It tells you which industry or brand produced the card.

The Major Industry Identifier (MII) is the first digit of your card number. Maestro cards range from 12 to 19 digits.ġ6-digit card numbers are the most frequent. Visa, MasterCard, and Discover cards typically have 16 digits, while American Express cards have 15 digits. Your card number can be anywhere from 8 to 19 digits long. How long are credit and debit card numbers? So let’s jump in and find out more about how long different card numbers are. The long number indicates the industry your card is from, the issuing organisation, your personal identification number, and then a final digit that verifies the number for algorithmic purposes. In rare cases, it may not be displayed on our card at all, instead visible only in the banking app or website. What do the numbers on credit and debit cards mean?ĭepending on the card issuer, the long number on your credit or debit card can be found on the front or back of the card. We are going to help you to understand all the digits on your card as we take you through a guide to credit and debit card numbers. So what do the numbers and codes on your credit, debit, or virtual cards mean? And how are they generated? While there are elements of the number that are uniquely ascribed to you and your account, the card number also carries detailed information on what type of card it is and the organisation it was issued by. The card number – sometimes called the Primary Account Number (PAN) – is not, as some think, a randomly generated code that is unique to your card. However, despite our reliance on them, most people have no idea what the long number on the front of their card actually means. Whether it’s to make online purchases, withdraw money from an ATM, or use a card reader in a shop, we all use our credit and debit cards on a daily basis.

Working debit card numbers