POS Entry Mode Codes Explained: ISO 8583 Field 22 Guide

Every card transaction tells a story — how was the card presented? Was it swiped, inserted, tapped, or typed in by hand? That story is encoded in just three digits, and those three digits influence everything from your interchange rate to who pays for fraud.

What is ISO 8583 Field 22?

Field 22 in ISO 8583 is the Point of Service (POS) Entry Mode. It’s a compact, 3-digit numeric field that tells every system in the payment chain exactly how the card data was captured and whether the terminal supports PIN entry.

This field is critical for:

• Interchange qualification — Card-present chip transactions get the lowest rates
• Fraud risk scoring — Issuers weigh entry mode heavily in authorization decisions
• Chargeback liability — The EMV liability shift hinges on how the card was read
• Transaction routing — Networks use it to apply the correct processing rules

Try it yourself: Parse a full authorization message in our ISO 8583 Studio to see Field 22 in context.

Also Known As…

You’ll see this field referenced by different names depending on the documentation:

Field 22 Structure: The Three Digits

Field 22 is formatted as 3 numeric digits (in the ISO 8583:1987 version). The first two digits and the third digit each serve a distinct purpose:

Field 22:  [P][P][N]
            │  │  └── Position 3: PIN Entry Capability
            └──┘───── Positions 1-2: PAN Entry Mode

For example, a value of 051 means:

• 05 → PAN was read from the EMV chip
• 1 → Terminal has PIN entry capability

In the ISO 8583:1993 version, Field 22 expands to 12 digits with additional subfields covering terminal type and capabilities. Most implementations still use the 3-digit 1987 format.

PAN Entry Mode Codes (Positions 1-2)

These two digits describe how the Primary Account Number was captured at the point of interaction. This is the most consequential part of Field 22.

Standard Entry Mode Reference

Detailed Code Breakdown

Here’s what each entry mode means in practice and when you’ll encounter it:

Code 00 — Unknown The terminal couldn’t determine how the PAN was entered. This is rare and usually indicates a configuration problem. Networks will often decline or flag transactions with entry mode 00.

Code 01 — Manual / Key Entered The merchant typed the card number into the terminal by hand. Common in:

• Mail order / telephone order (MOTO)
• Card-on-file fallback situations
• Damaged cards where neither chip nor stripe can be read

Manual entry carries the highest interchange rates for card-present merchants because it offers the least verification.

Code 02 — Magnetic Stripe (Partial Track) The card was swiped through a magnetic stripe reader. Track data is present but may be partial. This was the standard for decades before EMV.

Code 05 — EMV Chip (Contact) The card was inserted into a chip reader and the ICC data was successfully read. This is the gold standard for card-present security. The chip generates a unique cryptogram (ARQC) for each transaction, making counterfeiting virtually impossible.

Deep dive: See how chip data flows through the message in our EMV Field 55 Guide.

Code 07 — Contactless Chip (NFC) The card or mobile device was tapped on a contactless reader using EMV chip data rules (not magnetic stripe emulation). Visa calls this VSDC contactless, Mastercard calls it M/Chip contactless.

Code 09 — E-Commerce A remote electronic commerce transaction. No physical card is present. This is the most common entry mode for online purchases.

Code 80 — Chip Fallback to Magnetic Stripe A chip card was presented at a chip-capable terminal, but the chip could not be read. The terminal fell back to the magnetic stripe. This is a high-risk scenario — more on this in the Fallback Transactions section below.

Code 90 — Magnetic Stripe (Full Track) The entire magnetic stripe was read and transmitted without alteration or truncation. The CVV/CVC in the track data is certified. This is the “proper” swipe transaction — as opposed to code 02, which may have partial data.

Code 91 — Contactless Magnetic Stripe (MSD) The card was tapped, but the terminal used Magnetic Stripe Data (MSD) rules instead of EMV chip data rules. This is an older contactless method being phased out in favor of contactless EMV (code 07).

PIN Entry Capability (Position 3)

The third digit of Field 22 indicates whether the terminal can accept PIN entry — and, in some implementations, whether a PIN was actually verified.

Common Field 22 Combinations

Here are the combinations you’ll see most frequently in real transaction data:

The Fallback Problem: Codes 79, 80, and 95

Fallback transactions are among the most scrutinized in payment processing. They occur when a chip card is presented at a chip-capable terminal, but something prevents the chip from being read.

How Fallback Works

┌──────────────┐     Chip fails      ┌──────────────┐     Swipe succeeds    ┌──────────────┐
│  Card Dipped  │ ──────────────────► │  Terminal     │ ──────────────────►  │  Transaction  │
│  (Chip Read)  │   1-3 attempts      │  Prompts      │   POS Entry = 80    │  Sent Online  │
│               │                     │  Swipe Card   │                      │               │
└──────────────┘                     └──────────────┘                      └──────────────┘

The Three Fallback Codes

Why Fallback Is Dangerous

Fraudsters intentionally exploit the fallback mechanism:

1. Chip damage attacks — Counterfeit cards are manufactured with deliberately damaged chips, forcing the terminal to fall back to the easily cloned magnetic stripe
2. Insertion manipulation — Cards are partially inserted or quickly removed to trigger a chip-read failure
3. Terminal tampering — Chip readers are sabotaged to force all transactions through magnetic stripe

A merchant with a fallback rate above 2% is flagged by networks for investigation.

