Bank cards are slowly crowding out cash from everyday life. Almost every citizen who has an official job has one or more bank cards in his wallet. Both schoolchildren and senior citizens are already able to handle them today.
In addition to being very convenient, bank cards provide secure payments. These are various codes, ciphers and numbers, allowing you to make a piece of plastic unique.
One of these identifiers is her number. Where is the bank card number, what does it mean and why is it needed? The answers to all these questions are contained in the article.
What is a card number and what does it mean
Before we talk about where the card number is, let's see how it looks. This is usually the longest number that can be found on a plastic card. Most often it consists of 16 digits and is written as 4 four-digit numbers, separated by spaces. Sometimes, however, a card number may consist of more characters. Some card numbers consist of 18 or 19 digits, but old-style cards have a number consisting of only 13 digits.
What do these numbers mean? The first digit of the identifier determines which payment system the card you are holding belongs to: Visa card numbers, for example, begin with four, American Express with three, MasterCard with five.
All the first six digits are the bank identification number (abbreviated BIN). They show which organization produced the plastic. The seventh and eighth digits identify the type of program within which the card is issued.
Numbers nine through fifteen form a special code, which is the main number of the card itself. There is no order in its formation; it is generated using a special algorithm. This code is encrypted:
- the number of the particular branch that issued the card;
- her currency;
- absence or presence of a special chip;
- other information.
The last number is a verification number, which is the result of a number of mathematical operations carried out with the remaining digits of the number. Information on how this or that bank forms the number of plastic cards is completely closed.
Where to find him
Most often, finding out where the card number is on a Visa, MasterCard or any other card is very simple. It is enough to pick it up and turn it “face” towards you. That is, the side on which the picture is drawn. Right in the center you will see a long row of numbers. This is the answer to the question of customers: "Where is the card number?"
By the way, you can recognize it in another way, even without the physical presence of plastic. You may need this if the card is lost. So that no one can use your money, you need to call the bank and block your "electronic wallet". In this case, you will be asked to name the card number. To make this possible, it is worth worrying in advance. Today, many banking institutions offer Internet banking. This is the registration of a personal account on the bank's website. By going to your page under a unique login and password, known only to you, you can get all the information about the card and the status of your account. You can also make payments without leaving your home, order tickets for all types of transport, pay utility bills and much more.
Card and account number: what are the differences
If you look for where the card number is on the card of Sberbank or any other bank, then make sure that you do not confuse it with the account number. This is completely different data. The card number is the numbers squeezed out on the plastic itself.If you lose it and they give you another one, the numbers on it will be different. The card account number consists of other numbers, it is indicated only in the contract, it is not on plastic. No matter how many times you lose your card, the account number will not change. The new plastic will be “tied” to the old card account. To make it clearer, there is such a figurative comparison: a card account is a safe, and a plastic card is the key to the safe. There can be only one safe (card account), but there can be at least one hundred keys to it (the cards themselves)!
You can also find out your account number by contacting any bank employee. Do not forget to bring your passport.
Now you know where the card number is on the card of Sberbank or any other financial institution. 
Issue number
Since you now know exactly where the card number is on Visa, MasterCard, American Express and others, let's move on to the next question. He is usually interested in those who buy goods on the Internet. When filling in the data, many users cannot understand where the card issue number is and what it actually is.
Everything is very simple. When it comes to the issue number (in English Issue Number), I mean the number, which means how many times your card has been reissued. Usually this is a single digit number located on the back or front of the plastic.
If you did not find anything similar on the surface of the card and are sure that the card was issued to you only once and you did not change it, try entering “1”, it should work. If you changed the card only once - enter “2”, twice - “3” and so on. As a matter of fact, the number is not so important, therefore, many forms of filling allow you to skip this item.
Why does a card need a number?
So, where is the card number, we have already figured out. Now let's talk about why it is needed. Using this number, you can identify yourself as a payer and conduct financial transactions on the card. There are only two of them: crediting funds and writing them off. Knowing the number, you can transfer funds from one card to another, both between customers of one banking institution, and different.
You can also pay for purchases on the Internet and carry out other calculations. But here you will need additional identifiers: the expiration date of the plastic carrier and a special CVV code located on the back.
Safety standards
Many users know where the card number is, but not everyone understands how important it is to keep this information secret. Using the data on your card, fraudsters can gain direct access to your money. Therefore, the card should never be handed over to unauthorized persons, call its number and even more so CVV-code. 
If you find a card is missing, report it to the bank as soon as possible or block it yourself through the online service. And remember, the bank’s security service never asks customers any questions about the information on a plastic card. Bank employees are not at all authorized to resolve issues by telephone. In which case, you will definitely be invited to come to the financial institution in person.
