BIN Configuration

Overview

BIN Configuration lets you block specific card BINs (bank identification numbers) on a per-transaction basis, without affecting every payment that runs through your processing MID.

Normally, a BIN block is set on the MID itself, which means it applies to all traffic through that MID. That's too broad for some use cases — for example, if you only want to block prepaid cards for one specific customer journey, but not for everything else you process.

BIN Configuration solves this by separating the BIN block rules from the processing MID. You get a dedicated MID that holds a set of BIN rules (which BINs, issuers, or card types to block), and you apply those rules to individual transactions by passing that MID's GUID in a request header. Your actual payment still routes and load balances through your normal processing MID as usual.

How it works

1. Acquired creates a BIN CONFIG MID for you, configured with the BIN rules you want (e.g. block prepaid cards, block specific issuers, block debit vs credit).
2. When you send a payment request, you include the Bin-Configuration header, set to the GUID of the BIN CONFIG MID you want applied.
3. Acquired checks the transaction against that MID's BIN rules before processing continues.
4. If the transaction doesn't violate the rules, it proceeds as normal — routed and load balanced via your Mid parameter, same as always.
5. If it does violate the rules, the transaction is blocked.

Because the BIN CONFIG MID is never used for actual card processing, applying it doesn't affect load balancing or any other transactions running through your real processing MID.

You can create more than one BIN CONFIG MID if you need different rule sets for different use cases (e.g. one blocking prepaid cards, another blocking a specific issuer). There's no fixed limit, but we'd recommend only creating as many as you actually need — one per distinct blocking scenario, rather than one per transaction type or customer.

Setting up a BIN Configuration MID

BIN rules are configured by Acquired, not self-serve. To get a BIN CONFIG MID set up:

1. Contact your Account Manager, Commercial Representative, or Customer Support.
2. Tell them what you want blocked — specific banks/issuers, credit vs debit, prepaid, or a combination.
3. Acquired creates a MID configured with those rules and marks it as BIN CONFIG.
4. Once it's live, retrieve the GUID:
   • Log in to the Acquired Hub
   • Go to Settings → MIDs
   • Find the MID marked BIN CONFIG
   • Copy its GUID

This GUID is the value you'll pass in the Bin-Configuration header. It is not used for anything else — you can't process payments through a BIN CONFIG MID directly.

Using the Bin-Configuration header

Supported endpoints

• /payment-links
• /payment-sessions
• /payments

Request format

Pass the GUID of your BIN CONFIG MID as the Bin-Configuration header value. The value must be a valid UUID.

Bin-Configuration: 3fa85f64-5717-4562-b3fc-2c963f66afa6

Precedence and backward compatibility

• If Bin-Configuration is provided, it takes priority over Mid for BIN checking. The BIN rules from the referenced BIN CONFIG MID are applied, while Mid still controls routing and load balancing.
• If Bin-Configuration is not provided, BIN checking falls back to whatever rules are set on the Mid you're processing through, as before.
• Existing integrations that don't use this header are unaffected.

Error handling

Hosted Checkout

If a shopper enters a card that matches a blocked BIN, they'll see an error message telling them the card can't be processed. No transaction is created.

API errors

A 400 is returned if the Bin-Configuration value is invalid. This includes:

• The value isn't a valid UUID
• The GUID doesn't correspond to a MID on your account
• The GUID belongs to a MID that isn't set up as a BIN CONFIG MID

Scope and limitations

• BIN Configuration only affects card processing. It has no impact on other payment methods.
• A BIN CONFIG MID cannot be used to process payments — it exists solely to hold BIN rules.
• BIN rules themselves can only be set or changed by Acquired. There's no self-serve rule management in the Hub.