Do Credit Cards Have Routing Numbers?
A routing number is a nine digit code that is relevant to every single finance institution in the United States of America. The 9 digits indicates that a bank does in fact have an account with the federal reserve.
More importantly what a routing number does is play an important role in ensuring that the money you have sent arrives in the correct place.
Once a routing number is entered next to a payee’s account number, it identifies what actual bank account you want to transfer your money to. If it is one of the bigger banks that you use, then you may notice that they have multiple routing numbers,
The one you will need all relies on which state that the account was opened in. Smaller banks will usually have just one routing number.
You can normally find your bank’s routing number at the bottom of your checkbook next to the account number of the user. If you are the receiver of a transfer you too can find the routing number simply by logging into your online banking service.
They are not confidential pieces of information so if you’re struggling to find a routing number in any of the locations mentioned or in fact are just unsure on what you’re looking for then you should also be able to find the routing number on the bank’s website.
What is a Credit Card?
I know it may seem quite simple to understand what a credit card actually is but let’s just make sure of that fact. A credit card is issued by a financial institution with a predetermined fund that the user can then use for their day to day spending, essentially a credit card allows you to borrow money. The amount of money that you can borrow is determined based on your credit score and general financial history.
The higher credit score you have, the more money you can agree to lend with your bank. You can use a credit card for all sorts of transactions whether that be in person or online.
However, to avoid charges and penalty fees make sure that you pay off the borrowed amount in the agreed upon time frame with the card issuer. Your credit card details are secure with you and the card issuer, do not share this information with anyone to avoid fraud.
Difference Between Debit and Credit
Whilst looking incredibly similar the purposes of both cards couldn’t be more different. While with a credit card you are simply given credit by the bank issuing the card.
Whereas a debit card amount is formed based on what the user has earnt and is not lent to the user by the bank, this means it is immediately deducted from your account and used to pay for the current transaction instead of paying off a lump sum at the end of the month to the bank.
You should only be charged interest on a credit card if you have delayed a payment to the issuer of the card.
Do Credit Cards have Routing Numbers?
As previously stated routing numbers are used for when writing checks or transferring money from one account to another, credit cards are not used for that type of transaction so therefore do not have routing numbers.
Credit cards instead have account numbers, a 16 digit number, if your card is older yo should be able to find this on the front or the back of the card itself, however some newr cards will have a simpler design with no numbers listed, they will instead have your account number on app that you can use to track the finances of the credit card that you’re using.
The account number of a credit card is what links the issuer of the card and the cardholder themselves. This is the crucial number for processing the payments being made.
The very first digit of an account number is what identifies it as the type of card that it is, whether that be a visa or mastercard. The next 6-8 digits are called the issuer identification number These are the numbers that are used to show what financial institution issued the card.
The digits that are left are different to everybody who has a credit card. These numbers are used to show the card holder’s actual credit account from the financial institute that issued it.
How Come Credit Cards Don’t Have Routing Numbers?
Like previously mentioned routing numbers are specifically used to indicate what financial institution is being used when transferring money or for direct deposits which is not what a credit card is for. The reason for this is because the user is not using their own money when making a purchase. It’s the bank that decides to give the user a credit limit to use every month.
It is the bank that pays the fee in full at the time.
Normally operating on a monthly scale the bank then requires its user to pay the bank back what it has essentially lent you.
In this form of transaction it is not required to use a routing number, credit card settlements are not the same as just transferring money to an account. They do not rely solely on a routing number to process the transaction being made and therefore do not have a routing number.
Summary
As you can see, credit cards do not have routing numbers and this is simply because they are not needed for the types of transactions that a credit card is used for.
Routing numbers are used by banks to determine the bank to the federal reserve and are used for transactions such as transferring money to somebody, you can find them online or at the bottom of your checkbook.
It is very important to understand the difference between a debit and credit card as both are important to managing your overall finances. Try not to delay your payments to your creditor.
