How to Decode Credit Card Numbers
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I tried this on people and got a call from the FBI asking about bricks.
I wonder why
oh hey its the cool TH-cam person
How rich would you be if your credit card number was your net worth ?
@@taekwontheo very rich
cherry mx browns
I work for a company that sells flags and flagpoles, so I take credit card numbers over the phone basically every day. It's always a cool party trick when they start out with "It's a Discover," or "It's a Chase debit card," and I just start saying the first four numbers for them. Amazes them every time lol
I work for a company who handles fraud prevention, lost/stolen, and disputes for credit cards issued by smaller banks and credit unions. I never say anything, but for some of these financial institutions, I'm typing the next up to 4 digits after they say the first four because I've heard the numbers so many times.
I used to be able to do a similar trick with publishers and ISBNs. I still remember some of them.
Is this a comment on the demographic that buys flags and flagpoles? People who in 2022 are still doing credit card transactions over the phone?
What's the tallest flag pole you sell?
@@donaloflynn Nope. Just sharing my little party trick lol
Although, yes, our clientele is definitely a bit older than most other companies' customers
I love how your example card starts with a 4 but has a "mastercard" logo. Mastercard always start with 5 and Visa 4.
MasterCard issues cards with 2 & 5. Visa takes 4. American Express makes 3. RuPay is 6. Others like Diners Club, Discover, JCB, may take 6 or may not have anything specific.
@@soumyajitbarua2662 a vast majority of Mastercard start with 5. I've never seen one actually with a 2
did you guys not watch the video? they talk about the starting numbers in there.
@@soumyajitbarua2662 Discover cards always start with a 6.
@@jaykebird2go He did talk about the starting number. But he didn't go into detail. He skipped the fact that the starting number is part of the issuer identification as well as the category. You still never find a card that starts with 4 that isn't a Visa.
"Show me your credit card number so I can guess your zodiac sign"
Which sign represents the gullible schmuck?
Can you read my sign from my Blockbuster membership card? It's very exclusive.
6
Oh it is would good here it is
mine is 9. that’s it. just 9. nothing else. *only 9.*
2:46 You gotta feel sorry for Scarn McDunweather, someone who's seen this video had to have stolen his credit card number by now
RIP Scarn
@@kadenhessel7953 yay TH-cam algorithm?
Why do you comment on every video i watch
@ 0:09 to 0:10 Note that expiration date: May 2018. This TH-cam video posted: Aug 3, 2021.
is that an office reference lol
HE JUST CALLED ALL OF US NERDS
it's true though
Technoblade has entred the chat
Right? If I wasn't deep in a longrunning D&D campaign run over ham radio I'd be forced to seek revenge for this false accusation!
I mean
he's not wrong
HE IS RIGHT
What an interesting video about bricks! Never thought about them in this way.
Hey I need help , so I was transferring money out my pre paid disability card and accidentally put my card number instead of my account number and my routing number was correct. I’m unsure if the money is going to bounce back or just sit some where? It’s under Bank of America disability EDD and I called them this morning after making the transfer yesterday afternoon , they said it should be back but they’ll make a complaint if not and they did so but should I contact my bank as well?
One thing i wish you'd mention when you bring up the concept of not using every available possible number "because then online shopping becomes a game of making up a number and hoping it doesn't belong to your friend" is the fact that you need to authorize transactions with the right expiration date and CVV code, and often even your zip code or billing address
Wait?! How is knowing a number from the card enough to do anything? Before you perform a transaction your bank should send you an SMS with a confirmation code. Just knowing a number would get you nowhere...
@@iamcleaver6854 that's kind of my point 🤷
@@mithramusic5909 Yes. I was reiterating that. I thought maybe in the US you don't have additional safety measures and you can access the account with just the information on your card.
Gas pumps usually ask for your billing zip code; most other places for your expiration date and/or cvv.
@@iamcleaver6854 very often these forms don't even check the cvv and date :O
This finally answers the question I've had for a long time about how online payment portals knew which card I had after just typing in the first 4 digits. Thanks, Sam from HAI.
