What Is a BIN Checker and How Can It Help You Save on Card Payment Fees?

If you're accepting card payments online, you're probably paying more in fees than you should. Most merchants treat all cards the same, but there's one critical detail that can change everything — the card type. Business and corporate cards often carry much higher interchange fees compared to personal cards.

In this guide, you'll learn how to use a BIN checker to identify card types instantly using just the first 6 digits of a card number. We’ll also show you how this information can help you save on fees, apply legal surcharges, and make smarter payment routing decisions.

What Is a BIN Number?

BIN stands for Bank Identification Number. It refers to the first 6 digits of a payment card number and is used to identify:
These six digits are enough to tell a lot about the card, especially whether it's likely to cost you more in processing fees.

Why Does Card Type Matter for Businesses?

Processing card payments is not as straightforward as it might seem. While the checkout experience appears seamless, the fees charged to merchants can vary dramatically based on one key factor: the type of card used.
Understanding the difference between personal and business cards is crucial if you want to protect your profit margins and take control of your payment costs.

Business Cards Can Cost You Up-To 10x More in Fees

Most business owners assume that a £100 payment will result in the same fee, no matter what card the customer uses. That’s simply not true.
Let’s break it down:
So, for every £10,000 in payments:
💡 That’s a potential difference of over £200 – for the same payment value.
These hidden costs can silently eat away at your margins, especially for:
And here's the problem: you don’t know what kind of card is being used unless you check the BIN (Bank Identification Number). Without this data, you're flying blind and often absorbing fees that you could legally pass on.
Many merchants only realize the impact after months of reconciliations, when accounting reports start flagging higher-than-expected payment processor costs.

You Can Legally Apply a Surcharge in Many Countries

Here’s the good news: in many jurisdictions, including the United Kingdom, merchants are legally allowed to apply a surcharge on payments made with business or corporate cards. This means that if a customer is using a high-cost corporate card, you are permitted to pass that extra processing cost back to them but only if you can reliably identify the card type. That’s where BIN checking tools like Feensure come into play.
‍By analyzing the first 6 digits of the card number, Feensure’s BIN checker tells you:
Armed with this information, you can:
Important: Regulations vary by country. In the UK, surcharging business and corporate cards is permitted, but consumer card surcharges are restricted under PSD2.
This approach is not only legal but also encouraged for businesses that process a large volume of transactions and want to protect their profit margins from hidden costs.

Try Our Free BIN Checker Tool

Use the tool below to instantly detect the card type by entering the first 6 digits.
We don’t store or process full card numbers. Only the first 6 digits (BIN) are used for classification.
Real-Time Card Intelligence

Check the BIN.
Instantly.

Card Type
-
The card type tells you whether the card is business, corporate, or personal.This information helps you decide whether to surcharge the fee or offer alternative payment options like bank transfers.
It's one of the most important indicators in B2B transactions.
Card Scheme
-
The card scheme refers to the card network like Visa, Mastercard, or Amex.
Different schemes have different rules, fees, and levels of support.
Knowing the scheme helps you prepare for processing and compliance needs.
Bank
-
This shows which bank issued the card and in which country.
It can help you detect region-specific risks or offer location-based alternatives.Bank data also helps identify open banking or direct debit options.
Interchange Rate
%-
The interchange rate is the estimated fee you pay to accept this card.It depends on the card scheme, card type, and transaction method.
Understanding this helps you protect your margins and avoid unexpected costs.

Real-Life Use Cases for BIN Lookups

E-commerce Stores

At checkout, if a customer enters a business card, you can:

SaaS Companies

Many B2B SaaS platforms accept recurring payments.
If a user pays with a business card, the monthly processing fees may add up. Knowing the card type lets you:

Marketplaces and Aggregators

If you operate a multi-vendor platform, you can detect the card type used by buyers and pass that information into your analytics or reconciliation process.

How Developers Can Use the BIN Checker API

Want to automate this process? The Feensure BIN API helps you detect card types in real-time using a simple POST request.

