# BIN Lookup
source: https://developer.mastercard.com/bin-lookup/documentation/index.md

## Overview {#overview}

Bank Identification Numbers (BINs) comprise the first 6 to 11 digits of a payment card number. These digits identify the issuing bank or financial institution, along with a range of other attributes. BIN data is essential for verifying card validity, preventing fraudulent activity, and optimizing payment routing. Originally developed by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) to identify issuers of internationally accepted cards, BIN data is now widely used by merchants, payment processors, and fraud detection systems.

A BIN indicates key details such as the issuing bank or financial institution, the type of card (e.g., credit or debit), and the region in which the card was issued. This information helps reduce fraud by validating the card and confirming that it belongs to the person using it. Additionally, BIN data enable businesses to screen transactions for risk, route transactions according to custom logic, and analyze payment activity to identify trends and insights.

## How It Works {#how-it-works}

The BIN Lookup service provides three APIs: one that returns a full or filtered list of available Mastercard BINs, one that returns information for a single BIN, and one that returns incremental changes to BIN data. Filtering allows you to retrieve BIN data relevant to your business needs, such as by issuer, product code, or country. You can find out more about Account Ranges, BINs, and the product's capabilities by watching the following video.

## Good to Know {#good-to-know}

### Before You Start {#before-you-start}

Learn about key concepts and find out how to quickly connect to the service via our quick start guide. It only takes 10 minutes.

[Quick Start Guide →](https://developer.mastercard.com/bin-lookup/documentation/quick-start-guide/index.md)

### Available Plans {#available-plans}

The BIN Lookup Service provides three unique plans tailored to meet various customer needs. After testing the API in the Sandbox environment, you must select a plan for production access. We recommend thoroughly reviewing each plan to choose the one that best aligns with your requirements. See [Available Plans](https://developer.mastercard.com/bin-lookup/documentation/pricing-plans/index.md) for more information. To discuss directly with the team, feel free to [contact us](mailto:DBN.BinTableResource.Support@mastercard.com).

## Next Steps {#next-steps}

#### Mastercard API Basics {#mastercard-api-basics}

Find out how to get set up with a project and learn about authentication

[Learn more →](https://developer.mastercard.com/bin-lookup/documentation/api-basics/index.md)

#### Developer Tooling {#developer-tooling}

Use our Postman Collection, reference app, and sample code to accelerate development

[Learn more →](https://developer.mastercard.com/bin-lookup/documentation/developer-tools/developer-tooling/index.md)

#### API Reference {#api-reference}

Check out our API design in full

[Learn more →](https://developer.mastercard.com/bin-lookup/documentation/api-section/api-reference/index.md)

#### Explore Capabilities {#explore-capabilities}

BIN Lookup is simple but mighty, see how it can be used

[Learn more →](https://developer.mastercard.com/bin-lookup/documentation/use-cases/index.md)

#### Get Ready for Production {#get-ready-for-production}

Find out about the stages to get to production

[Learn more →](https://developer.mastercard.com/bin-lookup/documentation/tutorials-and-guides/onboarding-checklist/index.md)