Note that this is not true for the US - makes it trivial to cancel a stolen debit card if you realize it's stolen before it can be used.

Yep, I though all cards around the world had that. But it seems to me that buying stuff with a debit card isn't that common in USA.

U.S. cards just have the card number, which of course is separate from the account number, and then there's the "security code" on the back, which is typically a 3 or 4 digit number. But there is no other account information printed on the card.

Also, I found out when I began working for international clients, the U.S. doesn't participate in the IBAN system. Instead we have something else which necessitates international wire transfer payments be made via an account number, a routing number, and a swift number. It's very annoying. (perhaps business accounts work differently, I get paid directly into my personal account which I'm sure is a bad idea, but it works for me).

> But it seems to me that buying stuff with a debit card isn't that common in USA.

No it is, almost all my purchases are via debit but it comes off my credit card. Most banks come with Credit cards that are just a fee-less low-liability proxy for debit that gets withdrawn from the bank account.

In the UK depending on which bank you're with you only get the sort code and account number

You can usually work out the IBAN from bank name + sort code + account number.

It seems that way. My UK bank card has the sort code and account number printed on it