Contents
The holder of a bank card is now almost every inhabitant of any civilized country. With the help of "plastic", settlements, transfers are made, social payments, wages and other monetary receipts are also received there. However, with all the prevalence of this banking product, not all customers understand how the card number differs from the account number. Many people think that card number and account number are one and the same. Looking ahead, let us briefly answer that they are mistaken. Below we will dot all the “i” s and give explanations so that this question does not cause difficulties in the future.
Card number
The numbers printed on the face of the card are its number. In most cases, the card number includes 16 digits, but sometimes 18-digit numbers are found, for example, on Maestro budget cards. And this is not a simple set of numbers, certain information is encrypted in each digit. For example, the first number will tell us about the plastic payment system (3,5,6 is Maestro, 5 is MasterCard, 3 is American Express, 4 is VISA.), The subsequent numbers contain information about the issuing bank, about the type of card (credit or debit), the date and region of issue, and so on. Each number is unique within the banking system of the whole world (!).
A number of banks, in order to protect customers from financial fraud, put (or emboss) an incomplete number on plastic (usually they leave the first and last 4 numbers). However, terminals installed in retail outlets or ATMs read all the necessary information from a magnetic tape or chip.
The plastic card number may be needed to carry out the following operations:
So, the card number is its unique identifier, which tells banks and the payment system that the operation was performed with a specific card. In addition, the card number is the key to the card account at the bank in which your card was issued.
Card account number
A bank card account (also known as a special card account) is an "account" consisting of a strictly 20-digit number, on which all the client's funds are stored. With the help of it, the bank keeps records of all transactions.
If we are talking about a card account, then the card is "tied" to it, and all operations on the card in reality are performed (reflected) on the 20-digit card account.
When decrypting a card account, we learn a lot of interesting information about its currency, about the code of the bank's division, etc., which, as a rule, can only arouse interest among bank employees.
An ordinary person may need a card account much less often, for example, for:
To find out the account number, it makes no sense to look at the card - it is not there, but you need to use the following methods:
So what is the difference between a card number and an account number? Let's summarize
Now let's summarize and show once again that the card number and account number are NOT the same!
So, the card number is the "key" of the bank card to the card account, through which all operations with your money (transfers, payments) take place.
The card number is unique - there are no two identical cards in the whole world - within the framework of one payment system, of course. International payment systems (IPS) are competitors, but it is precisely because of this that the card is a reliable banking instrument. The card account number is not unique and is opened in a specific bank within a specific country, for example, in the Sberbank of Russia (by the way, when transferring abroad, you must additionally know the SWIFT code of a foreign bank).
The bank, in cooperation with the IPS, issues a card (see about issuing banks), "linking" it to its special card account. Subsequently, any transaction with plastic, for example, payment on the Internet, after the issuing bank gives the go-ahead for it (successful authorization will take place), will be reduced to debiting funds from the card account and transferring them to the card account of another bank.
In reality, any operation with a card by its number: payment in an online store, transfer or booking, does not mean that money is from cards. the accounts were immediately transferred to the account of the store, etc. Money is blocked at the level of the payment system for speed and convenience of mutual settlements between banks and in reality it can flow from one bank to another only after a few days. The function of a convenient "gasket" between banks, if I may say so, is performed by the international payment system, and it is for this that numbers on plastic cards are needed.
And finally, you can see the card account in different places (see above), and you will see the card number only on it (for security reasons). Even in Internet Banking you will not see the full number of your card!
We hope that we have answered the question about the differences between the card account number and the card number.
- 1. Card number
- 2. Card account number
- 3. So how is the card number different from the account number? Let's summarize
The holder of a bank card is now almost every inhabitant of any civilized country. With the help of "plastic", settlements, transfers are made, social payments, wages and other monetary receipts are also received there. However, with all the prevalence of this banking product, not all customers understand how the card number differs from the account number. Many people think that card number and account number are one and the same. Looking ahead, let us briefly answer that they are mistaken. Below we will dot all the “i” s and give explanations so that this question does not cause difficulties in the future.