*He really just called all of us nerds.*
Cry about it
*and he was right.*
I would have been offended if he wasn't correct
*aKtUaLlY* he said “MOST” .. *not all*
@@RaccoonNation I’m one of the nerds
Some banks started issuing 19 digit cards. In fact, to be certified by Mastercard, you need to be able to process 19 digit cards.
Also, the card number in the thumbnail fails the luhn algorithm check.
i dont think he would put a real credit card in a thumbnail
My MasterCard is 16 but it still isn't working, I don't think this clip is correct
Just tested with the one he shows in the video, a amex and a mastercard and all pass the Luhn's algorithm
You guys must be missing something, I just ordered 3 new teslas using the card. Sam had some money
it literally has 69 and 420 in the thumbnail lol
Post YOUR (or your mom's) credit card in the comments and I'll tell you what character from Frozen you are.
5431111111111111
14
Hey I need help , so I was transferring money out my pre paid disability card and accidentally put my card number instead of my account number and my routing number was correct. I’m unsure if the money is going to bounce back or just sit some where? It’s under Bank of America disability EDD and I called them this morning after making the transfer yesterday afternoon , they said it should be back but they’ll make a complaint if not and they did so but should I contact my bank as well?
Calling our parties a bunch of nerds sitting in a room is hurtful…. True…. But hurtful
Speak for yourself.
I like nerds. They are intelligent. I’m not considered intelligent, so I’m hoping some of your intelligence will transfer to me.😊
Sam, I've noticed a terrible blunder in your video. At 0:30 when you show the credit card, the credit card number starts with a 4 but the card shows a MasterCard logo in the bottom right. If a credit card starts with 4 it will be a VISA card, MasterCard starts with 5.
wdym thats the HAI bank card. they own all of the digits.
What I find funmy is he himself stated it at 1:26 lol
Actually, you're wrong. The 4 at the beginning is used to signify that it's issued by a banking organization ( 0:42 ), and the next 5 digits are the vendor id ( 1:07 ). Mastercard's vendor ids include 53 at the start (1:24 ), so that that card displayed is, in fact, a Mastercard.
0:42
1:07
1:24
Not all Visa’s start with 4 I have very recently learned lol
@@samuelgunter Dude, don’t take my comment too seriously. HAI always jokes about how they’re never wrong.
Also, 1:24 Sam literally says that VISA owns just about all cards that begin with 4. So if your bank issues you a VISA card, it’ll begin with 4 and if they issue you a MasterCard, it’ll begin with 5
I… um… know that system. Am I really that kind of nerd? I’d ask someone else but they all left hours ago when I started going on about encoding schemes and checksums.
Aye, im more of a history nerd, but i'm here!
Same here. I didn't know about ISO though.
nice pfp
This one was literally taught to us in one of my college classes, and the funny thing is, I'm a medical student. To this day I still wonder where can I actually use this.
What course did you take?😭😭🤣🤣
Hey I need help , so I was transferring money out my pre paid disability card and accidentally put my card number instead of my account number and my routing number was correct. I’m unsure if the money is going to bounce back or just sit some where? It’s under Bank of America disability EDD and I called them this morning after making the transfer yesterday afternoon , they said it should be back but they’ll make a complaint if not and they did so but should I contact my bank as well?
I swear this channel has the highest volume of truly useless useful knowledge! Love it!
to be fair, my parties are a bunch of nerds sitting in a room, well, some nerds, okay, a couple nerds, okay, just me
Do you have a cat or dog? They count as party goers too. Plus, then you can say that you never drink alone.
@@61rampy65 Rubber ducks also count.
@@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721 We need to talk about the ducks.
On running out of numbers: the 9 digit individual account number only has to be unique WITHIN a specific value of the first six digits. Each issuing bank has one OR MORE six digit prefixes (Chase and Wells Fargo probably have dozens of prefixes; a medium size community bank would have one; and a number of really tiny issuers would divide a prefix among themselves). So the number of possible accounts is not limited to 10^9 in the world, only 10^9 within a single issuer prefix.
