A credit card is a payment card that allows users (cardholders) to pay a merchant for goods and services depending on their outstanding debt (i.e., promise to the card issuer to pay them for the amounts plus the other agreed charges). The card issuer (usually a bank) establishes a revolving account for the cardholder and offers a line of credit that the cardholder can use to pay a merchant or obtain a cash advance.

A charge card is different from a credit card in that the charge card balance must be paid in full each month or at the end of each statement cycle. Customers who use credit cards, on the other hand, might build up a continual debt that is subject to interest costs. A credit card is not the same as a cash card, which the cardholder may use to make purchases. A credit card differs from a charge card in that the former usually involves a third-party firm that pays the seller and is returned by the latter, whilst the latter just defers the buyer’s payment until a later date. In 2019, 1.5 billion credit cards were in use in the United States.

According to the ISO/IEC 7810 ID-1 standard, most credit cards are 85.60 by 53.98 millimeters (3+38 in 2+18 in) with rounded corners of 2.88″3.48 millimeters (980″1180 in) and are the same size as ATM cards and other payment cards, such as debit cards.

Credit cards, which feature a printed or embossed bank card number, adhere to the ISO/IEC 7812 numbering standard. The Bank Identification Number (also known as a BIN) is a series of digits at the start of a credit card number that identifies the bank to which it belongs. These are the first six numbers on MasterCard and Visa cards. The following nine numbers are the individual account number, while the final digit is a validity verification code.

Both of these standards are maintained and developed by ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 17/WG 1. Credit cards have a magnetic stripe that conforms to ISO/IEC 7813. The majority of contemporary credit cards use smart cards, which have a computer chip embedded into them as a security feature. Smart cards with peripherals like a keypad, a display, or a fingerprint sensor are becoming more common in credit cards.

In addition to the basic credit card number, credit cards include the issue and expiration dates (given to the nearest month), as well as additional data such as issue numbers and security codes. Complex smart cards provide a changeable security code, which increases the security of online transactions. Credit cards do not all have the same extra codes or use the same number of digits.

Download Credit Card Silhouette PNG Transparent Images background