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The Daily Insight Hub

What data is on a credit card?

Author

Matthew Harrington

Updated on February 05, 2026

Primary Account Numbers (PAN): These are the account numbers on the credit card itself. Magnetic stripe data: This can include PIN numbers, CVV codes, service code, expiration dates, and cardholder names.

What is used to read the information from the magnetic stripe?

A magnetic stripe reader, also called a magstripe reader, is a hardware device that reads the information encoded in the magnetic stripe located on the back of a plastic badge. The magnetic stripe on the back of a badge is composed of iron-based magnetic particles encased in plastic-like tape.

How do you write data into a magnetic strip?

The process of writing data to a magnetic strip involves using a special magnetic stripe cardstock (i.e. blank cards with the magnetic stripe on them), ID card design software that has mag stripe encoding functionality, and a magnetic swipe card printer.

What is the magnetic strip on a credit card used for?

The data stored on the magnetic strip of your credit card contains your name, account number and the expiration date for your card and communicates your card limit, card number and card usage information. The strip also comes with an encrypted pin, country code and information about currency units.

How do you read a magnetic strip credit card?

A magnetic stripe card is a type of card capable of storing data by modifying the magnetism of tiny iron-based magnetic particles on a band of magnetic material on the card. The magnetic stripe, sometimes called swipe card or magstripe, is read by swiping past a magnetic reading head.

What makes up the stripe on a credit card?

The stripe on the back of a credit card is a magnetic stripe, often called a magstripe. The magstripe is made up of tiny iron-based magnetic particles in a plastic-like film. Each particle is really a tiny bar magnet about 20-millionths of an inch long.

How much information is stored on a credit card?

The coating of the magnetic stripe on the back of such cards can hold about 200 bytes of information. Customer account numbers can be recorded on the magnetic stripe so that it can be read by bank ATMs, credit card authorization terminals, and many other types of magnetic stripe readers. How to entirely empty your bowels every morning (revealed).

What are the tracks on a credit card?

Track three is 210 bpi, and holds 107 4-bit plus parity bit characters. Your credit card typically uses only tracks one and two. Track three is a read/write track (which includes an encrypted PIN, country code, currency units and amount authorized), but its usage is not standardized among banks.

Which is the only track on a magnetic stripe card?

The only track that may contain alphabetic text. Also the only track that contains the cardholder’s name. Written with the code DEC sixbit or six-bit character code plus odd parity. Information on track 1 on financial cards is contained in several formats.