EMV AID Lookup
A directory of EMV Application Identifiers, the hex prefixes a card presents to tell a terminal which application it wants to run. Search by AID or by application name.
How this tool works
An Application Identifier is the 5 to 16 byte identifier a card presents to tell a terminal which application on it should be used, and each one is registered with a name, a priority, the card and terminal data it can read, and the version of the specification it conforms to.
The AID is the first thing a terminal selects on, and it is worth knowing which AIDs a card carries because a card can hold several, prioritised, so that a Visa card in a European terminal may select a different application depending on the terminal's own preference. The priority order is what resolves that.
Common AIDs
| AID | Application | Version |
|---|---|---|
| A0000000031010 | Visa Credit | 1.0 |
| A0000000041010 | Visa Debit | 1.0 |
| A0000000021010 | Mastercard Credit | 1.0 |
| A0000000250100 | American Express | 1.0 |
| A0000000031010 | Visa Electron | 1.0 |
The AID is the RID plus the PIX, and the registered name is what a terminal shows on screen when the card is presented.
When to use it
- Identify which application on a card will be selected
- Check the AID in a captured terminal log
- Look up the version of the specification a card conforms to
- Understand why a terminal selected one application rather than another
Frequently asked questions
What is an EMV AID?
The Application Identifier: a 5 to 16 byte code a card presents to tell a terminal which application on the card to use. It is registered with a name, a priority and the data the application can read.
Can a card have more than one AID?
Yes, and usually does. The applications are listed in priority order, and the terminal selects according to its own preference when it supports more than one.
Why does the terminal select a different application in Europe?
Because a European terminal may prefer a different application on the same card, for example a domestic scheme over a global one, and the AID priority list is what allows that.
What is the difference between an AID and a PAN?
The AID identifies the application, the card number identifies the account. The AID is not sensitive in the way a PAN is, and it is not a secret.
Where is the AID recorded?
In the terminal log, and in the card's Application Template, which is read during selection. It appears in the bytes immediately after the card's ATR or its equivalent.