Visa India chief explains why every visa card starts with ‘4’

Explaining the logic behind card digits, Sandeep Ghosh Group Country Manager, Visa India and South Asia, said on 'Figuring Out with Raj Shamani' that, the first number identifies the payment network. “All Visa PANs begin with 4,” he said, adding that these prefixes help route transactions instantly worldwide. Each network: Visa, Mastercard, others have its own code range.