Mastercard BIN2 Series and the Structure of Credit Card Numbers

This article explains what Mastercard BIN2 is, why it was introduced, and how RaiseNow supports it.

Overview

Mastercard introduced a new range of card number prefixes called BIN2 starting in 2017.

The first digits of a credit card number identify the card issuer and card type. Traditionally, Mastercard card numbers started with values between 51 and 55. Due to the increasing number of issued cards worldwide, Mastercard added a new range starting with the digit 2.

RaiseNow supports this format across all supported payment widgets and integrations.

Key points

• BIN stands for Bank Identification Number
• Mastercard introduced the BIN2 range in 2017
• BIN2 card numbers start with the digit 2
• RaiseNow widgets support BIN2 validation
• BIN2 does not change payment functionality for supporters

What is BIN2?

A BIN identifies:

• The card issuer
• The card brand (e.g. Mastercard or Visa)
• Additional card information such as card type or category

Traditional Mastercard ranges

Mastercard originally used the following ranges:

• 51–55

New BIN2 range

The new Mastercard BIN2 range includes:

• 222100–272099

This expansion was introduced because of the global increase in issued payment cards.

How credit card numbers work

Credit card numbers usually contain between 13 and 19 digits.

The number structure follows mathematical validation rules using the Luhn algorithm.

This algorithm allows payment forms and widgets to:

• Validate card numbers in real time
• Detect invalid formats before submission
• Improve payment accuracy

RaiseNow widgets use this validation automatically in the browser.

Test BIN2 support

You can test BIN2 validation using the following valid Mastercard BIN2 test number:

2720 9972 0652 9952

Test mode behaviour

If your Tamaro widget is running in test mode, you can also test transactions using supported the test card numbers listed here.

Depending on the configured test rules, you can simulate scenarios such as:

• Expired cards
• Insufficient funds
• Blocked transactions
• Exceeded card limits

This helps verify payment behaviour before going live.