Primary Account Number — the full card number embossed on a card. Protecting the PAN is central to PCI compliance; tokenization replaces it so the real number is never stored.
Why it matters for your business
Terms like PAN aren't just jargon — they sit behind what you actually pay to accept payments. Understanding them is the difference between reading your statement and being at the mercy of it. If you're not sure how this shows up in your own costs, the fastest way to find out is to have someone read your statement line by line.
See what you're really paying →Related — Cards & Networks