There's a New Parrot in Town

Parrot by Pagos, the easy-to-use BIN API service that we all know and love, was the first product to launch here at Pagos almost two years ago. A year later, we hatched Parrot Batch, our local BIN database solution. Since then, we’ve been busy releasing a whole flock of new Pagos birds out into the wild, including our data visualization and alerting solutions, Peacock and Canary. But now it’s Parrot’s time to shine once again; Parrot v3 is here!

Some highlights of this new version include:

• An upgrade to Parrot Batch that includes faster delivery, smaller files, and fewer API calls for receiving your Batch file

• An overhaul of Parrot Batch maintenance, removing the need to manage updates and track versions

• An increase in the number of data fields, both standard and enhanced, in Parrot and Parrot Batch

Enough squawking, already. Let’s get into it. 

We’ve Cooked Up a New Batch for You

Previous versions of Parrot required multiple API calls and many hours for Parrot to build and deliver multiple large BIN files to you. It was then up to you to manage the different versions and maintain individual BIN updates without a well defined schedule.  With Parrot Batch v3, we do all of that work for you. Instead of multiple API calls, there’s only one; instead of waiting hours for your files to generate, we offer one pre-loaded compressed file that’s available to you instantly. With Parrot Batch v3, you’ll never have to manage a version or maintain BIN updates again.

Here’s how it works:

1. Parrot Batch v3 creates a weekly “snapshot” of our BIN database. This snapshot consists of the latest BIN file data and includes all BIN updates. 

2. Parrot Batch v3 pre-loads the weekly batch for you every Tuesday at 0:00 UTC.

3. You—the Parrot Batch v3 customer—send one API call to fetch a link to the pre-generated weekly snapshot and within minutes, you have a brand new Batch file.

That’s it!  Every week we build a new snapshot of our database with the latest and greatest BIN data available so you can come back and get a new file as often as you’d like. 

Don’t worry, we didn’t stop there.

Polly Want More BIN Data Fields?

When it comes to BIN data, there’s no such thing as too much information. We firmly believe the more BIN data you have at your disposal, the better positioned you ultimately are to perform a deeper analysis of your payments data, get a clearer picture of who your cardholders are, and have more control over their checkout experience. That’s why we’ve added 11 new fields to Parrot and Parrot Batch v3. 

Let’s look closer at just the new data fields:

• account_updater - Indicates whether or not this BIN issuer participates in Account Updater programs

• alm - “ALM,” or Account Level Management, indicates whether or not the BIN issuer allows their cardholders to keep the same card number across different cards and card programs

• bin_length - States the length of the provided BIN (e.g. 6 or 8 digits)

• card_segment_type - Indicates if the BIN is a consumer or commercial BIN

• combo_card - Identifies any combined card type capabilities the associated card has, if applicable (e.g. credit and prepaid)

• domestic_only - Indicates whether or not a BIN has cross-border restrictions, meaning it can only be used domestically

• gambling_blocked - States if a BIN is not permitted for online gambling

• issuer_currency - Returns the currency the BIN was issued in

• level2 and level3 - Indicates the BIN’s eligibility to qualify for level 2 and level 3 interchange rates 

• shared_bin - Indicates whether or not the BIN provided is shared by multiple issuers; when “true,” you can then provide Pagos with more BIN digits to receive a more accurate response

To get a better look at all 50+ data fields available to you in Parrot v3 and Parrot Batch v3, check out our Parrot Data Dictionary.

How To Start Using Parrot and Parrot Batch v3

Are you ready to start getting even better BIN data?

Interested in learning more about Parrot by Pagos or our other solutions? Fill out the form below to connect with the Pagos team: