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Questions
How does a card number validator work?
It runs three checks that need no bank: the first digits must belong to a card network, the number must have a length that network uses, and the digits must pass the Luhn checksum. A number that passes is well formed. It doesn't show that the card exists, is active or has money on it; only the bank can say that.
Can you tell a debit card from a credit card by its number?
Not by any rule in the number itself. Debit and credit cards share the same networks and lengths. The difference is in the bank's records for the first 6 to 8 digits, the bank identification number, so this tool looks up the first 6 digits in an open list of about 375,000 BINs stored in the page itself. Maestro and Dankort are the exceptions: they are debit-only brands, though Maestro also comes as prepaid cards.
What is the Luhn algorithm?
A checksum invented by IBM engineer Hans Peter Luhn and patented in 1960. Starting with the second digit from the right, double every other digit, subtract 9 from any result over 9, and add everything up. The total of a valid number ends in 0. It catches any single wrong digit and almost every swap of two neighbouring digits, which are the commonest typing mistakes.
What is a BIN or IIN?
The bank identification number, or issuer identification number: the first digits of a card number, which say which bank issued it. It was 6 digits for decades; the ISO/IEC 7812-1 standard of 2017 lengthened it to 8, and Visa and Mastercard required the industry to handle 8-digit BINs by April 2022. Many cards still use 6. The rest of the number, except the last digit, identifies the account, and the last digit is the Luhn check digit.
What does the first digit mean?
It's the major industry identifier. 1 and 2 are for airlines (2 is also used for Mastercard and Mir), 3 for travel and entertainment (American Express, Diners Club, JCB), 4 and 5 for banking and financial cards (Visa, Mastercard), and 6 for merchandising and banking (Discover, UnionPay, Maestro).
Why do American Express numbers have 15 digits?
American Express kept its own format: 15 digits, grouped 4, 6 and 5, starting with 34 or 37. Its 4-digit security code is printed on the front, above the number, instead of 3 digits on the back.
Where is the security code?
On most cards it's the 3 digits printed on the back, by the signature strip. Visa calls it CVV2, Mastercard CVC2, Discover CID and JCB CAV2. American Express prints a 4-digit code on the front. This tool doesn't ask for it, and you should only ever give it to a shop when paying.
Does a valid number mean the card works?
No. A made-up number with the right first digits and a correct check digit passes too, as do expired and cancelled cards. Validation only catches typing mistakes before a payment is sent; the bank decides whether a payment goes through.
Is it safe to type my card number here?
The checks and the bank lookup all run in your browser, using a BIN list stored in the page, so nothing you type is sent anywhere, saved, or put in the page address. Still, avoid typing a full card number into any site you don't need to; for testing, use the test numbers your payment provider publishes.
Why does my card show a different network?
Some ranges are shared. Numbers starting 65 belong to Discover, but RuPay in India and Troy in Turkey use 65 too. UnionPay cards from 622126 to 622925 are also accepted on the Discover network, and since 2004 Diners Club cards issued in the US and Canada have been Mastercard numbers. The bank lookup shows how the card's first 6 digits are listed.
Free credit card validator: check any card number with the Luhn algorithm, find its network (Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, Diners Club, JCB, UnionPay, Maestro, Mir, RuPay and more), see whether it's a debit or credit card and which bank issued it from the BIN, and check a whole list of numbers at once.