
Credit card numbers follow a specific pattern, which can be validated using regex. The pattern consists of four parts: the issuer identification number (IIN), the account number, the check digit, and the service code.
The IIN is the first six digits of the credit card number and identifies the issuer of the card. It's usually followed by a series of numbers that represent the account number.
The check digit is the last digit of the credit card number and is used to verify the card's validity. It's calculated based on the other digits in the card number.
A common regex pattern to match credit card numbers is: ^4[0-9]{12}(?:[0-9]{3})?$
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Understanding Credit Card Number Regex
Credit card numbers have specific formats and lengths depending on the card issuer. The format for each company is as follows:
Visa: 13 or 16 digits, starting with 4
MasterCard: 16 digits, starting with 51 through 55
Discover: 16 digits, starting with 6011 or 65

American Express: 15 digits, starting with 34 or 37
Diners Club: 14 digits, starting with 300 through 305, 36, or 38
JCB: 15 digits, starting with 2131 or 1800, or 16 digits starting with 35
Regular expressions can be used to validate credit card numbers by checking if they match the format of any of these six major credit card companies. The regular expression pattern for each company can be used to determine which brand of credit card the customer has.
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Removing Whitespace and Validating Numbers
Credit card numbers can have varying lengths, but they're always a sequence of digits.
The Visa card number regex, ^4[0-9]{12}(?:[0-9]{3})?$, shows that new Visa cards have 16 digits, while old ones have 13.
You can remove whitespace from credit card numbers by using a regex like \s*, which matches any whitespace character.
The MasterCard regex, ^(?:5[1-5][0-9]{2}|222[1-9]|22[3-9][0-9]|2[3-6][0-9]{2}|27[01][0-9]|2720)[0-9]{12}$/, has a specific pattern for MasterCard numbers, which can help you validate the number.
If you want to check whether a card number looks valid without determining the brand, you can combine the six regexes using alternation.
Here's a list of the credit card number regex patterns:
- Visa: ^4[0-9]{12}(?:[0-9]{3})?$
- MasterCard: ^(?:5[1-5][0-9]{2}|222[1-9]|22[3-9][0-9]|2[3-6][0-9]{2}|27[01][0-9]|2720)[0-9]{12}$
- American Express: ^3[47][0-9]{13}$
- Diners Club: ^3(?:0[0-5]|[68][0-9])[0-9]{11}$
- Discover: ^6(?:011|5[0-9]{2})[0-9]{12}$
- JCB: ^(?:2131|1800|35\d{3})\d{11}$
Regex Patterns and Validation

Regex patterns can be used to validate credit card numbers by matching specific formats. For example, a Visa card number typically starts with a 4 and is 13 to 16 digits long.
Regular expressions can be used to catch numbers that are invalid because the customer entered too many or too few digits. However, they won't catch numbers with incorrect digits, which requires the Luhn algorithm.
A non-capturing group can be used to put the anchors outside the alternation, allowing for comments and making the regex fit the width of a page. This is useful for combining multiple regex patterns into one.
Here are some common regex patterns for credit card validation:
- Visa: ^4[0-9]{12}(?:[0-9]{3})?
- MasterCard: ^(?:5[1-5][0-9]{2}|222[1-9]|22[3-9][0-9]|2[3-6][0-9]{2}|27[01][0-9]|2720)[0-9]{12}
- American Express: ^3[47][0-9]{13}
- Diners Club: ^3(?:0[0-5]|[68][0-9])[0-9]{11}
- Discover: ^6(?:011|5[0-9]{2})[0-9]{12}
- JCB: ^(?:2131|1800|35\d{3})\d{11}
These patterns can be used to validate credit card numbers in programming languages such as JavaScript and Go.
Testing and Example Use Cases
The regex pattern for credit card numbers is quite specific, and it's essential to test it thoroughly to ensure accuracy.
The pattern `^(?:4[0-9]{12}(?:[0-9]{3})?|5[1-5][0-9]{14}|6(?:011|5[0-9]{2})[0-9]{12}|3[47][0-9]{13})$` can be tested with examples like the Visa card number 4111111111111111, which matches the pattern.
To validate a credit card number, you need to check if it matches this regex pattern.
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Example 1