This is actually something I’ve wondered about for years but thought I’d end up on a list for looking up.. well done!
Hey I need help , so I was transferring money out my pre paid disability card and accidentally put my card number instead of my account number and my routing number was correct. I’m unsure if the money is going to bounce back or just sit some where? It’s under Bank of America disability EDD and I called them this morning after making the transfer yesterday afternoon , they said it should be back but they’ll make a complaint if not and they did so but should I contact my bank as well?
Yes, I will know go to senior parties and show them this to fit in as a freshman and black mail them
Randomly went to subs and saw this video was one minute old. Hype!
Disarmingly interesting factual evaluation of a number made into entertainment. You have a delightful cadence to your voice which encourages attention and your humorous discourse makes a potentially dry subject anything but. Thank you, I have been inspired to subscribe.
Knowing a little about banking, I Kinda guessed it ran a bit like that. Thanks for the clarity
Hey, mine means I'm in crippling debt. Neat.
nice
nice
nice
Love these collabs!
"The next 5-7 digits represent the credit network, like Visa or Mastercard." No, not really. The first digit already does that. 4 is Visa and 5 (and more recently 2) is Mastercard. The first 6 digits (and now 8 for some cards) is known as the BIN. Sorry I forget what that stands for, but primarily the issuing banks like Chase and BOA are assigned BINs, which they can use for various reasons such as identifying what sort of account you have (gold, platinum, World, etc.) And this isn't even 100% true, as some banks let you switch products but keep your old card number. There is a sophisticated system that keeps track of that. I'm a former Mastercard employee and dealt with that all the time.
BIN=Bank Identification Number
@@koopadaquick9862 Yes
I assume that he covered it by saying "4 and 5 for banking" which is true but the later statement is misleading.
This was such an interesting video! Can't wait to tell my friends and family about this! :-)
3:54 Odds the TH-cam censors flag this for misinformation 😂
In reality the pandemic was just to distract us while the lizard people bring Thatcher back from the dead to feast on the working class.
@@backtothefifa1059 Obviously
It may be because mine never arrives at the check digit number (I have checked myriad times and I am absolutely doing it as instructed, in other clips you divide by 10 once you have added the numbers (didn't work either).
That's the way it's supposed to work
Half as interesting? Twice, thrice as informative and, certainly in this case, much more useful. Subbed.
The specific algorithm you're talking about is MOD 10 There is also a MOD 9 where once you've gotten the grand total of all of the digits in the number calculated you divide by 9 >>> the remaining number is the SCD [Self Check Digit]
I have a spreadsheet with formulas to validate the check digit. I also didn’t think about the possibility of running out of numbers until now. I have about 20 virtual card numbers linked to my physical card. Each is used for a different on line retailer. If one of those retailers has a data breach, I only need to terminate that single virtual card. I don’t have to replace or change card numbers at every other shop or subscription service.
There is also an algorithm that uses all 16 digits. Similar to the algorithm you show, doubling every other number, adding the digits, etc. Your answer has to be evenly divisible by 10 to be a valid card number.
This was at the very least three quarter interesting
Good video. It's short, concise, laced with humor.
Great presentation for breaking down the digits! It would be even greater if how to fund and activate in payment. Cards global networks the use for payments successfully .. I can figure out the cards valid 16 numbers..
So the first few numbers DO have to do with your card company! I was wondering why so many sites could automatically tell I had a Mastercard just by me typing in a few digits. (Not that I enter in my credit card info much - I mostly use PayPal instead to lessen the chance of my info getting stolen).
That was almost twice as interesting as usual!
So, almost fully interesting? Maybe 9/10 interesting?
Interesting, I must admit I have wondered how they arrived at assigning the numbers. Once you get 2 Cards you can tell the numbers are not randomly generated. Thanks for posting this!
