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The unified orchestration layer for wallets and alternative payments
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The secure repository for all your payment methods
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Workflow-driven payments intelligence for smarter routing and higher auth rates
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A flexible fraud and authentication layer. Instantly add advanced fraud tools and 3DS
One integration to sell inside ChatGPT, Gemini, and every agentic platform
The visual workflow builder that ties fraud, identity, and payment routing together in one place
The unified orchestration layer for wallets and alternative payments
The secure repository for all your payment methods
Workflow-driven payments intelligence for smarter routing and higher auth rates
A flexible fraud and authentication layer. Instantly add advanced fraud tools and 3DS
One integration to sell inside ChatGPT, Gemini, and every agentic platform
The visual workflow builder that ties fraud, identity, and payment routing together in one place
BIN Metadata
BIN Metadata is structured data associated with a card's BIN (Bank Identification Number), the first six to eight digits of a payment card number that identify the issuing bank and card product. BIN metadata includes attributes such as card type (credit, debit, prepaid), card brand (Visa, Mastercard, Amex), issuing bank name, issuing country, card product tier (standard, gold, platinum), and whether the card is a commercial or consumer card.
This data is valuable in payment operations because it informs better decisions at every stage of the transaction lifecycle. Knowing the card type and issuing country before routing a transaction allows the routing logic to select the gateway most likely to achieve a high authorization rate for that specific card profile. Knowing whether a card is a commercial card helps determine the appropriate interchange category and whether additional data (Level 2 or Level 3 purchasing card data) should be submitted. Knowing the issuing country informs Exemption Management decisions for SCA under PSD2.
In Spreedly's Advanced Vault, BIN Metadata enrichment is a core feature, when a payment method is stored in the vault, BIN lookup data is retrieved and associated with the payment method record, making card attributes available to Transaction Decisioning and Dynamic Routing logic without requiring the merchant to maintain their own BIN database. This means routing rules can reference card attributes (route all UK-issued debit cards to the UK gateway, for example) without the merchant building their own card identification infrastructure.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between a 6-digit BIN and an 8-digit BIN?
Historically, BINs were six digits. As the global card market grew and card issuers multiplied, six-digit BINs became insufficient to uniquely identify every card product and issuer combination. Card networks migrated to eight-digit BINs (also called IINs, Issuer Identification Numbers) to expand the available namespace.
Can BIN metadata be used to detect prepaid cards?
Yes. BIN metadata typically includes a card funding source attribute that distinguishes credit, debit, and prepaid cards. This is commercially useful in several contexts: subscription businesses that want to flag prepaid cards (which may not have the funds for future renewals), merchants in regulated industries that are restricted from accepting certain card types, and fraud teams that monitor prepaid card usage as a fraud signal.
How current is BIN metadata, and how often does it change?
BIN databases require regular maintenance because new card products are continuously issued, BIN ranges are reallocated, and card attributes change as issuers update their product portfolios. BIN data providers update their databases on varying schedules, some update daily, others weekly. Stale BIN data can produce incorrect card attribute lookups, leading to suboptimal routing decisions.
Related Terms
