8-digit BIN

Visa and Mastercard have extended the BIN (Bank Identification Number) of their cards from 6 to 8 digits globally on April 1st 2022.

The change in BIN length is a regulatory change and mainly affects card issuers. But some merchants and Payment Service Providers (PSPs) use the BIN for routing transactions, for loyalty programs, for fraud prevention or for reports, among other things. Whether you are in face-to-face business or e-commerce, as a merchant you need to be compliant.

The first 8 digits of the Primary Account Number (PAN) of credit, debit and prepaid cards are called Bank Identification Number (BIN). The BIN is generally used to identify the scheme and the issuers. Other payment information such as the issuing country or the card type can already now only be reliably determined via so-called “account ranges”. These are the first 9 digits of the PAN for Visa and the first 11 digits for Mastercard.

The massive growth of credit card issuers in recent years led to a shortage of Bank Identification Numbers available. Because of the increasing demand of BINs by issuers, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) introduced a new standard to extend the BIN from 6 to 8 digits. The general length of the card numberPrimary Account Number (PAN) Card number (PAN) Every payment card (be it a debit, credit, gift, or a similar card) has a unique number associated with it. This number is usually printed on the card and required to uniquely identify this card and to refer to it in every transaction. The whole card number is called Primary Account Number (PAN), and the first six or eight digits of it are also called the Bank Identification Number (BIN). Also, a card may contain a card security code, which, along with the card number, can be used in card-not-present transactions. (e.g. 16 and 19 digits for Visa and Mastercard in Europe) will not change.

 All other major schemes like American Express, Diners Club/Discover, UnionPay, etc. have not yet announced timetables for implementing the new 8-digit BIN, but it is expected to happen sooner or later.