Credit Card Regex Java Validator

The Credit Card Regex Java Validator allows you to instantly verify if a credit card number matches common patterns for card types like Visa, MasterCard, AMEX, and more using Java regex. This is critical in payment systems, signup forms, and e-commerce applications.

Try other Java-based tools for input validation:

4111-1111-1111-1111

Possible security issues ▾

This regex appears to be safe.

Explanation ▾

[A-Z]: uppercase letters
[a-z]: lowercase letters
[0-9]: digits
\.: a literal dot
+: one or more of the preceding
*: zero or more of the preceding
?: optional (zero or one)
^: start of string
$: end of string

Match information ▾

Match 1: "4111-1111-1111-1111" at index 0

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Regular Expression - Documentation

What is a Credit Card Regex?

Credit card numbers follow strict formatting standards defined by card networks. A credit card regex is used to ensure that the number structure aligns with the expected format before further verification like Luhn’s algorithm.

Each card type has a unique starting digit(s) and length:

Card Type	Starts With	Length
Visa	4	13 or 16
MasterCard	51–55 or 2221–2720	16
AMEX	34 or 37	15

Java Regex Patterns for Credit Cards

Here are some common regex patterns:

Visa:

^4[0-9]{12}(?:[0-9]{3})?$

Mastercard:

^5[1-5][0-9]{14}|^2(2[2-9][0-9]{2}|[3-6][0-9]{3}|7([01][0-9]{2}|20))[0-9]{12}$

American Express:

^3[47][0-9]{13}$

These patterns check for structure only — not actual card validity.

Java Code Example

import java.util.regex.Pattern;
import java.util.regex.Matcher;

public class CreditCardValidator {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        String visaCard = "4111111111111111";
        String visaPattern = "^4[0-9]{12}(?:[0-9]{3})?$";

        Pattern pattern = Pattern.compile(visaPattern);
        Matcher matcher = pattern.matcher(visaCard);

        if (matcher.matches()) {
            System.out.println("Valid Visa card number");
        } else {
            System.out.println("Invalid Visa card number");
        }
    }
}

Sample Inputs

Valid:

Visa: 4111111111111111
MasterCard: 5555555555554444
AMEX: 371449635398431

Invalid:

1234567890123456 (invalid prefix)
411111111111111 (wrong length)
abcdefg12345678 (non-digit characters)

Use Cases

Checkout Forms: Validate credit card number format before API calls.
User Onboarding: Ensure card format is correct during setup.
Fraud Prevention: Quickly reject obvious fake card numbers.
Data Cleaning: Validate and cleanse stored card numbers in logs or databases.

Pro Tips

Always combine regex checks with Luhn’s algorithm for actual card number validation.
Never store raw card numbers. Use a Hash Generator Java or a secure tokenization service.
Don’t rely only on regex for fraud detection — it’s for format validation, not legitimacy.
Sanitize input by removing spaces or hyphens before matching against the regex.
Customize regex if you only support certain card types (e.g., Visa + MasterCard).
Use a separate pattern per card type for better UX and targeted validation messages.