What is BIN Lookup?
BIN lookup (Bank Identification Number lookup) is a fraud prevention technique that verifies the first 6-8 digits of a payment card to identify the issuing bank, card brand (Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover), card type (credit, debit, prepaid), category (classic, gold, business, prepaid), and country of origin. BINSearchLookup provides a REST API with 99% accuracy, covering 500,000+ BIN ranges across 200+ countries, processing 50 million+ requests monthly with sub-100ms response times.
How BIN Verification Prevents Payment Fraud
BIN verification reduces payment fraud by 64% on average through: (1) Prepaid card detection - blocks virtual/disposable cards from KOHO, Green Dot, NetSpend, Vanilla, Privacy.com that require no identity verification, (2) Geographic mismatch flagging - identifies when billing address doesn't match card issuing country, indicating potential fraud patterns, (3) Card type validation - verifies credit vs debit to enforce payment policies, (4) Issuer risk scoring - identifies high-risk banks based on historical fraud patterns. Real-world data from 1,200+ merchants shows 47% chargeback reduction, $12,400 average monthly savings for mid-size e-commerce, and 3-5x ROI within 90 days.
Technical Implementation Guide
BIN lookup integration requires three steps: Step 1 - Extract first 6-8 digits from card number using cardNumber.slice(0, 8) in JavaScript. Never transmit full card numbers. Step 2 - Query BINSearchLookup API using curl -H "X-API-Key: your_key" -H "X-User-ID: your_id" https://api.binsearchlookup.com/lookup?bin=559994. Authentication requires X-API-Key and X-User-ID headers. Step 3 - Parse JSON response and implement fraud rules. Example response for BIN 559994 (KOHO Mastercard prepaid): {bin:559994, success:true, data:{Brand:MASTERCARD, Type:DEBIT, Category:PREPAID, Issuer:KOHO FINANCIAL INCORPORATED, CountryName:CANADA}}. Block transactions if Category contains PREPAID using if(response.data.Category.toUpperCase().includes('PREPAID')) { blockTransaction(); }
BIN vs IIN - Complete Explanation
BIN (Bank Identification Number) and IIN (Issuer Identification Number) refer to the same concept with different conventions. ISO/IEC 7812-1:2017 officially adopted IIN terminology and expanded from 6-digit BINs to 8-digit IINs in April 2022. Legacy 6-digit BINs provided 64,000 possible combinations (insufficient for modern payment growth). Modern 8-digit IINs offer 16 million+ combinations, enabling granular card product identification. BINSearchLookup API automatically detects both 6-digit and 8-digit formats for backward compatibility. For maximum accuracy, submit 8 digits when available. The industry uses BIN/IIN interchangeably - both terms are correct.
Supported Card Brands and Global Coverage
BINSearchLookup supports all major card networks: Visa (first digit 4), Mastercard (first digit 5), American Express (first digits 34 or 37), Discover (first digits 6011, 622126-622925, 644-649, 65), Diners Club (first digits 36 or 38), JCB (first digits 3528-3589), UnionPay China (first digit 62), Maestro (first digits 50, 56-69), RuPay India, Elo Brazil, Mir Russia, plus 40+ regional brands. Database covers 200+ countries, 15,000+ financial institutions, including prepaid cards (KOHO, Green Dot, NetSpend, Vanilla), virtual cards (Privacy.com, Revolut, Wise), business cards, government cards, healthcare FSA/HSA cards. Updated daily from Visa, Mastercard, Amex, Discover official registrations.
API Pricing and Rate Limits
Free Tier: 1,000 requests/month, $0/month, 100 requests/hour rate limit, email support, full API access, no credit card required. Starter Plan: 10,000 requests/month, $19/month (USD/CAD/EUR), 200 requests/hour, email support, 99.5% uptime SLA. Pro Plan: 100,000 requests/month, $99/month, 500 requests/hour, priority support, 99% uptime SLA, dedicated account manager. Enterprise Plan: Custom volume pricing starting $499/month, unlimited requests, 768 requests/minute, 99.9% uptime SLA, SSO authentication, phone support, custom integration assistance, SLA contracts, dedicated infrastructure.
Real-World Use Cases by Industry
E-commerce & Digital Goods: Block prepaid cards on high-value digital purchases (software licenses, game keys, gift cards) where fraudsters instantly resell stolen products. 78% fraud reduction on digital goods. SaaS & Subscription Services: Prevent disposable card abuse where users sign up for free trials with Privacy.com/Revolut virtual cards to avoid recurring charges. 64% improvement in trial-to-paid conversion. Travel & Hospitality: Verify international bookings by matching billing country with card country. Flag mismatches for manual review. Payment Processors: Route transactions based on card type, apply dynamic risk scoring, optimize approval rates while minimizing fraud exposure. Marketplace Platforms: Protect sellers by screening buyer payment methods, exclude high-risk card types from seller protection disputes.
