# BIN Lookup - Card BIN/IIN Checker (`sterlingverify/bin-lookup`) Actor

Look up 6-8 digit card BINs/IINs offline: scheme, debit/credit, category, issuer and country. Never accepts or stores full card numbers; an optional in-memory Luhn/format check returns masked output only.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/sterlingverify/bin-lookup.md
- **Developed by:** [Luke Mangan](https://apify.com/sterlingverify) (community)
- **Categories:** Business, Developer tools, E-commerce
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

$1.00 / 1,000 bin looked ups

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

An Actor is a serverless cloud program that runs on the Apify platform. It has two run modes.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.

Apify vocabulary and the platform model are defined once, in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md.

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.

Do not guess an integration path. Every one of them is in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md: the Apify MCP server, Agent Skills with the Apify CLI, the JavaScript and Python clients, the REST API, and the account-free path for an agent with no human to sign in. It also carries the rule on stating cost before the first paid run.

For examples already wired to this Actor's own input schema, see the [API](#api) section below.

Each client library has reference documentation the quickstart does not restate: [JavaScript/TypeScript](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md) (`npm install apify-client`) and [Python](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md) (`pip install apify-client`).

# README

## BIN Lookup

**BIN Lookup** is a bulk BIN checker: look up 6-8 digit card BINs (IINs) offline and get the card scheme, debit or credit type, category, issuer and country. Full card numbers are rejected, never processed or stored.

**Best for:** Payments analysts, fraud and chargeback teams, checkout and routing logic, and reconciliation work that needs card-type data.

### How to look up card BINs in bulk

1. Add 6-8 digit BINs to **BINs** (`bins`). Never paste full card numbers.
2. Click **Start**.
3. Download scheme, type, issuer and country for every BIN.

### How it works

Uses a bundled copy of the open binlist-data dataset (about 343k BINs, CC BY 4.0, by Ian Nuttall), so lookups run offline with no third-party calls. Scheme detection comes from public IIN ranges (Visa, Mastercard incl. 2-series, Amex, Discover, JCB, UnionPay, Diners, Maestro). The dataset is community-compiled and no longer maintained, so issuer data may be out of date.

### Output

`input, schemeDetected, found, brand, type, category, issuer, country, countryName`

### Pricing (pay-per-event)

- `bin-looked-up`: **$0.001** per result ($1 / 1,000). Platform usage is included; you pay only for results.
- Example: 10,000 BINs cost $10.00.

### Example input

```json
{
  "bins": [
    "424242",
    "535522",
    "37828224"
  ]
}
```

### Example output

Values below are illustrative.

```json
{
  "input": "424242",
  "schemeDetected": "VISA",
  "found": true,
  "brand": "VISA",
  "type": "credit",
  "category": "CLASSIC",
  "issuer": "EXAMPLE BANK",
  "country": "GB",
  "countryName": "United Kingdom"
}
```

### Use it via API, schedules and integrations

Run it in Apify Console, or call it from your own code with the Apify API or the Python and JavaScript clients. Save an input as a task and add a schedule to run it regularly, and send results to Slack, email, webhooks, Zapier, Make or n8n with Apify integrations. AI agents can find and run it through the Apify MCP server.

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

client = ApifyClient("YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN")
run = client.actor("sterlingverify/bin-lookup").call(run_input={"bins": ["424242", "535522"]})
for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items():
    print(item)
```

### FAQ

#### Where does the BIN data come from?

A bundled copy of the open binlist-data dataset (about 343k BINs, CC BY 4.0, by Ian Nuttall). It is community-compiled and no longer maintained, so issuer data may be out of date.

#### Can I send full card numbers?

No. Anything over 8 digits is rejected and not processed.

### Disclaimer

BIN data: binlist-data (github.com/iannuttall/binlist-data), © Ian Nuttall, licensed CC BY 4.0. Not an official IIN register, so accuracy is not guaranteed. Not affiliated with any card scheme. Submit BINs only (first 6-8 digits); anything over 8 digits is rejected and not processed.

### Related sterlingVerify tools

Part of the sterlingVerify UK payments, KYB and data toolkit on Apify Store:

- [Payments Region Checker](https://apify.com/sterlingverify/payments-region-checker): EEA, SEPA, SCA and interchange classification by country or BIN
- [IBAN Validator](https://apify.com/sterlingverify/iban-validator): offline bulk IBAN validation and parsing
- [UK Bank Account Validator](https://apify.com/sterlingverify/uk-sortcode-checker): UK sort code and account number modulus check
- [MCC Checker](https://apify.com/sterlingverify/mcc-checker): check a merchant's MCC against its website or description

# Actor input Schema

## `bins` (type: `array`):

First 6-8 digits of a card only. Anything longer than 8 digits is rejected and not processed.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "bins": [
    "424242",
    "535522",
    "37828224"
  ]
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `results` (type: `string`):

All results in the default dataset

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "bins": [
        "424242",
        "535522",
        "37828224"
    ]
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("sterlingverify/bin-lookup").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = { "bins": [
        "424242",
        "535522",
        "37828224",
    ] }

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("sterlingverify/bin-lookup").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "bins": [
    "424242",
    "535522",
    "37828224"
  ]
}' |
apify call sterlingverify/bin-lookup --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,sterlingverify/bin-lookup"
        }
    }
}
```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/KoQAAs61eRKmP7fqR/builds/htyTAcbLexf9JU8jD/openapi.json