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MasterCard to Require Acceptance of 2-Series Credit Cards

May 15, 2017

Beginning June 30, 2017, MasterCard will require all point-of-sale systems to accept credit cards with Bank Identification Numbers that begin with a 2. Currently, all MasterCard cards issued begin with 5. The new 2-series cards will effectively double the number of available MasterCard credit cards worldwide and will be processed in the same manner as current MasterCard cards. 

Please note that if you are using a third-party POS system, you should contact your provider to determine if any action is required for your system to accept the new 2-series cards. Not only could you potentially lose revenue if your system isn’t ready, but it could also result in non-compliance penalties by MasterCard or your processor.  

The MasterCard fee schedule for non-compliance is as follows: 

  • Up to $2,500 per occurrence for first 30 days 
  • Up to $5,000 per occurrence for days 31-60 
  • Up to $10,000 per occurrence for days 61-90 
  • Up to $20,000 per occurrence for subsequent violations

For more information, contact Angela Ihry, Senior Director Business Development, Heartland Payment Systems at 605-940-9861 or angela.ihry@e-hps.com.