# BIN (Bank Identification Number)

The first 6 to 8 digits of a card number, which identify the card's brand, type, issuing bank and country.

Page: https://www.orchestrapay.com/resources/glossary/bin

A **BIN**, or Bank Identification Number, is the first 6 to 8 digits of a payment card number. It identifies the card network, the issuing bank, the card's country and its type, such as credit, debit or prepaid. The industry now prefers the term **IIN** (Issuer Identification Number), but BIN is still what most people say.

## What a BIN tells you

From the BIN alone you can usually learn:

- **Brand:** Visa, Mastercard, American Express and so on
- **Type:** credit, debit or prepaid
- **Level:** for example classic, gold or business
- **Commercial or consumer:** whether it is a company card
- **Issuing bank** and its contact details
- **Issuing country**

## Why merchants use BINs

- **Routing.** Send domestic cards to a local acquirer and foreign cards elsewhere, or route a specific bank's cards to the processor that approves them best.
- **Cost.** Debit and credit cards, and domestic and cross-border cards, carry different fees. Knowing the card type before you charge lets you route for cost.
- **Fraud checks.** A card issued in one country used from an IP in another, or a prepaid card on a high-value order, is a useful signal.

## Six or eight digits?

Since 2022 the card networks have moved to 8-digit BINs. Many lookups still accept 6 digits, but 8 digits identify the card range more precisely.

Orchestrapay's [BIN Lookup](/products/bin-lookup) returns these attributes through an API and uses them in [routing rules](/products/smart-routing).