FAQ #1091 Diff

This update includes minor clarifications aboutFAQ reflects updates as of November 2021 for acceptable truncation formats for different PAN / BIN lengths, as follows:

Adds UnionPay?s PAN / BIN formats to the table.
Reformats the table included in prior versions of this FAQ for readability.
Updates the PAN / BIN lengths for 16-digit PANs with 8-digit BINs for Mastercard and Visa.

Truncation is a method of rendering a full PAN unreadable by permanently removing a segment of PAN data and applies to PANs that are electronically stored, processed, and transmitted (for example, in files and databases).lengths.

Acceptable truncation formats vary according to PAN length and Participating Payment Brand requirements.
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A maximum of the first 6 and last 4 digits of the PAN is the starting baseline for entities to retain after truncation, considering the business needs and purposes for which the PAN is used.
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When more digits of the PAN are necessary for business functions, entities should consult the table below for the acceptable formats for each Participating Payment Brand.

|






PAN / BIN Length |






Payment Brand |






Acceptable PAN Truncation Formats |
|








>16-digit PAN (with either 6- or 8-digit BIN)






UnionPay






At least 6 digits removed. Maximum digits which may be retained:
17-digit PAN: ?First 6, any other 5?
18-digit PAN: ?First 6, any other 6?
19-digit PAN: ?First 6, any other 7?








16-digit PAN with
8-digit BIN |






UnionPay |






At least 6 digits removed. removed.Maximum digits which may be retained:
?First 6, any other 4?








16-digit PAN with
6-digit BIN






JCB
UnionPay






At least 6 digits removed.Maximum digits which may be retained:
?First 6, any other 4?








16-digit PAN
(with either 6- or 8-digit BIN)






Discover
Mastercard
Visa






At least 4 digits removed.Maximum digits which may be retained:
?First 8, any other 4”








15-digit PAN






American Express






At least 5 digits removed.Maximum digits which may be retained:
?First 6, last 4?








<15-digit PAN






Discover






Maximum digits which may be retained:
17-digit PAN:
?First 6, any other 5?
18-digit PAN: ?First 6, any4?






When using truncation formats for purposes other 6?
19-digit PAN: ?First 6, any other 7? |
| >16-digit PANthan storage, or for PAN lengths not covered within this FAQ, entities should confirm that their format is compatible with
6-digit BIN | Mastercard
UnionPay
Visa | At least 6 digits removed. Maximum digits which may be retained:
17-digit PAN: ?First 6, any other 5?
18-digit PAN: ?First 6, any other 6?
19-digit PAN: ?First 6, any other 7? |
| 16-digit PAN with
8-digit BIN | Discover
UnionPay | At least 6 digits removed.Maximum digits which may be retained:
?First 6, any other 4? |
| Mastercard
Visa | At least 4 digits removed.Maximum digits which may be retained:
?First 8, any other 4” |
| 16-digit PAN with
6-digit BIN | Discover
Mastercard
JCB
UnionPay
Visa | At least 6 digits removed.Maximum digits which may be retained:
?First 6, any other 4? |
|
15-digit PAN | American Express
| At least 5 digits removed.Maximum digits which may be retained:
?First 6, last 4? |
| Mastercard | At least 5 digits removed.Maximum digits which may be retained:
?First 6, any other 4? |
| <15 digit PAN | Discover
Mastercard | Maximum digits which may be retained:
?First 6, any other 4? |

When using truncation formats for purposes other than storage, entities should confirm that their format is compatible with each of the applicable Participating Payment Brands.

To determine whether a PAN has a 6- or 8-digit BIN, contact the acquirer or the Contact information for the Participating Payment Brands. Contact information for the Payment Brands can be found in FAQ 1142 How1142How do I contact the payment card brands?

Note: Access to different truncation formats of the same PAN greatly increases the ability to reconstruct full PAN, and the security value provided by an individual truncated PAN is significantly reduced.Ifreduced. If the same PAN is truncated using more than one truncation format (for example, different truncation formats are used on different systems), additional controls should be in place to ensure that the truncated versions cannot be correlated to reconstruct additional digits of the original PAN.