I learned about how the numbers work. Way back when I was tasked with writing a script to check card numbers for a website I was working for
I work for Mastercard. Definitely not a cool party trick.
Why not? It's so cool!!
Yeah, I work for a card perso bureau, so I always ask ppl to see their credit cards so I can see if we made it… people always find that sus 😂
9 digits should be plenty for any one bank. I remember back around 1980 when Citibank issued their Citicards (ATM cards) that all started with 6218. When they switched to having them also serve as debit MasterCards , they prefixed the numbers with 52, so now they start with 5262 18. Then there are nine digits (one billion possibilities) for the personal number, plus the check digit.
Correct. Bogus fearmongering.
The numbers limit is more flexible than that. 1st of, unlike ID numbers, they can be recycled over time as old cards expire.this leaves us with 1 billion numbers at any given moment.
2nd, there are 2 more factors to consider. Expiration date and ccv. Assuming each card has 60 months lifespan, and there are additional 1000 possible cvvs, there can be 60,000 different cards with the same number, and that leads us to 60,000 billion different cards.
Now, you say anyone can type any number and get away with it... false. There are 3 more authentication needed to be passed. For physical purchases, the card has the chip + pin code. For online purchases, the buyer must type his ID number (and sometimes even a number received by sms, which makes it 4 methods to authenticate).
Given all of this, the worst threat to steal money is not by random typing, but with compromised data bases that contain the raw data from previous sales.
One more thing.
The problem is not the world rin out of numbers, but a specific issuer will. The big ones will probably run out of numbers before an oil company will
0:22 who knew stock video could be so hilarious
3:14 haha. I drive for ubereats, i've actually dropped off couple packets of ranch to a customer, and that was literally the only item they bought
Fun fact (well it was fun for me)
4:00 that is actually old Belarusian money on the screen (pre-2016, currency code BYR)
those green 100s the person is handling right now are worth about 0.004 USD.
3:35 Whoever did this, that's a beautifully rendered animation.
Thanks for the tip
Next video on Wendover Productions:
The Logistics of Decoding Daddy’s One-Way Ticket to a Brand-New Tesla
2:25 if the doubled number is more than 10.... I think he means more than 9, or more than or equal to 10... what ever you want. If you have 10 it should be 1 not 10 in the sum.
If you strip away the network identifier and the check digit that does leave behind just over a billion card numbers but that would be a billlion card number for each network. That'll be many billions of card number combinations available. Also, past numbers no longer in use could be reissued by changing the security code associated with the card number.
My first time on this channel. This guy is a riot.
0:33 Credit cards: Have 16 numbers in 4 sections
Also credit cards: Is actually divided across 3 sections
*What other lies have I been told by the Jedi council?*
That credit cards have 12 numbers?
@@callum9999 ok thanks for catching the typo
The actual number of usable accounts is actually much higher. Each processor, and perhaps a majority of banks within those processors, could potentially issue all the account numbers. That is, the account number does not need to be unique across all issuers. Additionally, the banks could agree to use multiple hashes of account numbers triggered either by issuer, or some part of the (already encrypted) account number, allowing for a massive increase in available account numbers without adding digits. However, migrating to such a system would be cumbersome, so since the existing system allows for longer numbers, it's probably just easier to do that.
I worked at a Visa Centre here in Canada 1974-2004 & knew the check-digit algo. Back then our cards were known as Chargex until 1977.
Thanks for the awesome content!!
this seems like a ploy to get everyone to reveal their number in his comment section
In Bangladesh, we have to input passcode to the terminals. For online payment, CCV is required and OTP is sent through mail/sms.
And after every sucessful transaction, sms is sent to the cardholder.
Same for India too but only for domestic transaction. Google transactions do not ask for OTP.
It is much the same in the UK. You can instead of entering your PIN use Apple FaceID or Google FaceUnlock. Some banks, instead of sending the OTP by SMS, send a notification to their banking app and you have to log in to approve it.
Thanks for your sharing
3:54 That is some dark grim humor. Chilling.
