Card Level Reference
Every card level issued by the major networks, what each one signifies, and how the levels differ between brands.
How this tool works
A card level is the product tier within a brand, and it is what distinguishes a standard card from a premium one. It matters commercially, because the tier governs fees, rewards and acceptance, and it matters technically, because two cards sharing a prefix can sit in different tiers and behave differently at the point of sale.
The level is recorded per prefix in the data, and the distribution across an issuer's allocation is often informative. An issuer with a large share of premium tiers is a different kind of issuer from one whose allocation is entirely standard products, and that difference shows up in the data rather than in the marketing.
Common card levels
| Brand | Levels |
|---|---|
| Visa | Classic, Electron, Gold, Platinum, Signature, Infinite |
| Mastercard | Standard, Gold, Platinum, World, World Elite |
| American Express | Green, Gold, Platinum, Centurion |
| Discover | It, Miles, Cashback, it Cashback |
A level is not a network. Gold is a tier within a brand, and the brand is what determines the routing.
When to use it
- Check that a listing describes the tier it claims
- Filter a set of prefixes by tier
- Understand the product mix of an issuer's allocation
- Confirm the tier of a card before applying tier-specific logic
Frequently asked questions
What is a card level?
The product tier within a brand, such as Classic, Gold or Platinum. It determines fees, rewards and acceptance, and it is recorded per prefix in the BIN data.
Is a card level the same as a card type?
No. The type is the product family, credit or debit or prepaid or commercial. The level is the tier within that family, and a card has both.
Does the tier affect how a card is authorised?
Not directly, but it is correlated with the issuer's risk policy and with the acceptance rules in some markets, so a premium tier may be treated differently at the point of sale.
Why does the BIN data record a level at all?
Because it disambiguates two cards that share a prefix, and because it is one of the facts a listing has to state correctly to be describing a specific product.
Are some tiers only issued in certain markets?
Yes. A tier's availability follows the issuer and the market, so the same brand can carry different tiers in different countries.