Card Checker & BIN Checker

What this card checker verifies

A card number is not random. Every part of it follows a rule, and a card checker reads those rules back. This one answers three questions about a number you type in: is it well-formed, which network does it belong to, and what does the range it starts with say about the card.

• The check digit. The last digit of every Visa, Mastercard, Amex and Discover number is calculated from the digits before it with the Luhn formula. If one digit is mistyped, or two neighbouring digits are swapped, the formula no longer adds up and the checker says so.
• The network. The first digits decide whether a card is Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, JCB, UnionPay or Diners Club, and how many digits the number should have.
• The BIN details. The first six digits, the Bank Identification Number, are matched against an open database to show the issuing bank, its country, the card type (credit, debit or prepaid) and, where it is recorded, the level, such as classic, gold, platinum or business.

Enter a full number for all three; enter only six digits if you just want the issuer and card type, which makes it a quick BIN validator too.

Where your card number goes on this page

The Luhn check runs in your own browser, so the full number is never sent anywhere. To look up the bank, the page sends our server the first six digits and nothing else: the rest of the number, which identifies your account, stays on this page. That lookup is not stored, and there is no account or session behind this tool.

What a valid result means, and what it does not

"Luhn valid" means the number is internally consistent. That is useful: it catches typing mistakes before you submit a form, and it is the same test a checkout runs the moment you leave the card field. But it is a test on the digits, not on the card.

A valid result does not prove the card was ever issued, that it is still open, that it has money or credit available, or that a particular shop will accept it. Only the bank that issued the card can answer those questions, and it does so only when a real payment or verification is attempted. The reverse is firmer: a number that fails the check digit cannot be a real card number, so check what you typed.

A worked example with a public test number

Payment companies publish test numbers that pass every format check but can never be charged. Stripe's best-known one is 4242 4242 4242 4242, and it is safe to use here because it belongs to nobody.

• Network: it starts with 4, so it is a Visa number, and Visa numbers are 16 digits long.
• Check digit: starting from the right, every second digit is doubled, and a result above 9 has 9 taken off. Here the doubled digits are the eight 4s, which become 8 each, for 64. The eight 2s are left as they are, for 16. The total is 80, and because it ends in 0 the checker shows "Luhn valid".
• BIN: the first six digits, 424242, are looked up and the result shows whatever the database records for that range.

Change any single digit and run it again: the check digit fails. That is the whole point of the Luhn formula, and it is also why the result says nothing about money. 4242 4242 4242 4242 passes perfectly and has never paid for anything. More test card numbers for every network.

How debit, credit and prepaid show up

Every BIN range is registered with its network as credit, debit or prepaid, and that is the card type the checker reports. It describes the range, not your account: two cards with the same first six digits share the same type, whatever is on each of them.

• Credit: the bank extends a credit line and bills you later.
• Debit: payments come straight out of a bank account.
• Prepaid: the card spends only what was loaded onto it in advance.

Merchants read the same field. Some refuse prepaid ranges for subscriptions or recurring charges, and a few treat debit differently from credit for holds and deposits, so the type is worth knowing before a payment fails. If the type shown here is not what your bank told you, the open database may be out of date for that range; your bank's answer is the one that counts.

Why a card fails online

Most declines have nothing to do with the number. When a valid card is refused at a checkout, the usual causes are:

• Online, international or foreign-currency payments are switched off on the card. Many banks ship cards that way and let you turn them on in the app.
• Not enough funds or available credit, including the amount a merchant holds to verify the card.
• The billing address or postcode entered does not match the one the bank holds.
• The 3D Secure step was not completed, or the code expired.
• The expiry date or CVV was typed wrongly.
• The issuer's fraud rules flagged the payment, which is common for a first purchase from a new country.
• The merchant does not accept that network or card type.

What each decline message means and how to fix it.

Use it safely

• Only check a card that is yours. Never paste in someone else's card number, and never check numbers you found or were sent.
• This page never asks for a CVV, an expiry date, a PIN or a one-time code, and nor should any card checker. Do not type them here or anywhere except the payment page of a merchant you trust.
• Your bank will never ask you to read out a verification code. Anyone who does is attempting fraud.
• If you only need the bank or card type, the first six digits are enough; you do not have to enter the full number at all.

The six-digit limit

Issuer data here is six-digit, while Visa and Mastercard now assign ranges eight digits long. Cards issued on newer ranges can share their first six digits with a different bank in another country, so treat the issuer result as a strong indication rather than a certainty. Read more about BIN ranges in the BIN lookup.

Frequently asked questions

How do I check if my card number is valid?

Type the full number into the checker above. It runs the Luhn check on the last digit in your browser and reads the first six digits to show the network, issuing bank, country and card type. A pass means the number is well-formed; only the bank that issued it can say whether the card is open and able to pay.

Is this card checker free and safe?

It is free, with no sign-up. The check digit is tested in your browser, and only the first six digits are sent to our server to look up the issuer; the rest of the number never leaves the page and nothing is stored. Never type in a CVV, expiry date or a code sent by your bank, and only check a card that is yours.

Can a card checker tell me the balance?

No. A balance is known only to the bank that issued the card, and you see it in your banking app, on a statement or by calling the number on the back of the card. A page that claims to show the balance of any card from its number alone is not telling the truth.

What is a debit card checker?

It is the same check aimed at one question: is this card debit, credit or prepaid? The answer comes from the range the first six digits belong to, which the networks record as one of the three. The checker above shows it under the card type.

Why does a valid card still get declined?

Because a valid number only proves the digits are consistent. The issuer can still decline for low funds, online or international payments being switched off, a billing address that does not match, a failed 3D Secure check, or its own fraud rules.

What do the first digits of a card mean?

The first digit names the network family (4 is Visa, 5 and 2 are Mastercard, 3 is Amex, JCB or Diners). The first six to eight digits are the BIN, which identifies the issuing bank, its country and the type of card. The digits after that identify the account, and the last one is the check digit.

BIN data from binlist-data, licensed CC BY 4.0.