CVV Format Example: 3-Digit and 4-Digit Codes

Quick answer

A CVV is 3 digits on most cards. American Express uses 4 digits. Visa, Mastercard, and Discover print the code on the back, inside or next to the signature panel. American Express prints it on the front, above the account number on the right side. A format example is 123 for a 3-digit code and 1234 for a 4-digit code.

cvv format verification

Where each network prints the code

Visa, Mastercard, Discover

3 digits. Back of the card. Visa names the field CVV2, Mastercard names it CVC2, and Discover names it CID. The digits never repeat the card number.

CVV Format Standard: A Comprehensive Guide

American Express

4 digits. Front of the card. Amex names the field CID. It sits above the last digits of the account number.

cvv format verification

Other networks

UnionPay and JCB cards carry a 3-digit code on the back in most issues. Card layout is set by the issuer, so a card can differ from the network default. Read the card itself.

CVV vs CVV2 vs CVC2 vs CID

These names describe one printed field. The number is not the account number, not the expiration date, and not the PIN. CVV1 is a separate value encoded in the magnetic stripe. It is never printed. CVV2, CVC2, and CID are the printed values a merchant requests in a card-not-present order.

What the code is for

The code confirms the buyer holds the physical card. Card networks require it for many online and phone orders. A wrong code declines the charge.

Storage rules

PCI DSS classifies the printed code as sensitive authentication data. A merchant may not keep the code after the transaction is authorized. That is why no compliant site can display a saved CVV in an account profile.

Legal status

Buying, selling, or sharing another person's card number with its verification code is a federal crime in the United States. Card networks and the FTC treat card verification data as non-public. The code has no lawful use outside a payment the cardholder authorized.