Card number
The numbers printed on the face of the card are its number. In most cases, the card number includes 16 digits, but sometimes 18-digit numbers are found, for example, on Maestro budget cards. And this is not a simple set of numbers, certain information is encrypted in each digit. For example, the first number will tell us about the plastic payment system (3,5,6 is Maestro, 5 is MasterCard, 3 is American Express, 4 is VISA.), The subsequent numbers contain information about the issuing bank, about the type of card (credit or debit), the date and region of issue, and so on. Each number is unique within the banking system of the whole world (!).
A number of banks, in order to protect customers from financial fraud, put (or emboss) an incomplete number on plastic (usually they leave the first and last 4 numbers). However, terminals installed in retail outlets or ATMs read all the necessary information from a magnetic tape or chip.
The plastic card number may be needed to carry out the following operations:
- Transfer of funds to another card.
- Payment for services or goods on the Internet (how to pay correctly on the Internet).
So, the card number is its unique identifier, which tells banks and the payment system that the operation was performed with a specific card. In addition, the card number is the key to the card account at the bank in which your card was issued.
Card account number
A bank card account (also known as a special card account) is an "account" consisting of a strictly 20-digit number, on which all the client's funds are stored. With the help of it, the bank keeps records of all transactions.
If we are talking about a card account, then the card is "tied" to it, and all operations on the card in reality are performed (reflected) on the 20-digit card account.
When decrypting a card account, we learn a lot of interesting information about its currency, about the code of the bank's division, etc., which, as a rule, can only arouse interest among bank employees.
An ordinary person may need a card account much less often, for example, for:
- making a bank transfer of a third party using your account details;
- receiving a microloan to a bank account (if for some reason your card does not suit the MFI);
- making payments to legal entities;
- making SWIFT transfers outside the state, etc.
To find out the account number, it makes no sense to look at the card - it is not there, but you need to use the following methods:
- Look into the account opening agreement;
- If the card came in an envelope with a PIN code, then you will see the invoice by looking into this envelope;
- You can get information by calling the hotline of the serving bank;
- If you are a user of Internet banking services, then look for the information you need there;
- When carrying out operations with a card through a payment terminal or an ATM, the account number can be displayed on the monitor, all that remains is to “take a picture” of it;
- If the previous options do not suit you, you can always pay a visit to any of the branches of the servicing bank and ask your questions personally to a competent specialist.
So what is the difference between a card number and an account number? Let's summarize
Now let's summarize and show once again that the card number and account number are NOT the same!
So, the card number is the "key" of the bank card to the card account, through which all operations with your money (transfers, payments) take place.
The card number is unique - there are no two identical cards in the whole world - within the framework of one payment system, of course. International payment systems (IPS) are competitors, but it is precisely because of this that the card is a reliable banking instrument. The card account number is not unique and is opened in a specific bank within a specific country, for example, in the Sberbank of Russia (by the way, when transferring abroad, you must additionally know the SWIFT code of a foreign bank).
The bank, in cooperation with the IPS, issues a card (see about issuing banks), "linking" it to its special card account. Subsequently, any transaction with plastic, for example, payment on the Internet, after the issuing bank gives the go-ahead for it (successful authorization will take place), will be reduced to debiting funds from the card account and transferring them to the card account of another bank.
In reality, any operation with a card by its number: payment in an online store, transfer or booking, does not mean that money is from cards. the accounts were immediately transferred to the account of the store, etc. Money is blocked at the level of the payment system for speed and convenience of mutual settlements between banks and in reality it can flow from one bank to another only after a few days. The function of a convenient "gasket" between banks, if I may say so, is performed by the international payment system, and it is for this that numbers on plastic cards are needed.
And finally, you can see the card account in different places (see above), and you will see the card number only on it (for security reasons). Even in Internet Banking you will not see the full number of your card!
We hope that we have answered the question about the differences between the card account number and the card number.
