FAQ
G'day! Here are some of the most frequently asked questions but if you have other questions not covered here, please send us an email.
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Absolutely. Our APIs are designed to save developers time and effort, enabling them to focus on building innovative solutions. We offer a Forever Free plan with generous quotas suitable for most projects, under a fair use policy. However, we have implemented a firewall and security policy to detect and restrict abuse. Over 9,000 projects and organizations currently benefit from our services. As long as your usage is reasonable, you shouldn't experience blocking. We even have a surge protection even in our free plan to accomodate unexpected spikes. Should any issues arise, please contact us.
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We indeed have a premium service. It's like the VIP lounge of our offerings, designed for the big players who need the red carpet rolled out in terms of high volume requests, top-notch availability, and the freshest data straight out of the digital oven.
While our free service meets the needs of most users, we're here to support your growth and provide premium services at a minimal cost to cover server expenses.
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At heart, we're passionate nerds who love to share our work with the developer community. Our public APIs facilitate system decoupling, simplify integration processes, and enhance user experiences. By offering these services for free under a fair use policy, we aim to save developers time and effort, allowing them to concentrate on creating innovative solutions.
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We often receive requests for database downloads. However, due to frequent updates to ensure data freshness, a downloaded copy would quickly become outdated. Our database is updated multiple times a week if not daily, with significant portions revised monthly and yearly, ensuring you always have access to the most current information.
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Identifying a card as credit or debit based solely on the number is not possible without access to the physical card or its digital image, which may indicate its type. Credit and debit cards are similar in appearance and share many features. The same BIN (usually the first 4 to 8 digits) can be reassigned from credit to debit cards and vice versa by issuers. The most reliable method to differentiate them is through our card BIN API, which is a common use case for our users, especially for surcharging purposes.
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A surcharge is an additional fee that merchants can apply to transactions to cover the cost of card payment processing. Since 2013, merchants have been allowed to add a surcharge for credit card transactions. The fees vary, with credit card transactions typically incurring higher costs due to the benefits they offer cardholders, such as reward points or cashback.
To apply different surcharges, you can use our API to determine the card type by submitting the first 6 to 8 digits. It's important to avoid repeated queries for the same card number during customer input and to make the API call after the 6th digit is entered. For front-end implementations, use the 'input' event listener to accommodate paste actions or browser autofill, which may not trigger keypress events.
To apply different surcharges, you can use our API to determine the card type by submitting the first 6 to 8 digits. It's important to avoid repeated queries for the same card number during customer input and to make the API call after the 6th digit is entered. For front-end implementations, use the 'input' event listener to accommodate paste actions or browser autofill, which may not trigger keypress events.
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It is not like you have to. For example, for testing you can make calls without a valid API key. However, this uses very low quota and you would be rate limited due to using public pool (what happens under the hood is our edge server assigns the same API key to all such requests - which means you share the same free plan quota with all test users)
The x-api-key header must always be included in your request (some early access users had a different referer based setup and we have done a configuration for those accounts not impact their services). Having an account serves a key role in enabling us to provide you with targeted support. If you encounter any issues or require assistance, the aki key allows us to quickly locate your requests and understand the context, significantly speeding up our ability to diagnose and resolve any problems.
The x-api-key header must always be included in your request (some early access users had a different referer based setup and we have done a configuration for those accounts not impact their services). Having an account serves a key role in enabling us to provide you with targeted support. If you encounter any issues or require assistance, the aki key allows us to quickly locate your requests and understand the context, significantly speeding up our ability to diagnose and resolve any problems.
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Absolutely, you can count on us for the long haul. Just as much as any other services or cloud resources you use daily.
Our passion for technology and commitment to the developer community means we're in this for the long term.
We take pride in our aim to ensure our APIs remain your dependable resource.
We understand that changes to the API request or response structure can be disruptive, which is why we're committed to keeping such modifications to a minimum, if not zero. It's unlikely we'll change these aspects of our service without extraordinary reason. However, in the rare event of an outage or if we introduce a new, upgraded service, we want to keep you informed.
We understand that changes to the API request or response structure can be disruptive, which is why we're committed to keeping such modifications to a minimum, if not zero. It's unlikely we'll change these aspects of our service without extraordinary reason. However, in the rare event of an outage or if we introduce a new, upgraded service, we want to keep you informed.
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In the evolving landscape of digital payments, the BIN (Bank Identification Number) has been in transition from a 6-digit to an 8-digit format to accommodate a growing number of issuers and products. The 6-digit BIN has been the industry standard for years, identifying the institution that issued the card and the card type. However, to ensure a greater supply of numbers and reduce the risk of duplication, the industry is moving towards 8-digit BINs. It is a slow process and 6-digit version is still most common.
Our API is at the forefront of this change, supporting both 6-digit and 8-digit BINs. This means you can rely on our API for up-to-date, accurate identification of card issuers and types, whether your systems are currently using the traditional 6-digit BINs or have transitioned to the newer 8-digit format.
Our API is at the forefront of this change, supporting both 6-digit and 8-digit BINs. This means you can rely on our API for up-to-date, accurate identification of card issuers and types, whether your systems are currently using the traditional 6-digit BINs or have transitioned to the newer 8-digit format.
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The BIN (Bank Identification Number), whether in 6-digit or 8-digit format, is not classified as cardholder data by the PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard) when not linked with the Primary Account Number (PAN). This delineation emphasizes the BIN's utility in identifying issuing banks or financial institutions, sidestepping the exposure of sensitive data such as card numbers, expiration dates, or CVVs, which are safeguarded under PCI directives.
Despite its classification, the security of the BIN is paramount. Its critical role in the financial ecosystem necessitates stringent protection, especially when processed or transmitted with other payment card data. Our API is crafted to maintain the highest levels of data protection and security, treating BINs with diligence equivalent to that of more sensitive information. This strategy ensures that our management of BINs complies with and often surpasses established privacy and security standards, aligning with industry-leading practices and compliance mandates.
As a reminder, for the use of the BIN API, make sure to only submit up to the first 8 digits of the card number (in most cases, you just need first 6). Full card numbers or any other sensitive details should never be transmitted, ensuring adherence to security best practices and safeguarding against unauthorized access or breaches.
Despite its classification, the security of the BIN is paramount. Its critical role in the financial ecosystem necessitates stringent protection, especially when processed or transmitted with other payment card data. Our API is crafted to maintain the highest levels of data protection and security, treating BINs with diligence equivalent to that of more sensitive information. This strategy ensures that our management of BINs complies with and often surpasses established privacy and security standards, aligning with industry-leading practices and compliance mandates.
As a reminder, for the use of the BIN API, make sure to only submit up to the first 8 digits of the card number (in most cases, you just need first 6). Full card numbers or any other sensitive details should never be transmitted, ensuring adherence to security best practices and safeguarding against unauthorized access or breaches.
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Our Fair Use Policy ensures that all users, especially those benefiting from our generous free limits, use the API in good faith and responsibly. This helps maintain a high-quality, reliable service for everyone without disruptions caused by excessive or abusive usage.
While our plans offer generous limits with a main focus on genuine use, certain activities — such as systematic scraping, bulk data extraction, reselling, or rebranding our API data — are strictly prohibited. We also have advanced detection systems in place to prevent abuse.
Over the past two years, our free plan has been the most targeted for abuse, leading us to implement robust safeguards to maintain its availability and integrity.
Our premium plans were introduced in response to overwhelming demand from businesses seeking higher, guaranteed usage quotas. These plans are priced at a minimal cost to help cover server expenses while keeping our API accessible and fair for all users.
For full details on permitted and restricted uses, please see our Fair Use Policy.