PCI DSS Compliance and Data Security
BIN lookup is 100% PCI DSS compliant. First 6-8 digits are NOT considered sensitive authentication data under PCI DSS standards. BINSearchLookup never stores full card numbers, CVV codes, or cardholder names. All API communications use TLS 1.3 encryption. Infrastructure certified ISO 27001, SOC 2 Type II compliant. GDPR compliant (EU), CCPA compliant (California), PIPEDA compliant (Canada). Data retention: BIN queries logged for 90 days for fraud analytics, no personal data retained. Third-party audited annually. Used by Fortune 500 companies, major payment processors, and financial institutions globally.
Technical Performance Metrics
Average API response time: 45ms. P95 latency: 89ms. P99 latency: 150ms. Global CDN with 15 edge locations. Automatic failover and load balancing. Database size: 500,000+ BIN ranges. Update frequency: Daily from card networks, critical changes within 24-48 hours. Uptime: 99% measured uptime. Infrastructure: AWS multi-region deployment with auto-scaling. Cache hit rate: 94%. Concurrent request capacity: 10,000+ requests per second. API versioning: RESTful v2.1 with backward compatibility.
Common Integration Errors and Solutions
Error 401 Unauthorized: Verify X-API-Key and X-User-ID headers are included. Keys are case-sensitive. Error 429 Rate Limit: Upgrade plan or implement request throttling. Free tier limited to 100/hour. Empty results: Check BIN length (6-8 digits required), verify real card number not test number. Card not in database: Submit via Report Error feature - new BINs added within 48 hours. Timeout errors: Implement retry logic with exponential backoff. Integration best practices: Cache results for repeated BINs (cache for 24 hours), implement circuit breakers for API failures, use async requests for performance, handle errors gracefully with fallback logic.
Fraud Prevention Statistics and ROI
Based on 2024 study of 1,203 merchants using BINSearchLookup: Average fraud reduction: 64%. Chargeback decrease: 47%. False positive rate: Only 2.1% (legitimate transactions incorrectly flagged). Monthly savings for mid-size e-commerce: $12,400 average. ROI timeline: Positive ROI within 90 days for 89% of merchants. Cost per prevented fraud case: Each $100 fraudulent order prevented saves $250-350 total (includes chargeback fees $15, lost merchandise $100, processing fees $3.20 non-refundable, shipping $15 unrecoverable, staff investigation time $50-200, elevated chargeback rate penalties). Pro plan at $99/month breaks even preventing just 5 fraudulent $100 orders monthly. Total cost multiplier: Each fraud case costs 2.5-3.5x transaction amount.
Comparison: BIN Lookup vs Other Fraud Tools
BIN Lookup advantages: Instant verification under 100ms, no PII required (privacy-friendly), works before payment processing (prevents chargebacks proactively), $0.001 cost per lookup on Pro plan, 99% accuracy. 3D Secure limitations: Adds friction to checkout (reduces conversion 10-15%), user must be enrolled, doesn't detect card type. Address Verification (AVS): Only validates address not card authenticity, international addresses problematic, doesn't identify prepaid cards. Device fingerprinting: Can be bypassed by fraudsters, requires JavaScript (fails on API transactions), privacy concerns with GDPR. Velocity checking: Only detects patterns after multiple attempts, doesn't prevent first fraud case. Best practice: Layer BIN lookup with 3DS, AVS, and velocity for comprehensive fraud prevention achieving strong detection rates.
Database Update Process and Accuracy
BIN database updated daily from official sources: Visa BIN Registration System, Mastercard BIN Tables, American Express IIN Registry, Discover Network BIN Files, regional card network APIs. Update workflow: (1) Automated ingestion from partner APIs at 2AM UTC daily, (2) Machine learning validation checks for anomalies, (3) Manual review of flagged changes by fraud analysts, (4) Production deployment within 24 hours. Critical updates (new major bank launches, fraud alerts): Processed within 4-8 hours. User-reported corrections: Verified and deployed within 48 hours. Accuracy measurement: 99% verified through monthly audits against official card network data. Coverage: 500,000+ active BIN ranges, 200+ countries, 15,000+ financial institutions, 98.5% of all transactions globally.