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The Daily Insight Hub

What numbers does a Mastercard start with?

Author

Rachel Davis

Updated on February 13, 2026

First number If it’s a Visa card, it will always start with a 4, while Mastercards generally start with a 5 — although in 2017 Mastercard started issuing some of its numbers starting with 2. Here are starting numbers for major credit card issuers in the United States.

What are the first 6 digits of a Mastercard?

Mastercard cards – Begin with a 5 and has 16 digits. American Express cards – Begin with a 3, followed by a 4 or a 7 has 15 digits. Discover cards – Begin with a 6 and have 16 digits. Diners Club and Carte Blanche cards – Begin with a 3, followed by a 0, 6, or 8 and have 14 digits.

Does Mastercard always start with 5?

Credit cards, such as MasterCard, Visa, and Discover, all have unique, identifying numbers as their first digits, with the exception of American Express, Diner’s Club and Carte Blanche, which share the same first digit: the number 3. MasterCard’s unique first digit is 5, while Visa’s is always 4.

What numbers do American Express cards start with?

All American Express account numbers are embossed and start with “37” or “34”. 2. Check account numbers are embossed (15 digits) with no alterations.

Does all American Express cards have a 4 digit security code?

A credit card security code is the 3-4 digit number that is printed, not embossed, on all credit cards….How to find your credit card security code by card type:

Card NetworkSecurity Code LocationNumber of Digits
American ExpressFront of card, above and to right of number4

Which is the bank number on a MasterCard?

MasterCard – Digits two and three, two through four, two through five or two through six are the bank number (depending on whether digit two is a 1, 2, 3 or other). The digits after the bank number up through digit 15 are the account number, and digit 16 is a check digit. In the next section, we’ll look at the stripe on the back of a credit card.

Where do I Find my MasterCard IIN number?

The IIN makes up the first six digits of all credit or debit cards issued by Mastercard, followed by the primary account number (PAN) and a check digit. For more information, contact Mastercard at 82 2 3660 4890.

What are the first few digits of a credit card?

Match the first few digits of the credit card number to one of the major credit card issuers if possible. Discover cards begin with 6011 or 65. MasterCards begin with a number from 51 to 55. American Express cards begin with 34 or 37.

What is the first four digits of a Visa card?

Visa – Digits two through six are the bank number, digits seven through 12 or seven through 15 are the account number and digit 13 or 16 is a check digit. MasterCard – Digits two and three, two through four, two through five or two through six are the bank number (depending on whether digit two is a 1, 2, 3 or other).