I like how this TH-cam channel uploads videos that are half as interesting as their previous every time
I can’t believe you called me a nerd. Thank you, that means I’m smart lol
Pretty cool. I too found is to be half as interesting. I bet you already done social security cards. They too are just as interesting. Same thing in digital files like an 8-bit has the data free 9th bit which is the checksum.
there definitely can be cards with the same exact number. which is why for purchases you need the exp. date and CVV, and for payments you need the full name on the card and the number. with a number alone you can't really do anything
What about CVV number?
A similar thing goes for Danish social security numbers. I was taught how to work out the very last digit in school in 5th or 6th grade and was amazed about it back then, especially considering that it's a 10 digit number where the first 6 digits are your birthday (DD-MM-YY) and the last digit denotes your gender (even numbers for females and odd for males), so the last 3 digits just seem random, but nope
What about nonbinary folks? Or hell, people who transition across binary genders? Do they have to reassign a new number?
@@keiyakins I've actually wondered about that myself, I'm not sure
@@keiyakins it's based on your birth assigned sex, and you cant change it. same system is in finland
@@GokkeSokkenDK read above
@@linux_fox So it's evil.
Nice information
Thanks
It's always fun listing off half of your friends credit card number by heart because you know they're using the same bank as you 😂
“I am not a number… I AM A FREE MAN!!”
Free man are not counted!
Gordon, is that you?
"Yes, Mr. Freeman, but we need your account number to process your refund."
Why did the FBI call right after I watched this video? Oh well, probably just a coincidence.
@1:44, the proper way to steal off other's CC number, is just taking picture if it's front, and the back.
3:57 "ended that pandemic forever"
we'll see how that ages in a few months
*Delta Plus has entered the chat*
Poorly, I'd imagine
I mean, it was already sarcastic. I'd feel that it will have aged poorly if the pandemic actually does end...
This guy makes some seriously good stuff. I was so immersed in the video. 1:40 really caught my attention.
Being sarcastic while explaining makes us more attentive to your videos
Another fantastic video!!
HAI: Teaching mildly intelligent people how to use other people’s credit card without their consent!
this means that even if you change your credit card the thief still can use the old one to find out things about you
Typically when a card is reissued, all the bank identifiers stay the same, and only the account number and check digit change, since people usually do not change the type of card when they have one reprinted.
The stock footage at 0:22 made me laugh
Also cool video :)
To take it a step further...the first 6 digits generally identify a particular card at least for MC and Visa. For example 414740 is a Visa Chase Amazon Prime card. First digit, all 4 is MC, all 5 is Visa, 3 is Amex and 6 (If I recall correctly is Discover.
4 is visa not MasterCard
@@jackweaver1846 You're correct, had visa and MC reversed. Darned dislexia.
2:43 anyone else come down to the comments to look for a credit card?
me
Shocker that Sam used 04/20 for the expiration date on the numbail since he moved to Colorado after all
Maybe that was the credit card number that he or the animator had which just so happen to expire in April 2020.
@@ChasetheG look at it closely and you'll see 69 and 420 it's not a coincidence lol
In fact, the real problem with the amount of individual account digits doesn't have anything to do with people. It is more things like controlled payment numbers, which I'm going to make everybody go look up on Wikipedia too, which cause the increased exhaustion of that space.
And, as the table in the article you pointed to implies, the organization portion of the number is 1-6 digits
So instead of China, India, Brazil, Japan a small country was worried about running out of numbers 😅
"The Coronavirus Pandemic is ending".
Delta Variant: "Hold my virus".
Yes, that's the joke
🦠 - “Hold my spike protein.”
Politicians and others who profit from the virus: hold my beer
So who among us actually possesses a Mastercard with the digits starting with 2? Haven't seen one yet. I do recall when Visas went from some having 13 digits to all having 16.
Thank you! I've always wondered about this.
Now, why is it some machines like at gas stations ask if this is a debit or a credit card? I don't think saw this until I moved to Texas.
