We Could Be Running Out Of Credit Card Numbers
It seems hard to believe but we may be running out of credit card numbers. Well, at least in Japan. Due to the pandemic, more and more people are shopping online,…
BRISTOL, ENGLAND – MAY 21: (EDITORS NOTE: Card details have been pixelated) In this photo illustration a debit card is seen being used in a chip and pin machine on May 21, 2015 in Bristol, England. Cashless payments have overtaken the use of use notes and coins for the first time according to the Payments Council. (Photo illustration by Matt Cardy/Getty Images)
Photo illustration by Matt Cardy/Getty ImagesIt seems hard to believe but we may be running out of credit card numbers. Well, at least in Japan. Due to the pandemic, more and more people are shopping online, thus, more and more are requesting credit cards. So many in fact, that the nation now faces a shortage of the 16-digit combinations that are imprinted on the cards.
While the first six digits represent such elements as the country, type of card issuer, and brand, everything that comes after that is generated by the credit card companies to indicate discrete account numbers and the type of membership the customer holds. One company tried to address the digits dearth by recycling old credit-credit card numbers from former members who no longer hold accounts. That method ups the risk of fraud. The safest solution seems to be to just make those card numbers longer.
