Credit card BIN file explained

Written by

James Davis

Written by James Davis

Senior Technical Writer at United Thinkers

Author of the Paylosophy blog, a veteran writer, and a stock analyst with extensive knowledge and experience in the financial services industry that allows me to cover the latest payment industry news, developments, and insights. Read more

Reviewed by

Kathrine Pensatori

Reviewed by Kathrine Pensatori

Product Specialist at United Thinkers

Product specialist with more than 10 years of experience in the Payment Processing Industry. I help payment facilitators and PSPs solve their various payment processing issues. Read more

Credit card BIN file is a useful source of information, that merchants can utilize in their processing strategies. BIN ranges of cards can tell a lot: from card issuing bank and country of issue, to card class. Beside the issuing bank, the BIN range of a card carries information about maximal primary account number length, card type (debit, credit, etc.) and its PIN capability, debit networks, which accept the card, whether a card is a pre-paid or a gift one, card class (personal, business, consumer, corporate etc.). In case of  PIN-less debit BIN file can also tell whether the network is regulated by Durbin amendment or not.

BIN file

Using the information from BIN file, merchants can enhance their fraud protection toolkit, reduce interchange, and save on processing costs.

More information on BIN files can be found in the respective article on #Paylosophy “Credit Card BIN Files”.