You may be asked for your billing ZIP code when making online purchases or providing credit card information over the phone. But what exactly is a billing ZIP code, and why is it important?

Essentially, the billing zip code and credit card postal code are the same thing. For example, if your address was: 123 Example Street Beverly Hills, California 90210 Your billing zip code ...

If the commerce site doesn’t require a ZIP code, however, cracking the card is as simple as running a program. To prevent the attack, either standardisation or centralisation can be pursued ...