Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)



General


1. What card schemes are supported?

The PCI Data File and PCI Web Service both support all major domestic and international card schemes. For more detailed description, visit the Card Schemes page.


2. Can you identify Credit or Debit cards?

Yes, both credit and debit card types are detected via the IIN in our solution. We can also identify prepaid and gift cards.


3. Can you detect the issuing country of a card?

Yes, our data contains information about the country of origin of an IIN/BIN which indicates the country of the card's issuer.


4. Can you determine the card category/level?

Yes, our solutions can identify most of the major card categories: Classic, Gold, Platinum, Signature, Business, Corporate, Purchasing, Fleet
Special markers allow differentiation between Consumer (Personal) and Commercial (Business) cards
Another set of data fields provides information for prepaid, gift and virtual (Reloadable and Non-Reloadable) card categories, and special cards such as HSA and government cards, when known


5. Can you identify card issuer financial institution name?

Yes, the IIN Directory provides information for the issuing bank/financial institution name.


6. What is the difference between a PCI Web Service and PCI data file License?

There is no difference in the data returned. The key difference is in the method of accessing it.
In some cases, calling our API every time you need to look up a BIN/IIN is more convenient. Using a SaaS solution and calling API is easier than downloading files, parsing and keeping them updated.

In other cases, having the complete IIN Directory on premise provides a broader look and freedom of analysing the data in the directory.

  • PCI data file: This provides you with a downloadable copy of the database which you can keep on file in your computer or your company's server. Having the database locally allows you to integrate it in your systems.

  • PCI Web Service: This Software as a Service (SaaS) solution provides access to the data through an API. You can perform searches through the API which allows your online store or existing billing system to automate the BIN identification process.


7. How accurate is this data?

Accuracy is our primary goal and each BIN record goes through strict verification procedures before being published in the database.
Although we cannot provide a 100% complete or accurate BIN directory, our data provides an excellent solution covering the majority of issuers, schemes, networks and banks in the world.


8. Where do you get your data from?

Our IIN data is compiled through various data sources and methods. We have listed some of them below:

  • Customers - Reporting back IIN data and helping us improve data quality constantly
  • Financial institutions - contributing their IIN data
  • Payment processors - merchants verify risk transactions
  • User input validation - end users confirm their own personal IIN data
  • Document verification services - Companies that perform Optical Character Recognition to validate personal documents
  • Card collectors - Proven partnerships we have with collectors of recently expired/inactive cards help us identify many rare or non-public card types
  • Public search data - Performing statistical analysis of the search data through our web tools.


9. What can I do with your data?

Some of the main use cases our clients have employed are:

  • Identification of card issuer financial institution name and country
  • Extended Prepaid, Gift and Virtual cards detection (Reloadable and Non-Reloadable)
  • Debit or Credit card recognition
  • Card scheme identification (payment networks)
  • Co-Branded Cards Additional data (Identify cards issued by the bank in joint sponsorship with the large retail merchant)
  • Advanced information of BIN sponsorship (Allows companies to process payments through an intermediary that is a direct scheme member)
  • Verifying whether consumer (personal) or commercial (business) cards are used
  • Fraud Prevention & Avoiding chargebacks (Building an effective anti-fraud system)
  • Recurring Payments / Subscription Billing
  • Data management & statistical analysis
  • Detecting suspicious payment related activity
  • Investigation (contact information of card issuer)
  • Improve financial security and risk management

10. What is a BIN or IIN?

A BIN (Bank Identification Number), also called an IIN (Issuer Identification Number), is the first 6 or 8 digits of a card number. It shows which institution issued the card.


11. Can BIN data show the balance, the cardholder, or whether a card is stolen?

No. It describes the card and its issuer, not the person or the money on the card.



Order & Delivery


1. How can I purchase the service?

We have designed our purchasing process to be simple and fast. You can place an order online from the Order Section.


2. What payment methods do you accept?

Our payment processor 2Checkout (now Verifone) supports a wide range of payment options. The most commonly used and convenient ways are Credit Card and Bank Wire Transfer.


3. Can I purchase via invoice / PO?

To purchase via invoice (purchase order) for bank wire transfer method, please contact us.


4. Can I only purchase part of the data?

The data is not sold in parts.


5. How soon is the data delivered after I place an order?

Once your payment is successfully processed and your order is approved, we have a standard turnaround time of two business days. However, most orders are processed on the same day.



Technical


1. What are your SLAs for uptime and availability?

We guarantee uptime of 99.9% on our web services.


2. What is the data file format?

The PCI data file is provided in a standardized TAB separated text file (TSV) format.


3. What are PCI Data file download options?

Download the data files from a secure web interface using any web browser or automatically via our REST file download API.


4. What is API average Response time?

The current average is around 200 milliseconds. Response times may vary depending on your network latency and geographical location.


5. What are PCI Web service RESTful API response formats?

The RESTful API service is able to provide its responses in either XML or JSON formats.

6. How frequently is the data updated?

Our team updates individual IIN records in the database almost daily. The PCI Web Service (API) is updated daily. The PCI Data File is updated on the 1st of every month.