The LUHN Formula does not determine if a credit card number will be approved, but only validates that it is a real credit card number. This formula is known to work on VISA, Mastercard, and AMEX, but probably works on many more.

The following LUHN example validates the number 49927398716.

Step 1: Double the value of alternate digits of the number beginning with the second digit from the right. 4 9 9 2 7 3 9 8 7 1 6 x2 x2 x2 x2 x2 ------------------------------------------ 18 4 6 16 2

Step 2: Add the individual digits comprising the products obtained in Step 1 to each of the uneffected digits in the original number. 4 +(1+8)+ 9 + (4) + 7 + (6) + 9 +(1+6) + 7 + (2) + 6 = 70

Step 3: The total obtained in Step 2 must be a number ending in zero (30, 40, 50, etc.) for the credit card number to be validated. Since the Sum was 70, our example number is a valid card number because 70 divided by 10 yields no remainder.

A sample perl script version is supplied as a convenience. WebYoda did not write this script nor warrants the accuracy or usefulness of this script. Use of this script is at your own risk.