# Card Lifecycle
source: https://developer.mastercard.com/mastercard-processing-core/documentation/guides/card-lifecycle/index.md

## Overview {#overview}

Various events drive the card lifecycle. Some events are anticipated (for example, expiration), and others are unpredictable (for example, card loss or fraud). The actions that respond to these events are discussed in the [Issuing a Card](https://developer.mastercard.com/mastercard-processing-core/documentation/guides/issuing-card/index.md), [Stolen, Damaged or Lost Card Replacement](https://developer.mastercard.com/mastercard-processing-core/documentation/guides/stolen-replacement/index.md), and [About-to-Expire Card Renewal](https://developer.mastercard.com/mastercard-processing-core/documentation/guides/card-renewal/index.md) sections. Virtual cards introduce an extra layer to the cardholder experience, and system configuration for these must be managed carefully.

Virtual and physical cards are different forms of the same card. In practice, a physical card is a virtual card sent to the personalization file and has a physical form which means it can be used in an additional way. Physical and virtual cards have the same card usage functionalities. They can be tokenized, used for online transactions, and added to a digital wallet. Physical cards also support contact payments.

![](https://static.developer.mastercard.com/content/mastercard-processing-core/uploads/processing_15.png)

A card lifecycle includes issuing, activating, blocking, closing, and renewing or replacing a card. The following definitions describe the main events in a card lifecycle.

* **Card issuance**: New cards are produced and sent to the cardholder.
* **Card activation** : Card activation occurs when a cardholder receives an inactive card and must activate it. Card activation means changing the card `Plastic` status in the Card Management System (CMS) from `Locked` to `Active`. Since the EMV chip must receive encrypted messages about changed statuses, the first card transaction must be done through physical contact with a Point-of-Sale (POS) device or an automated teller machine (ATM). Virtual cards are activated during the initial issuance process.
* **Card expiration**: Each card has a default expiry date that is within 36 or 48 months. After the expiry date, the card becomes inactive.
* **Card renewal**: When the card is close to its expiry date, a new card is produced and sent to the cardholder. The activation of the new card triggers the deactivation of the old card. Both cards have the same Primary Account Number (PAN) and PIN.
* **Card stolen, lost, or compromised** : When a card is stolen or lost by the cardholder, or there is a high probability of a fraudulent transaction, the card status goes to `Inactive` and cannot be activated again. Its PAN cannot be used again in the new card production process. The new card can inherit the old PIN, or a new PIN might be assigned, depending on your policy.
* **Card damaged but still in cardholder's possession**: The card can be renewed with the same PAN and PIN or replaced with a new PAN and an old or a new PIN. The decision depends on your policy and the rules implemented in the CMS.
* **Card replacement**: If the card is lost, a new card is produced with a new PAN and an old or a new PIN.

The digital-first setup allows you to issue a virtual card and then a physical card upon request. This approach creates many use cases and allows multiple product setups.

You must decide:

* Which type of card can be renewed - physical, virtual, or both?
* What will happen to the old card after a renewal is issued? Will it remain active until its expiry date, or will it be deactivated after the activation of the renewal is complete?

The actions described above are executed through the Mastercard Processing API using numerous multi-step operations. The following examples describe `operationId` (unique names of operations) with brief descriptions:

* `createCard`: The operation is used to issue a card when you have an existing client and account contract. In a request for this operation, choose the appropriate value in the `productCode` field. Values are defined during onboarding based on your needs and the product definition.
* `reissueCard`: Choose the appropriate value in the `reissueType` field:
  * `REISSUE`: This value is used to reissue a damaged card still in the cardholder's possession. It is also used to issue a physical card that mirrors an existing virtual card.
  * `RENEW` or `RENEW_D`: This value is used to renew a card that expires soon or has expired. Use `RENEW` to renew a physical card or `RENEW_D` to renew a virtual card.
  * `REPLACE` or `REPLACE_D`: This value is used to replace a card. Use `REPLACE` to replace a physical card or `REPLACE_D` to replace a virtual card.
* `activateCard`: The operation is used to activate a card. When you provide the `cardContractId`, the CMS activates the `Plastic` linked to the provided card contract with a `Locked` status. It then closes the old `Plastic` (if one exists) that is linked to the `cardContractId`.

Refer to [Status Changes Over the Lifecycle](https://developer.mastercard.com/mastercard-processing-core/documentation/guides/status-changes/index.md) to learn more about how these actions impact the account contract, card contract, and `Plastic` CMS objects. A complete list of operations with detailed descriptions is available in the [API Reference](https://developer.mastercard.com/mastercard-processing-core/documentation/api-reference/index.md) section.