BIN Routing Strategy

Optimize payment routing using Bank Identification Number analysis

Overview

Bank Identification Number (BIN) routing uses the first 6-8 digits of a card number to determine the optimal payment provider for each transaction. By identifying the card’s issuing bank, country, and card type before processing, you can route transactions to providers with the highest approval rates and lowest costs for that specific card profile.

BIN routing is one of the most effective levers for improving approval rates in Latin America, where domestic acquiring consistently outperforms cross-border processing by 10-25 percentage points.

What is a BIN?

The BIN (also called Issuer Identification Number or IIN) is the first 6-8 digits of a payment card number. It encodes critical information about the card:

BIN Component	Information Encoded
Digits 1-2	Card network (4 = Visa, 5 = Mastercard, 3 = Amex)
Digits 1-6	Issuing bank and country of issuance
Digits 1-8	Extended BIN with card product type (debit, credit, prepaid)

Yuno extracts BIN data automatically during payment processing. You can use this data in routing rules without handling raw card numbers directly.

Why BIN Routing Matters

Domestic vs. International Routing

The single largest factor in LatAm approval rates is whether a transaction is processed domestically (local acquirer in the card’s country of issuance) or internationally (cross-border acquirer).

Routing Type	Typical Approval Rate	Interchange Cost	Processing Speed
Domestic	75-90%	Lower (regulated)	Faster
International	50-70%	Higher (cross-border fees)	Slower

A BIN lookup determines the card’s country of issuance, allowing you to route to a local acquirer when available.

Issuer-Specific Patterns

Different issuers have different approval behaviors with different acquirers. A card issued by Banco do Brasil may have a higher approval rate through one acquirer, while Bradesco-issued cards perform better through another. BIN routing captures these patterns.

LatAm BIN Range Reference

The following table shows common BIN ranges for major Latin American markets. Use these as a starting point for routing rules.

BIN ranges change as issuers are assigned new ranges. Always verify against current BIN databases. This table is illustrative, not exhaustive.

Brazil

BIN Range	Issuer	Card Type	Network	Notes
451234-451299	Banco do Brasil	Credit	Visa	High volume, domestic routing preferred
512345-512399	Bradesco	Credit	Mastercard	Strong domestic approval rates
401178-401178	Itau	Debit	Visa	Debit requires specific acquirer support
535678-535699	Nubank	Credit	Mastercard	Digital bank, high approval via modern acquirers
636368-636368	Elo	Credit	Elo	Brazil-only network, requires Elo-enabled acquirer

Mexico

BIN Range	Issuer	Card Type	Network	Notes
401234-401299	BBVA Mexico	Credit	Visa	Largest issuer, domestic routing critical
521234-521299	Banamex	Credit	Mastercard	Citigroup subsidiary
455678-455699	Banorte	Debit	Visa	Debit processing requires PIN or OTP
450012-450019	Santander MX	Credit	Visa	Strong approval with local acquirers

Colombia

BIN Range	Issuer	Card Type	Network	Notes
457623-457629	Bancolombia	Credit	Visa	Dominant issuer, domestic routing essential
531234-531299	Davivienda	Credit	Mastercard	Second-largest issuer
400123-400129	Banco de Bogota	Debit	Visa	Savings account debit

Argentina

BIN Range	Issuer	Card Type	Network	Notes
450799-450799	Banco Galicia	Credit	Visa	Installment-heavy market
515234-515299	Banco Nacion	Credit	Mastercard	Government bank
603493-603493	Naranja	Credit	Local	Local network, requires specific acquirer

Chile

BIN Range	Issuer	Card Type	Network	Notes
405612-405619	Banco de Chile	Credit	Visa	Largest private bank
520234-520239	BancoEstado	Debit	Mastercard	State bank, high debit volume
457300-457309	Banco Santander CL	Credit	Visa	Domestic routing preferred

