Card Verification Value (CVV)

The Card Verification Value (CVV) is a security feature for credit or debit card transactions, giving increased protection against credit card fraud.

The CVV should not be confused with the standard card account number appearing in embossed or printed digits. (The standard card number undergoes a separate validation algorithm called the Luhn algorithm which serves to determine whether a given card's number is appropriate.)

The CVV should not be confused with PIN codes such as MasterCard SecureCode. These codes are not printed or embedded in the card but are entered at the time of transaction using a keypad.

How to find it

The CVV2 is a 3 or 4 digit value printed on the card or signature strip, but not encoded on the magnetic stripe.

MasterCard, Visa, Discover, and JCB credit and debit cards have a 3-digit code, called the "CVC2" (card validation code), "CVV2" (card verification value), and "CID" (card identification number), respectively. It is not embossed like the card number, and is always the final group of numbers printed on the back signature panel of the card. New North American MasterCard and Visa cards feature the "CVC2" in a separate panel to the right of the signature strip.[1] This has been done to prevent overwriting of the numbers by signing the card.

American Express cards have a 4-digit code printed on the front side of the card above the number, referred to as the CID (or Unique Card Code). It is printed flat, not embossed like the card number.

Information obtained from Wikipedia.