10 Interesting Facts about Credit Card Anatomy

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Have you ever noticed that all credit cards in circulation look the same except the color and picture on the front? The common features are size, shape, the magnetic stripe, the signature stripe, hologram and the number emblazoned across the front. Many people are so used to the standard credit card design that they don't pay attention to these physical characteristics. If you want to know why all plastics from different American issuers share the same structural features, read our article. We will tell you 10 interesting facts that cover their technology.

1. All plastics have the same size and shape. The dimensions are defined by the ISO 7810 standard. It governs four formats of documents: ID-1, ID-2, ID-3 and ID-000. The ID-1 format, commonly used for different banking cards and driving licenses, specifies a size of 85.60 x 53.98 mm (3.370 x 2.125 in).

2. The proportion of credit card sides is approximately the golden ratio - 1.618. Since the Renaissance, many artists and architects have tried to create their works close to this standard. It is believed that golden ratio is aesthetically pleasing.

3. The credit card expiration date doesn't mean that your plastic won't work after that time. When you receive a new card, you will see that it has the same number. That's why most issuers block your account in order to make you change the plastic.

4. The expiration dates are necessary because the magnetic stripe on the back of your plastic can become dirty, scratched or demagnetized after two or three years of swiping. It can make your card not work properly.

5. Magnetic stripes consist of magnetized particles impregnated on a thin band. Generally, there are two types of magnetic stripes: high-coercivity and low-coercivity. The first type is more durable and stronger. Nowadays nearly all plastics come with high-coercivity stripes despite a higher manufacturing cost.

6. Higher-coercivity stripes are almost black, low-coercivity stripes are light brown. However, there are some exceptions, for example silver colored magnetic stripes on transparent American Express credit cards.

7. The magnetic stripe is the key to important information about your account. There are up to three tracks used for for storing data. They are known as tracks 1, 2, and 3. The tracks contain all necessary information to make a transaction: the user's name, the account number, a country code, currency units, and an expiration date.

8. Credit card numbers conform to the Luhn algorithm. It is used to distinguishing valid identification numbers from collections of random digits. The number must pass the following test: double each second digit from the right side (1111 becomes 2121) and subtract 9 if the product is greater than 9. Then sum up all digits, and the result must be a multiple of 10 or it is not a valid number.

9. The number emblazoned on your plastic contains important information. The first six digits determine the issuer: 4xxxxx is for Visa, 51xxxx/55xxxx are for MasterCard, 34xxxx/37xxxx are for American Express, and 6011xx is for Discover. The next nine or twelve digits are an individual account number, and the final digit is a validity check code.

10. The maximum length of a credit card number is 19 digits.