank, we look at the 16 digits in the center of the front side of the card.
How the bank card number is used
The card number must be known when it is required to perform such financial transactions with funds on the card:
- Make a money transfer from one card to another. Often funds are transferred from a Sberbank card to a card of the same bank by its number, other well-known transfer services are provided by international payment systems Visa (Money Transfer) and MasterCard (MoneySend);
- Pay for the goods in the online store (payment for any service in the network). In this case, the number must be entered into the form with the bank card details. You will also need to specify other details of the payment card, such as the holder's full name, plastic expiration date and the CVV2 / CVC2 secret authentication code.
Does the card number change when it is reissued?
In the case when a bank card is reissued due to a change in personal data, due to its loss or due to compromise, the number changes. Not all numbers change, but there will be no full correspondence with the previous number. In this case, the card account will not change - it will remain the same.
Compromise of a bank card is a situation in which its card details become known to another person, as a result of which its further use is unsafe, as it can lead to unauthorized debiting of funds from the card account.
If the card has simply expired, then such a re-issue will not change the number already assigned.
Let's refer to the answer of the representative of bank on the bank's hotline to the question about changing the number:
There may be exceptions to this rule - if the card is reissued to you by another payment system: you could have had a Visa Electron card, but here they are already issuing MasterCard Maestro. The new card is also of an entry level, but the number will be different, the card account will probably remain the same. An internal reorganization of the bank may occur, then the number will also change. But this is in the general case, and for bank it is almost 100% likely that the card number will remain the same.
This rule may not apply in all banks, there are exceptions.
So, let's summarize.
When the card is reissued after the expiration date, its number does not change (there are exceptions), while the PIN code, CVV2 / CVC2 authentication code, name and surname do not change. The card account number must remain the same. When a card is reissued due to compromise, all of the above details are changed on it (usually, but there are exceptions).