Example Request

curl --location 'https://api.feensure.com/lookup' \
--header 'Content-Type: application/json' \
--header 'X-API-Key: YOUR-APi-KEY' \
--data '{
    "amount":7437.12,
    "bin":"516760",
    "payment_type":"online"
}'

Example Response

{
    "bank_details": {
        "issuer": "REVOLUT, LTD.",
        "issuer_country": "GB"
    },
    "bin": "516760",
    "brand": "MASTERCARD",
    "category": "WORLD BUSINESS",
    "interchange_estimation": {
        "comission_rate": 1.35,
        "constant_fee": 0,
        "currency": "GBP",
        "estimated_interchange_value": 100.4
    },
    "product_name": "Mastercard Business Premium Debit",
    "scheme_info": {
        "business_card": true,
        "is_deferred": false,
        "is_prepaid": false,
        "is_purchasing": false,
        "is_virtual": false
    },
    "type": "DEBIT"
}

Pricing Plans – Choose What Fits Your Needs

Special offer: 50% discount for the first 6 months if you sign up through F6S

Pricing

Affordable pricing plans

Choose a plan that fits your needs and start unlocking real savings.
All plans are designed for high ROI and flexible monthly or yearly billing.

Monthly plan
Annual plan

Free Plan

£0
/month

Get started with basic BIN-level insights.
Perfect for testing or light use.
‍

5000 requests / month
BIN Number Lookup
Card Type Detection
Issuing Country
No Credit-Card Required
Issuer Bank Info
Surcharge Rates
Bulk Queries
Get started
You can not switch to free plan

Basic Plan

£29.00
/month

Detect card type at scale.
Ideal for teams who need more than free-tier limits but don't require full surcharge insights yet.

10.000 requests / month
BIN Number Lookup
Card Type Detection
Issuing Country
Email Support
Issuer Bank Info
Surcharge Rates
Bulk Queries
Get started
Your current plan

Cost Saver Plan

£99.00
/month

Unlock surcharge-ready fee insights.
Perfect for UK-based merchants and platforms.
‍

10.000 requests / month
BIN Number Lookup
Card Type Detection
Issuing Country
Priority Support
Issuer Bank Info
Surcharge Rates
Bulk Queries
Get started
Your current plan

Premium Plan

£199.00
/month

Scale your BIN intelligence with high volume limits.
Best for platforms and payment providers.

50.000 requests / month
BIN Number Lookup
Card Type Detection
Issuing Country
Premium Support
Issuer Bank Info
Surcharge Rates
Bulk Queries
Get started
Your current plan

Free Plan

£0
/month

Get started with basic BIN-level insights.
Perfect for testing or light use.

‍

5000 requests / month
BIN Number Lookup
Card Type Detection
Issuing Country
No Credit-Card Required
Issuer Bank Info
Surcharge Rates
Bulk Queries
Get started
You can not switch to free plan

Basic Plan

£19.00
/month

£228.00/year (billed annually)

Detect card type at scale.
Ideal for teams who need more than free-tier limits but don't require full surcharge insights yet.

10.000 requests / month
BIN Number Lookup
Card Type Detection
Issuing Country
Email Support
Issuer Bank Info
Surcharge Rates
Bulk Queries
Get started
Your current plan

Cost Saver Plan

£79.00
/month

£948.80/year (billed annually)

Unlock surcharge-ready fee insights.
Perfect for UK-based merchants and platforms.
‍

10.000 requests / month
BIN Number Lookup
Card Type Detection
Issuing Country
Priority Support
Issuer Bank Info
Surcharge Rates
Bulk Queries
Get started
Your current plan

Premium Plan

£149.00
/month

£1,788.00/year (billed annually)

Scale your BIN intelligence with high volume limits.
Best for platforms and payment providers.

50.000 requests / month
BIN Number Lookup
Card Type Detection
Issuing Country
Premium Support
Issuer Bank Info
Surcharge Rates
Bulk Queries
Get started
Your current plan

Final Thoughts – Smarter Payments Start With Better Data

Identifying the card type is no longer a luxury:  it’s a smart business move.
With Feensure’s BIN checker, you can make better decisions, reduce unnecessary fees, and serve your customers more transparently.

Start now and see how much you could be saving.