Liability in Fallback Scenarios

The EMV liability shift (effective October 2015 in the US) means merchants who cannot process chip cards absorb counterfeit fraud losses. For a deeper look at liability, see our 3D Secure / SCA Explained post.

Card Brand-Specific Differences

While the core POS entry mode codes are standardized across ISO 8583, each card network has its own interpretations and additions.

Visa

Mastercard

Discover

JCB

How POS Entry Mode Affects Interchange

The entry mode is one of the biggest factors determining which interchange tier a transaction qualifies for. Here’s the general hierarchy from lowest rates to highest:

Key takeaway: The difference between the best rate (chip, code 05) and the worst rate (manual entry, code 01) can be 0.5% to 1.0%+ of the transaction amount. For a merchant processing $1 million monthly, that’s $5,000-$10,000 in extra fees.

For a complete breakdown of how these tiers translate to real dollar amounts, see our Interchange Fees Explained post.

Worked Example: Reading Field 22 From Raw Data

Let’s parse Field 22 from a real ISO 8583 authorization request.

Given this raw hex message fragment:

... 7234054128C28805 164912345678901234 000000 000001000000 ... 051 ...
     ↑ Bitmap              ↑ Field 2 (PAN)       ↑ Field 3  ↑ Field 4    ↑ Field 22

Field 22 value: 051

Breaking it down:

Interpretation: This is a chip-and-PIN transaction. The card was dipped into a chip reader at a terminal capable of accepting PINs.

This tells the issuer:

1. The card was physically present (chip read)
2. The terminal is EMV-capable (lowest fraud risk)
3. PIN verification is supported
4. The transaction qualifies for the best interchange tier
5. Liability for counterfeit fraud is on the issuer, not the merchant

Parse your own messages: Paste raw ISO 8583 data into the ISO 8583 Studio to see Field 22 decoded alongside all other fields.

Field 22 vs. Field 25: What’s the Difference?

A common source of confusion is the relationship between Field 22 and Field 25. They describe different aspects of the transaction:

Field 25 common values:

Together, Fields 22 and 25 give the issuer a complete picture: Field 22 says the card was swiped, Field 25 says the customer was present. An inconsistency (e.g., chip read but customer not present) could trigger a fraud alert.

The Magnetic Stripe Phase-Out

The payment industry is actively phasing out magnetic stripes, which directly impacts POS entry mode distribution:

As magnetic stripes disappear, entry mode codes 02, 80, 90, and 91 will become increasingly rare. The future belongs to codes 05 (chip), 07 (contactless), and 09/81 (e-commerce).

Common Troubleshooting Scenarios

High Decline Rate on Manual Entry (01)

If you see excessive declines on entry mode 01:

• Issuers apply stricter fraud rules to manually keyed transactions
• Ensure Field 25 (POS Condition Code) matches the actual scenario
• Consider implementing tokenization to store cards instead of re-keying

Unexpected Fallback Transactions (80)

If entry mode 80 appears more than 2% of the time:

• Inspect chip card readers for damage or contamination
• Update terminal firmware and EMV kernel
• Verify that the terminal attempts 2-3 chip reads before fallback
• Train staff to handle fallback procedures properly

E-Commerce Entry Mode Mismatch (09 vs. 81)

These are often confused:

• 09 — Standard e-commerce, no special authentication
• 81 — E-commerce with enhanced authentication (3DS, DSRP, digital wallets)
• Using 81 with proper authentication data can reduce interchange fees and improve approval rates

Wrong PIN Capability Digit

If the third digit doesn’t match your terminal:

• 1 (PIN capable) but no PIN pad → Issuer expects PIN, gets none → decline
• 2 (no PIN) but terminal has a PIN pad → Higher interchange rates
• Always ensure terminal configuration matches the actual hardware

Quick Reference: All POS Entry Mode Codes

Next Steps

Now that you understand POS entry modes:

1. Parse real messages with the ISO 8583 Studio to see Field 22 in action
2. Study chip transaction data in our EMV Field 55 Guide
3. Look up response codes when transactions are declined in the Reference Database
4. Understand interchange in our Interchange Fees Explained post
5. Learn about authentication in the 3D Secure / SCA Guide
6. Understand track data in our Magnetic Stripe Track Data Guide — what’s actually encoded on the stripe for entry modes 02 and 90
7. Learn about digital wallets in our Digital Wallet Guide — entry modes 07 and 91 are the codes you’ll see for Apple Pay and Google Pay

This post is part of the ISO 8583 Mastery series. Follow along as we explore payment messaging in depth.