Peru

BIN Range	Issuer	Card Type	Network	Notes
442742-442749	BCP (Banco de Credito)	Credit	Visa	Dominant issuer
531567-531569	Interbank	Credit	Mastercard	Second-largest card issuer
404519-404519	BBVA Peru	Debit	Visa	Debit requires specific acquirer config

Local Card Networks

Several LatAm markets have domestic card networks that require dedicated acquirer support:

Network	Country	BIN Prefix	Acquirer Requirements
Elo	Brazil	636368, 438935, 504175	Must use Elo-enabled acquirer (e.g., Cielo, Rede)
Naranja	Argentina	603493	Local acquirer only (e.g., Prisma)
Cabal	Argentina	604244	Local acquirer only
Carnet	Mexico	506199	Requires Carnet-enabled acquirer

Always create dedicated routing rules for local card networks. These cards will be declined by international acquirers that do not support the network.

Issuer Response Code Mapping

Different issuers return different response codes for the same underlying reason. Understanding these mappings helps you build more accurate retry logic per BIN range.

Common Issuer Response Codes

Response Code	Visa Meaning	Mastercard Meaning	Retry Strategy
05	Do not honor	Do not honor	Retry with different provider
14	Invalid card number	Invalid card number	Do not retry (hard decline)
41	Lost card	Lost card	Do not retry, flag for fraud
43	Stolen card	Stolen card	Do not retry, flag for fraud
51	Insufficient funds	Insufficient funds	Retry with caution (may succeed with different acquirer)
54	Expired card	Expired card	Do not retry
61	Exceeds withdrawal limit	Exceeds withdrawal amount limit	Retry with lower amount or different provider
65	Activity count limit exceeded	Exceeds withdrawal frequency limit	Retry after delay

Issuer-Specific Behaviors

Some issuers have unique behaviors that affect routing decisions:

Issuer Behavior	Affected Markets	Impact on Routing
Velocity throttling	Brazil (digital banks), Mexico	Space retries at least 30 seconds apart
BIN-level 3DS mandates	Colombia, Argentina	Route through 3DS-capable providers for affected BINs
Domestic-only authorization	Brazil (Elo), Argentina (Naranja)	Must use domestic acquirer; international providers will always decline
Time-based approval variation	All markets	Some issuers have lower approval rates during batch processing windows (typically 22:00-02:00 local)
Installment-dependent approval	Argentina, Brazil, Mexico	Some issuers decline single-payment requests for cards that expect installment plans

Build an issuer behavior database over time by analyzing your decline data. Group declines by BIN range and response code to identify patterns unique to your transaction mix.

Soft vs. Hard Decline Patterns by BIN

Understanding decline patterns by BIN range helps determine whether to retry a transaction with an alternative provider (cascade) or stop processing.

Decline Type	Response Codes	Retry Eligible	Description
Soft Decline	insufficient_funds, do_not_honor, generic_decline, try_again	Yes	Temporary or ambiguous refusal; retry with another provider may succeed
Hard Decline	stolen_card, lost_card, invalid_number, expired_card, fraud	No	Permanent refusal; retrying will not succeed and may trigger fraud flags
Issuer Unavailable	issuer_timeout, system_error	Yes	Infrastructure issue; retry after delay or with provider that uses different route to issuer

BIN-Specific Decline Patterns

Issuer Pattern	Common Soft Decline Cause	Recommended Action
Brazilian digital banks (Nubank, Inter)	Velocity limits on rapid transactions	Add delay between retries, reduce cascade speed
Mexican debit cards	OTP/PIN required but not prompted	Ensure 3DS is enabled for these BINs
Colombian cards	CVV validation stricter than average	Verify CVV is passed correctly in all retry attempts
Argentine installment cards	Installment plan not supported by acquirer	Route to acquirer that supports cuotas

Track decline patterns by BIN range in Dashboard > Analytics > Decline Analysis. Over time, this data reveals issuer-specific behaviors that inform more precise routing rules.

Implementing BIN Routing in Yuno

Step-by-Step Configuration

1. Identify your top BIN ranges

   Go to Dashboard > Analytics > Card Analysis to see your transaction volume by BIN range. Focus on the top 20 BIN ranges, which typically account for 80% of card volume.

