Here’s what the 16 digit number printed on your debit card depicts

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Most of the people who avail banking facilities own a debit card today. One must have noticed a 16-digit number printed on the debit card. But what do these 16 numbers mean? Most people are not fully aware of it and do not even understand its meaning. These 16 numbers are used for many tasks related to online payment.

When you make an online payment, with the help of these numbers, the payment system finds out from which network company this card has been issued to you. Along with this, these numbers also give information about your bank account. The security of the card is also ensured with the help of these numbers. This is the reason that even if the card is lost, no one else can spend anything from your card.

16 digits: Decoded

The first digit of the ATM card depicts the one who issued the card. This is called the Major Industry Identifier (MII). This digit is different for every industry.

0- ISO and other industries 1- Airlines 2- Airlines and other industries 3- Travel and entertainment (American Express or Food Club) 4- Banking and Finance (Visa) 5- Banking and Finance (MasterCard) 6- Banking and Merchandising 7- Petroleum 8- Telecommunications and other industries 9- National Assignment

Meaning of first 6 digits

The first 6 digital shows which company has issued this card. This is called the ‘Issuer Identification Number’ (IIN).

Mastercard = 5XXXXX Visa = 4XXXXX

After this, except for the last digit, that is, from the 7th to the 15th digit, the number is linked to the bank account. This is not a bank account number, but it is linked to the account itself. It is issued by the card issuer and it is a unique number.

Last digit

The last digit of any debit card is called the checksum digit. This digit is used to find out whether your card is valid or not.

You also need a CVV number while making an online payment. This is a 3 digit number printed on the backside of the card.

Where is this 16 digit number used?

You can make a payment with your card by using this 16 digit number. For a debit card, you have to enter the PIN number with it and if you have installed two-step security, you have to also provide the one-time password sent to the phone number.

On the other hand, for a credit card, you also have to enter the three-digit CVV number written on the back of your card. Apart from this, you have to give a secure password or a one-time password sent on the phone, then only you can make the payment.