How Credit Cards Are Manufactured

On the surface, credit cards may seem like nothing more than a thin piece of plastic. While this is true, they are mostly made of simply plastic, there is much more to how credit cards are manufactured than molding plastic into a rectangular shape to fit nicely inside your wallet.

One of the most important characteristics of the credit card is the magnetic strip. This strip, which is located on the back of the credit card and is made of a material that is very similar to magnetic tape or the strip found in a floppy disk, is used to hold your credit card information. With this magnetic strip, the merchant at the store where you are making a purchase can quickly and easily electronically verify that you have funds available on the card to make the necessary purchase.

In addition to containing a magnetic strip, credit cards also have numbers on the front that represent your account number. This information is also imbedded within the magnetic strip. The first six numbers of credit cards bearing a MasterCard or Visa logo are the Bank Identification Number, which identifies what bank the card has been issued by. The last ten digits are your personal account number. You will also find additional security codes on your credit card in order to help fight against fraudulent purchases, as well as a date indicating when the card was issued to you and when it will expire.