2. Map BINs to optimal providers

   For each high-volume BIN range, identify which provider delivers the highest approval rate. Use Dashboard > Analytics > Provider Performance filtered by BIN range.

   BIN Range	Provider A Approval	Provider B Approval	Optimal Route
   451234	87%	72%	Provider A
   512345	78%	85%	Provider B
   636368	N/A (Elo unsupported)	82%	Provider B

3. Create BIN-based routing rules

   Navigate to Dashboard > Routing Rules > Create Rule:

   Rule: Brazil Domestic Visa
   Conditions: country = BR AND card_bin IN [451234, 401178, 450012]
   Strategy: Priority
   Providers:
     1. Local Acquirer (primary)
     2. Regional Acquirer (fallback)
   
4. Configure cascade behavior

   For each BIN routing rule, set appropriate cascade behavior:

   • Retry on soft declines: Enable for do_not_honor, generic_decline, insufficient_funds
   • Stop on hard declines: Configure for stolen_card, lost_card, fraud
   • Max retries: Set to 2-3 providers maximum

   Excessive retries on the same transaction can trigger fraud alerts at the issuer level. Limit cascading to 3 providers maximum per transaction.

5. Set rule priority

   Order your BIN routing rules above general country-level rules:

   1. [Highest] Brazil Elo Cards → Elo-enabled Acquirer
   2. [High] Brazil Domestic Visa → Local Acquirer A, Acquirer B
   3. [High] Brazil Domestic MC → Local Acquirer B, Acquirer A
   4. [Medium] Brazil All Cards → Regional Acquirer
   5. [Low] Catch-all → Default Provider
   
6. Monitor and iterate

   Review BIN routing performance weekly in Dashboard > Analytics. Adjust provider priorities based on rolling 7-day approval rates.

Aida BIN Optimization

Yuno’s AI engine Aida automates BIN routing optimization by continuously analyzing approval patterns across your transaction history.

How Aida Uses BIN Data

Aida BIN Capabilities

Capability	Description
Automatic BIN classification	Categorizes cards by issuer, country, type, and product without manual BIN table maintenance
Dynamic provider scoring	Updates provider scores per BIN range based on real-time approval data
Decline pattern learning	Identifies soft decline patterns by issuer and adjusts retry strategy
Seasonal adjustment	Adapts to issuer behavior changes during high-volume periods (e.g., Black Friday)

Enable Aida’s BIN optimization under Settings > Smart Routing > BIN Analysis. Aida requires at least 1,000 transactions per BIN range to generate statistically significant routing recommendations.

Decision Flowchart

Use this flowchart to determine the appropriate routing strategy for any card transaction:

Monitoring and Analytics

Track BIN routing effectiveness through these key metrics:

Metric	Target	Where to Find
Approval rate by BIN range	>80% for domestic, >65% for international	Dashboard > Analytics > Card Analysis
Domestic routing percentage	>90% of domestic-eligible transactions	Dashboard > Analytics > Routing
Cascade success rate	>20% of retried transactions approved	Dashboard > Analytics > Cascade
Average providers per transaction	<1.3 (low cascade rate = good first-attempt routing)	Dashboard > Analytics > Provider Performance

Best Practices Checklist

• Map your top 20 BIN ranges by transaction volume
• Create specific routing rules for each high-volume BIN range
• Prioritize domestic acquirers for all identifiable domestic BINs
• Configure cascade rules that respect soft vs. hard decline types
• Limit cascade depth to 3 providers maximum
• Enable Aida BIN optimization for automated adjustment
• Review BIN routing performance weekly
• Maintain separate routing rules for debit vs. credit cards
• Handle local card networks (Elo, Naranja) with dedicated provider rules
• Monitor for new BIN ranges appearing in your transaction data
• Set up alerts for sudden drops in approval rate by BIN range
• Document your BIN routing strategy for team knowledge sharing