A Bank Identification Number (BIN) helps to identify and assess payment card transactions. A BIN list gives you information on a specific credit card which can help work out if a payment may be fraudulent.
We recommend you do a BIN check for any suspicious looking transactions.
'BIN' is an acronym for bank identification number.
This refers to the first four to six numbers on a payment card. This set of numbers identifies the financial institution that issued the card.
When to do a BIN list check on a credit card
You can do a BIN list check on all your credit cards but it is worth doing for any suspicious bookings. Please look at our article on how to spot potential credit card fraud or scams.
How to check a credit card on a BIN list
Log in to the NightsBridge
Please look at our tutorial on How to log in to NightsBridge if you need more information on how to do this.
Retrieve the credit card details for the guest
- Find the confirmation email sent from PayBridge when the transaction was made.
- This email has the first 6 digits of the credit card. This is what you need to do the check.
Access the Card Checker
Go to the Card Checker by either:
- Clicking on 'View Payments & Invoices' tile on Home.
or - Selecting 'Payments' from the Main Menu
The 'Payments' page will open on the 'Transaction' tab.
- Click the 'Card Checker' button.
A new browser tab will open to display BIN Lookup, the external card checker.
If you experience issues with the linked card checker, FreeBINChecher can be used as an alternative.
Find the credit card information using the BIN list
- Type the first 6 numbers of the credit card into the 'Search for BIN/IIN' field.
- Click on 'Search'.
- The credit card details will display.
How to use the information on the BIN list to reduce the chance of fraud
- Check the country of issue on the BIN list.
- Compare the country of issue with the country where the guest is coming from. The guest's passport or ID and their telephone number on check-in can help with this.
What to do if the credit card information is inconsistent
- If the information on the BIN list does not match the guest's nationality then it may be a stolen credit card - but this is not a certainty.
- Do not panic. The guest does not need to know that you've picked up inconsistent information.
- Advise the guest that your credit card facility cannot release the funds and the online payment will be reversed so they need to pay you by cash or EFT.