B2 magnetic stripe simulator
Generates and reproduces magnetic stripe data in software. Instead of keeping hundreds of physical magnetic cards, you can test the areas where the stripe data matters — Fleet, gift, loyalty and DCC — far more efficiently.
The testing problems this solves
It addresses the areas where processing centres on the magnetic data rather than the EMV chip. You generate whatever stripe profile you need, without storing and managing large numbers of physical cards.
Data you can generate
Every data element on the tracks can be set freely, reproducing both valid and invalid cases.
| Aspect | Coverage |
|---|---|
| Data you can change | Track 1 and Track 2 data, PAN, expiry date, service code and discretionary data |
| Card types covered | Fleet, including Fleet Prompt data; gift cards; loyalty cards; private label; and foreign BINs for DCC |
| Invalid cases | Expired cards, malformed data, Luhn errors and magnetic stripe fallback |
| Device under test | The magnetic stripe reader in a POS or ATM |
| Interface | Magnetic stripe |
Supported terminals and environments
Targets the magnetic stripe reading section of a POS or ATM. Configuration details are fixed at quotation, as set out below.
Configuration points to confirm
Public information alone does not settle the configuration, so we set out clearly whether the proposal is software only or a kit including the magnetic emulator.
| Item to confirm |
|---|
| Whether hardware for magnetic output is included, or whether the Magstripe Probe is used |
| Which of Tracks 1, 2 and 3 are supported, and whether high- or low-coercivity physical cards can be produced |
| Connection over USB or Ethernet, API control, batch data generation and CSV import |
| Support for PIN block and CVV generation, and integration with cryptographic keys and an HSM |
| Integration with POS automation tools |
Points to confirm before use and before ordering
In practice, the following points need confirming when simulating a magnetic stripe.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| How the target reader reads | Swipe, insertion and motorised readers require the signal to be presented differently. Please confirm in advance that it works with the models concerned |
| Hi-Co / Lo-Co | The simulator generates the magnetic signal electrically, so coercivity does not apply to it. If real cards are used for comparison, match their coercivity |
| Track configuration | Check the specification of the system concerned for which of Tracks 1, 2 and 3 are used |
| Managing card images | Data is saved and reused as card images in XML. Decide on your naming convention and version control |
| Handling invalid data | Deliberate faults such as LRC errors, missing start or end sentinels and corrupted characters can be generated. Consider whether to include them in the test plan |
| Operating systems and licensing | The operating environment and the licence terms, covering the number of seats and the period, are fixed at quotation |
Relationship to certification levels
A development and UAT tool for verifying magnetic stripe reading and data processing. It is not a tool for EMV certification.
| Category | Position |
|---|---|
| EMV Level 1 / Level 2 | Out of scope; the magnetic stripe falls outside EMV chip certification |
| Checking magnetic read quality | The magnetic signal quality of a physical card is covered by Mag-Tester REVO |
| EMV fallback testing | Can be used to confirm the switch to magnetic stripe after a chip failure |
| Acquirer certification | Used where the acquirer specifies and approves it |
Measuring the quality of the magnetic signal itself on a physical card — amplitude, jitter and bit density — is outside the scope of this product. For that, consider Mag-Tester REVO.
How the four main vendors and product families differ
Barnes, ICC Solutions, B2 and PaytestLab are not competitors; they verify different things.
| Product | What is primarily verified | Strengths |
|---|---|---|
| Barnes CPT/CAT | EMV data, certificates, cryptography and personalisation inside the issued card | Pre-issuance card verification (PVT) |
| ICC Solutions TMat | Level 2 and Level 3 test cases for POS and ATM | Scheme certification and card simulation |
| ICCSimDev | Custom card scripts | Error cards, custom APDUs and negative testing |
| ICC Merchant Cards | Quick checks in store | Training and confidence testing |
| B2 UAT Cards | Terminal and host integration specific to a region or processor | US Debit, Interac, DCC and 8-digit BINs |
| B2 Touchless | Acceptance of real smartphones and wallets | Field testing with Apple Pay and similar |
| B2 Magstripe Simulator | Magnetic stripe handling | Fleet, Gift, Loyalty, DCC |
| PaytestLab | Automation of POS and ECR testing | Robots, probes and central management |
B2 fills the gap between the certification tools and UAT in the live market. How its role differs from Barnes (card issuance) and ICC Solutions (terminals) is set out in the operations layer.
Choosing the right B2 test card set
Choose a B2 card product by which interface's transactions you need to verify.
| Product | If you are considering |
|---|---|
| EMV test card set | You want transaction UAT by region and scheme using physical cards, mainly contact |
| Touchless Dual IF Collection | You want transaction UAT for contactless and dual interface |
| UAT EBT card | You need transaction UAT for special cases such as EBT |
| ★ Magnetic stripe simulator (this page) | You want to simulate magnetic track behaviour, or verify it with the SmartStripe probe |
| USA Debit Test Card Set | You want to verify US Common Debit AID selection and routing |
| 8-Digit BIN Test Card Set | You want to confirm 8-digit BIN support across terminal, host and routing |
Where it is used
- Setting up magnetic stripe verification for a new development
- Regression after a configuration change or update
- Coverage checks ahead of certification