What Exactly Do The Numbers On The Front Of Your Credit Card Mean
Below is a MRR and PLR article in category Finance -> subcategory Wealth Building.
What Do the Numbers on Your Credit Card Mean?
Have you ever wondered what the numbers on the front of your credit card signify? Let's break it down:
Understanding the First Digit
The first digit on your card reveals the industry:
- 3: Travel/Entertainment (e.g., American Express, Diners Club)
- 4: Visa
- 5: Mastercard
- 6: Discover Card
Each card network follows its own pattern. For instance, American Express starts with 37, while Diners Club begins with 38.
Number Breakdown by Card Type
Visa
- Digits 2-6: Bank number- Digits 7-12 or 15: Account number
- Digit 13 or 16: Check digit
Mastercard
- Digits 2-3, 2-4, 2-5, or 2-6: Bank number (based on the second digit being 1, 2, or 3)- Digits following the bank number up to 15: Account number
- Final digit: Check number
American Express
- Digits 3-4: Type and currency- Digits 5-11: Account number
- Digits 12-14: Card number within the account
- Last digit: Check number
What's on the Back?
The back of your card features a magnetic stripe, or "magstripe," composed of iron magnetic particles in a plastic film. If your card doesn’t swipe, it might be due to a dirty or scratched stripe, or exposure to magnets?"even those as simple as a refrigerator magnet. This stripe stores all your account information, which is why card swipes are cheaper for merchants than manual key entries.
Now, the next time you use your credit card, you'll know exactly what those numbers represent!
You can find the original non-AI version of this article here: What Exactly Do The Numbers On The Front Of Your Credit Card Mean .
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