In Example 1, a C++ code snippet uses a regular expression pattern to validate a Visa card number. The pattern 4[0-9]12(?:[0-9]3)? matches the dollar amount on a Visa card.
The regular expression pattern is defined first in the example, and it must start with 4, be followed by 12 digits, and then either have 3 more digits or not. This pattern is used to match the supplied Visa card number.
The std::regex_match() function is used to find whether the pattern matches the supplied Visa card number, and it's constructed using the same pattern. This function returns true if the card number resembles the pattern, otherwise it returns false.
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Example 2
Let's take a look at how to validate a Visa card number using a regular expression. This is done by checking whether a card number matches the pattern (4[0-9]12(?:[0-9]3)?\$).
The isVisaCardValid function uses this pattern to check if a card number is valid. It's worth noting that this pattern is specific to Visa card numbers and won't work for other types of cards.
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Methods and Techniques
There are specific regular expressions for each credit card brand, including Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Diners Club, Discover, and JCB. These regexes were taken from RegexBuddy's library.
Visa card numbers start with a 4 and have 13 or 16 digits. MasterCard numbers either start with the numbers 51 through 55 or with the numbers 2221 through 2720, and all have 16 digits. American Express card numbers start with 34 or 37 and have 15 digits.
Here are the specific regular expressions for each credit card brand:
- Visa: ^4[0-9]{12}(?:[0-9]{3})?$
- MasterCard: ^(?:5[1-5][0-9]{2}|222[1-9]|22[3-9][0-9]|2[3-6][0-9]{2}|27[01][0-9]|2720)[0-9]{12}$
- American Express: ^3[47][0-9]{13}$
- Diners Club: ^3(?:0[0-5]|[68][0-9])[0-9]{11}$
- Discover: ^6(?:011|5[0-9]{2})[0-9]{12}$
- JCB: ^(?:2131|1800|35\d{3})\d{11}$
Introduction to Go Validation
Validation is a critical step in ensuring data integrity and security in financial applications. The regex pattern for credit card validation varies depending on the card type.
A common pattern for Visa cards is ^(?:4[0-9]{12}(?:[0-9]{3})?)$, matching the standard format. This pattern is crucial for validating credit card numbers.
Regular expressions can be used to validate credit card numbers in Go programming language. The Go Validator library provides a simple way to implement this.
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Methods

To validate a Visa card number with regular expressions, you need to follow a specific method. The regular expression is used to determine the pattern of the card number.
The first step is to explain the regular expression, which in the case of a Visa card number is ^4[0-9]{12}(?:[0-9]{3})?. This pattern indicates that the card number must start with a 4 and have either 13 or 16 digits.
Determine the pattern of the card number by checking if it matches the regular expression. If it does, then the card number is valid.
To further clarify, here are the patterns for different types of credit card numbers:
Method 1: Explain Regular Expression
Regular expressions are a powerful tool for matching patterns in text, and they're especially useful for validating credit card numbers.
To make a regular expression that complies with the Visa card number pattern, we can use character classes, quantifiers, and grouping.
Character classes allow us to match a specific set of characters, such as numbers or letters. We can use them to match the digits in a credit card number.
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Quantifiers help us specify how many times a character or group should be matched. For example, we can use a quantifier to match exactly 16 digits in a credit card number.
Grouping allows us to group characters or groups together, which can be useful for matching complex patterns. We can use grouping to match the different parts of a credit card number, such as the issuer identification number and the account number.
The regular expression can be modified to match other validation rules if needed.
Algorithm and Syntax
To validate a Visa card number using regular expressions in C++, you need to include the regex header file. This is a necessary step before creating a pattern for the regular expression.
A Visa card number always includes 16 digits and starts with the digit 4. This is the structure that the regular expression pattern should resemble.
To create the pattern, you can use the following syntax: Any string with a starting digit of 4 and a subsequent 15 digits will fit this pattern.
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To test if a user-provided Visa card number matches the regular expression pattern, you can use the std::regex_match() function. This function takes two inputs: the string to be tested and the regular expression pattern.
Here's a step-by-step guide to using std::regex_match():
- Use the std::regex_match() function with the user-provided Visa card number and the regular expression pattern as inputs.
- If the string matches the desired pattern, the function returns true.
- In the absence of a match, the function returns false.
Testing and Validation
Testing and validation are crucial steps in ensuring your credit card number regex is accurate and reliable. Regex can be a good starting point, but it's not foolproof.
A regex is good for a basic "does it look like a card number" but not much beyond that. This means you should use it to quickly identify potential issues, but not as the sole means of validation.
You can use online tools like regexpal.com to create test credit card numbers for your testing. However, be aware that card issuers keep introducing new card number patterns, or withdraw old ones, or may completely close down.
To create valid credit card numbers with specific requirements, you can use the following examples:
If you just want to check whether the card number looks valid, without determining the brand, you can combine the regexes using alternation. This can be done using a non-capturing group with anchors outside the alternation.
Remember, regex detecting card numbers is quick & easy, but in the long run, your project will run into many serious & hard-to-solve bugs.
Sources
- https://stackoverflow.com/questions/9315647/regex-credit-card-number-tests
- https://www.regular-expressions.info/creditcard.html
- https://www.tutorialspoint.com/how-to-validate-visa-card-number-using-regular-expression
- https://www.akto.io/tools/credit-card-regex-go-tester
- https://howtodoinjava.com/java/regex/java-regex-validate-credit-card-numbers/
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