The card itself (the swipe/mag stripe) doesn’t specify if it’s debit or credit card, so the merchant might ask. Credit can only be run as Credit, but debit can run both. Debit cards run as Debit will prompt the cardholder to enter their PIN, and because that prevents card fraud, debit transactions are cheaper for the merchant. Credit transactions generally cost a higher percentage because they’re more prone to fraud / chargebacks.
So, one merchant might be OK with just paying the credit percentage and running EVERYTHING as credit, and wouldn’t need to ask you “debit or credit”… but a merchant trying to minimize their transaction processing costs might ask.
Now that most machines accept chip, I suspect you don’t get that prompt as much (maybe only at gas pumps, which STILL don’t use the chip…)?
That brings up another point - debit cards used at things like gas pumps request an AUTH for like $60-$100 which can hold that money on your card for a few days, preventing you from using it. That’s annoying, so if you’ve got a debit card, you might prefer to hit “credit” instead. The payment will draw from the account in a day or two, instead of the auth hold and immediate debit.
There’s even more fascinating stuff about how chips identify credit/debit… the Durbin Amendment and the US Common AID… plenty of stuff to nerd over lol
@@TheTigero Some big discount or "wholesale" stores now have gas pumps that read the chip.
3:58 - HA!
Not if Florida has a say in anything!
Some information you didn’t ask for but I will pass along.
I worked for Chase bank for 5 years for context.
The numbers on your debit card are actually state specific.
Let’s say you opened an account in California which you had a debit card for and then you moved to New York and opened an account there. And you wanted to use you California debit card on your New York account. Well it would let you because certain numbers are designated to certain states.
Man, almost like clockwork I can see that advertisement coming from a mile away and know when to close the video haha
Thks
I don't know if there is any truth to this video. The very first part is wrong. The first digit is identified by the issuer (generally because sometimes in rare cases the second digit is important like the diner club card which I don't know anyone that uses one). In the USA: 3 is AMEX, 4 is VISA, 5 is MC, 6 is Discover. Now go check everyone's wallet.
The nine numbers that determine the account gives around 1 billion combinations, but wouldn't that be one billion combinations for each of the 99.999 different possible network identifier combinations? If so, how are we at risk of running out? What am I missing?
If 123456789 is account number then that account number is unique to you. No other card from any network can have that account number. Or so I guess.
@@kartik_sinha Yeah, I guess so. I just don't think that makes much sense, as there would be no risk of mix-ups as long as the whole 16 digit number has to be right for the card to be used (as well as the CVC, the expiration date, the name, and in many cases also 2FA).
Also numbers should be possible to re-use as cards expire. Perhaps after some waiting period, but still.
I love the card number LMAO
why? (im just stupid tbh)
What do you mean
So you can transpose 0&9 or 1&8 or 2&7 or 3&6 or 4&5 and the check digit will still work.
I worked in a credit card office for 30 yrs & when I started in 1974 there were only 13 digit account #s & yes I knew the check digit algo back then.
This wasn’t all strictly true for my cards. Maybe it’s different in Scotland lol.
he said post your card number... ill be glad to help you find out ;)
I thought you guys didn’t spend money.
These are all international standards, so if it doesn't work for your card then one of two possibilities comes up:
1) You missed something in the way the video described things. It was terse but pretty much accurate.
2) Scotland has their own system that ignores international standards in some fashion. If you're using a Visa, Mastercard or other card that one would expect to work in almost any country then this is unlikely, but if you have a Scotland-specific card of some sort then a lot of bets are off.
@@whereswaldo5740 we use money and haggis
I think it is mine is exact same
fun fact: the first name of the video was “what these numbers on your credit card mean”
I just love the thumbnail
When dealing with ecommerce software, the shorthand is 3=Amex, 4=Visa, 5=Mastercard, 6=Discover
Also Amex numbers are one digit shorter and their CVVs are one digit longer, because reasons
“Because Reasons…” is the best description for the entire US financial system…
the next video: how the fbi found us