Introduction of 8-digit BIN

The card organisations Visa and Mastercard will extend the BIN (Bank Identification Number) of their cards from 6 to 8 digits globally on April 1st 2022. Among other things, the BIN is used by merchants and Payment Service Providers (PSPs) for routing transactions for authorisation, fraud prevention, loyalty programs or reportings. The change of the BIN-length is a regulation change. Whether you are in face-to-face business or e-commerce, as a merchant you need to be compliant next year.

The first 6 digits of the Primary Account Number (PAN) of credit, debit and prepaid cards are called Bank Identification Number (BIN). The BIN is generally used to identify the scheme, the issuers and can allow you to retrieve other payment information like the card type or the used currency.
The massive growth of credit card issuers in recent years has led to a shortage of Bank Identification Numbers available. Because of the increasing demand of BINs by issuers, the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) introduced a new standard to extend the BIN from 6 to 8 digits. The general length of the card number (e.g. 16 and 19 digits for Visa and Mastercard in Europe) will not change.

Visa and Mastercard are implementing the new 8-digit standard from April 2022.

What will change for you?

For most merchants, this 8-digit extension will have no impact. For a small part of merchants, it could have an impact on their day-to-day operations if they have dedicated processing based on the BIN that they manage themselves: For example, this affects routing of transactions, identification of the issuer for fee calculation, fraud management and reporting.

However, you as a merchant need to be compliant with the new BIN-system at the deadline. If this is not the case, a significant loss in sales due to e.g. rejected cards might result – depending on the implementation.

More information

What do you have to do?

As a Worldline customer, you usually don't have to do anything. Worldline has started to update its products to recognise 8-digit BINs for a readiness in April 2022. If you use our online payment system Saferpay, you are not affected by this change. Saferpay is already compliant.

But if you use 3rd party acquirers, 3rd party PSPs or Integrated Software Solutions for your payments, please contact your online Payment Service Provider or your terminal supplier. They will inform you, if you are 8-digit BIN-ready, or if adjustments need to be made.

Be aware, that the change concerns only Visa and Mastercard at the moment. All other major schemes like American Express, Diners Club/Discover, UnionPay, etc. have not yet announced timetables for implementing the new 8-digit BIN, but it is expected to happen sooner or later.

Key facts at a glance:

• Generally speaking, if you are not using any rules or processes based on BIN or card number, no action is required from your side.
• On the contrary, if you have access to the card number or if you apply specific rules based on BINs, you should check if these rules are still working with the new 8-digit system.
• If you have an e-commerce contract with Worldline (formerly SIX Payment Services) or if you are using a terminal provider different from Worldline, please make sure to contact your Payment Service Provider.
• If you are a Saferpay customer, you are not affected by the change (Saferpay is already compliant with the new 8-digit BIN) and are thus not required to do anything.
• Solutions provided by Worldline will be fully compliant.

Q&A 8-digit BIN

What is the Bank Identification Number (BIN)?

The Bank Identification Numbers (BIN) uniquely identifies schemes, issuers and holds other payment information. Currently the BIN corresponds to the first 6 digits of the card number.
Because of the increasing demand of BIN by issuers, in April 2022 the length of the BIN will be extended from 6 to 8 digits, without a change of the general length of the card number/PAN – Primary Account Number (e.g. 16 and 19 digits for Visa and Mastercard in Europe).

What is changing?

For Visa and Mastercard, in April 2022 the length of the BIN will be extended from 6 to 8 digits.
By this time, Visa and Mastercard will reallocate the BINs between issuers step by step. Some will keep their complete 6-digits BIN extended to 8 digits, while others will get a slightly or completely new BIN.

What won’t change?

• The general card number length will remain the same.
• The PCI rules won’t change. Receipt requirements remain unchanged.
• No new cards will need to be issued.

What can be the consequences?

The use of the old 6-digit BIN could have negative consequences for merchants doing processing on BINs.

The BIN can be used for:

• BIN blocking, fraud scoring, fraud prevention
• Reporting
  
• Identification of transactions in the context of disputes (chargebacks)
• Loyalty programs
• Information about the type of card (debit, credit, prepaid, commercial) or the currency in use
• Identification of the card issuer (bank and country)

Actions to be taken by you as a merchant?

If you have processing tasks based on BINs, it is recommended to check their compatibility with the new 8-digit format.
If you use 3rd party acquirers, 3rd party PSPs or Integrated Software Solutions, please check with your provider it they are compliant with 8-digit BINs. Worldline has already started to update its products to recognise 8-digit BINs for a readiness in April 2022.

What is the influence on PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard)?

The generic PCI regulations are not expected to change with the introduction of the 8-digit BIN.

Further questions?

For further questions regarding BIN customisation in relation to your payment solution at Worldline, please contact our customer service team: customerservices@worldline.com