 |
|
The source of the best business, financial and legal news |
|
|
||||
|
||||
|
||||
|
|
|
|
|
 | |
| |
 |
Business Informations |
|
|
|
What You Didnt Know About Your Credit Card Numbers
Have you ever really looked at your credit card and tried to figure out what that huge string of numbers really means? Do these card issuers have so many customers that your account number has to be 16 digits long? You may be surprised to know that all those numbers you see actually do stand for something, and it's not just who you are. Let's take a look. Most of the major credit card companies operate on the same system when choosing a credit card number. Other cards like gas cards, department store cards and phone cards go their own way. Let's concentrate on the ones that all play by the same rules. The very first digit in the series will be a 3,4,5, 0r 6. This number designates the type of card as follows: 3 = a Travel & Entertainment Card like American Express or Diners Club. 4 = Visa and Visa-branded debit cards, cash cards, etc. 5 = MasterCard and MasterCard-branded debit cards, cash cards, etc. 6 = Discover American Express and Diners Club use the second digit to identify the company. That means that Diners Club cards will start with either "36" or "38", and American Express cards will use either "34" or "37". The remaining numbers in the series are used for different purposes depending upon the card type and issuer. In most cases, the next group after the opening series of numbers represents the routing number of the card-issuing bank, the group after that is the user's account number, and the final digit is a check digit. The check digit is a number that is calculated by applying a special formula to all of the other numbers. The check digit is the result of that formula and is used as an anti-fraud check. To keep things from getting too confusing, look at your card as you follow along for the next steps. American Express The American Express Card uses digits three and four for type (business or personal) and the currency of the cardholder's country of origin. The next digits from the fifth through the eleventh are account numbers. Digits twelve through fourteen indicate the card number within the account and the last digit is the check digit. Visa With Visa, digits two through six represent the bank number. Beginning with the seventh digit and running through the twelfth or the fifteenth represents the account number and the last number is the check digit. Since all Visa cards do not have the same amount of numbers in the sequence, the number of digits in a group may vary. MasterCard For MasterCard, the second digit, through to anywhere between the third and the sixth digit is the bank number. All remaining digits, except the check digit at the end of the series, identifies that cardholder's account. Now that we've gone over it all, you're probably wondering why you were ever wondering in the first place. Just remember though, knowledge is power. Some things are just fun to know. Ewen Chia is the owner of Free-Credit-Card-Offer.com which provides free credit card information for everyone. Click here to learn more plus receive a free credit card instantly! ==> http://www.Free-Credit-Card-Offer.com
MORE RESOURCES:
credit - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Your Credit Card May Be Costing More Than You Think! Do you know what your credit card is truly costing you? Many people assume that they do, but aren't familiar with the hidden fees that many credit card companies are charging. In fact, if you don't keep close tabs on your credit card, you may end up paying hundreds of extra dollars per year-without ever really knowing it!And if you're trying to budget your money, those hidden fees can add up!Let's take a look at some of the most common credit card fees, and then talk about how you can avoid them. New Law Provides Free Annual Credit Report As of Thursday, December 1, 2004, one-third of Americans will be able to access their credit reports from all three main agencies for free. Passed in late 2003, the Fair & Accurate Credit Transactions Act creates a central source consumers can use to obtain a free annual credit report. Learning the Disturbing Facts about Credit Card Debt When I received my first credit card in the mail at age 18 I was ecstatic, I said to myself, wow now I'm getting somewhere in life. This credit card company thinks I'm worthy of 500 dollars in credit. Why Is It important! Your credit is the most important thing you have other than your breathe. There are three types of people in this world. Top 5 Reasons To Check Your Credit Report Regularly #1 Make sure mistakes aren't hurting your credit.Reviewing your credit report can help you avoid costly errors. Small Business Credit Cards So what do you look for when applying for a credit card for your small business? One thing is for sure, wasting money isn't an option because it can make or break your business. Things to look for are low interest rates and good customer service. SuperCharged Secret 3, Credit Card Utopia TURBO-CHARGED KILLER RATE SAVING INFORMATION!Let's just take a brief moment to recap:If you've been following along on this journey with me, learning the 5 Super-Charged secrets to Credit Card Utopia, then you now know 2 very important things:You now know how to take advantage of zero to low interest credit card offers.You now know that there is safety in numbers, and you know the magic "Who's Who" of the major credit card companies. Four Tips How Homeowners Can Rebuild Their Life After a Foreclosure Let's face it, if you are facing the possibilities of losing your home due to a foreclosure and you think that you may never be able to purchase another home anytime soon. Keep reading. What is a Bad Credit History? A bad credit history can sometimes seem like a curse.. Commercial Collections: Business Finance Booster Shot Commercial collections: fixture of the new B2B cultureIf you're in the business-to-business field, or even if you're a consumer products business that works through third-party distribution channels, you probably know what it's like to check your mail anxiously each day, sifting through all the bills for that payment that was supposed to have been in months ago.It wasn't supposed to be like this. 3 Free Credit Reports For You If you were to tell someone that they can have a certain item for free, more than likely their response would be, "what's the catch?" In the case of credit reports there is no catch, you can now get a free copy of this report through the three credit reporting agencies: Equifax, TransUnions, and Experian. Let's take a look at the law and how you can benefit from it. Credit Report Hassles There is no end to the amount of pain that your credit report can cause you. If you have a bad credit history this is something that can follow you around and wreak havoc on your life without you even knowing it. Credit Card Balance Transfers Can Help You Stop Putting Money Down The Drain As you probably know, interest rates are at all time low right now and if you aren't getting the best deal from your credit card company then they owe it to you to either lower your rate, or you owe it to yourself to find a better deal. You see, credit card companies need your business in order to succeed and if you refuse to pay a penny more than you have to then you'll be doing yourself and others a big favour indeed. Bad Checks, Bounced Checks, & NSF Checks Negotiable instruments like checks and drafts have become an indispensable part of any business transaction today. As a result, it has become increasingly important to safeguard a business against financial losses arising from the receipt of fraudulent or bad checks. How Your Credit Rating Affects You, and How to Check It You might not know it, but every time you take out any kind of loan or credit or pay something back, it gets counted on your credit rating. Who keeps a record on you will vary according to where you live, but the big three credit reference agencies are Experian, Equifax and Trans Union. Five Credit Card Billing Problems and How to Fix Them It goes without saying that your first and best defense against paying fraudulent or unfair charges on your credit card is knowing what your bill says! When you receive your credit card statement each month, sit down with it and check each item to make sure that you actually DID purchase it. If you do run into inaccuracies or problems, there are procedures to follow to report and deal with the charges. Credit Scoring: What You Dont Know Can Hurt You You've probably heard the term credit scoring. You may have some idea that your credit score can have an effect on your life. Fair Isaac Corporation Credit or FICO Score As I am not from the US, I had no idea what FICO meant before researching it. FICO stands for Fair Isaac Corporation, a company based in California. Is it Safe to Use Online Car Finance? Online car finance is convenient. You can apply over the net and shop around for a good deal from the comfort of your home. Credit Card Companies Are Out for Your Money You're probably thinking "Tell me something I don't know" but in this time of low interest rates you might be thinking that you've got a great deal since credit card interest rates are low. Wrong.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||
|
||||
|
