What Credit Card Numbers Mean

Ever wondered what your credit card numbers mean? Each number on your card contains a lot of information.

Millions of people have credit cards, and they see the numbers on the card every time they use it to make purchases everyday. However. people may not realize what those numbers mean are or what they represent. It seems rather complicated, but it is fascinating to find out what different numbers represent.

The Big 4

There are four major credit cards in the world today; Visa, MasterCard, Discover Card, and American Express/Diners Club Card. Each one of these cards has their own number, which identifies which card company it belongs to and how the numbers are uniquely your own.

When you look at the number on your card, the first number signifies which card company it belongs to.

37 and 38 are American Express/Diners Club
4 is the Visa Card
5 is MasterCard
6 is Discover Card

The Numbers

The next set of numbers signifies different account information for each card company. When you look at the American Express/Diners Club Card, the third and forth digits signify what country and currency the card is. The fifth through eleventh numbers are the account number, the twelfth through fourteenth number are the actual card number and the fifteenth number is a check number.

These numbers represent different account information for each card and Card Company, and each company can identify the cardholder from their card. The card that you hold is one of a kind, made especially for you. It is made this way so that crafty criminals will have a difficult if not impossible time duplicating the system.

One would never guess the complexity of credit cards by looking at them. When the number is entered into a register or ATM machine, it is automatically linked to your account. This is perhaps the greatest advantage that identity thieves have. Once they have access to your account, they have free reign. That is why it is critically important that you keep your credit cards in a safe place.

Safety in Numbers

Overall, credit cards are the safest way to shop because you are not carrying around a lot of cash and attracting attention from the wrong type of person. It is less likely that you will be harassed if you use your credit card.

When you are shopping online, it is very important that you check out the site that you are planning on making a purchase from. It should inform you that the check out page where you will be entering your credit card number is encrypted so that hackers cannot obtain your credit card information.

Overall, using your credit card is one of the safest ways to shop. It can assist you in making purchases that you ordinarily would not be able to if you were to pay cash.

When you understand what the numbers on your credit card represent, and how intricate they are woven into a system that has up to date technology, you may appreciate them a little more.

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