Overview
The first 6 digits of a credit card number are known as the Issuer Identification Number (IIN), previously known as bank identification number (BIN), issued under the ISO/IEC 7812 standard. These identify the institution that issued the card to the card holder.
The IIN ranges used by the major card schemes are:
- Visa: Card numbers start with a 4.
- MasterCard: Card numbers start with the numbers 51 through 55.
- Diners Club: Card numbers begin with 36 or 38. (There are Diners Club cards that begin with 5. These are a joint venture between Diners Club and MasterCard, and are processed like a MasterCard.)
- Discover: Card numbers begin with 6011 or 65.
- Japan Credit Bureau (JCB): Card numbers begin with 35.
- American Express (Amex): Card numbers beginning with 34 or 37.
Read more about this topic: List Of Issuer Identification Numbers