diff --git a/readme.md b/readme.md
index 40471a9c..d94181a6 100644
--- a/readme.md
+++ b/readme.md
@@ -195,6 +195,13 @@ Each of the generator properties (like `name`, `address`, and `lorem`) are calle
     safeColorName          // 'fuchsia'
     colorName              // 'Gainsbor'
 
+### `Faker\Provider\Payment`
+
+    creditCardType         // 'MasterCard'
+    creditCardNumber($type = null) // '4485480221084675'
+    creditCardExpirationDate($valid = true) // DateTime('2014-10-23 13:46:23')
+    creditCardExpirationDateString($valid = true) // '10/14'
+
 ## Unique and Optional modifiers
 
 Faker provides two special providers, `unique()` and `optional()`, to be called before any provider. `optional()` can be useful for seeding non-required fields, like a mobile telephone number ; `unique()` is required to populate fields that cannot accept twice the same value, like primary identifiers.
diff --git a/src/Faker/Provider/Base.php b/src/Faker/Provider/Base.php
index 654e9a12..acfcba19 100644
--- a/src/Faker/Provider/Base.php
+++ b/src/Faker/Provider/Base.php
@@ -130,10 +130,24 @@ class Base
      */
     public static function randomElement($array = array('a', 'b', 'c'))
     {
+        return $array ? $array[self::randomKey($array)] : null;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Returns a random key from a passed associative array
+     *
+     * @param  array $array
+     * @return mixed
+     */
+    public static function randomKey($array = array())
+    {
+        if (!$array) {
+            return null;
+        }
         $keys = array_keys($array);
         $key = $keys[mt_rand(0, count($keys) - 1)];
 
-        return $array[$key];
+        return $key;
     }
 
     /**
diff --git a/src/Faker/Provider/Payment.php b/src/Faker/Provider/Payment.php
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..5a017922
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/Faker/Provider/Payment.php
@@ -0,0 +1,129 @@
+<?php
+
+namespace Faker\Provider;
+
+class Payment extends Base
+{
+    public static $expirationDateFormat = "m/y";
+
+    protected static $cardVendors = array(
+        'Visa', 'Visa', 'Visa', 'Visa', 'Visa',
+        'MasterCard', 'MasterCard', 'MasterCard', 'MasterCard', 'MasterCard',
+        'American Express', 'Discover Card'
+    );
+
+    // see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bank_card_number for a reference of existing prefixes
+    protected static $cardParams = array(
+        'Visa' => array(
+            "4539#########",
+            "4539############",
+            "4556#########",
+            "4556############",
+            "4916#########",
+            "4916############",
+            "4532#########",
+            "4532############",
+            "4929#########",
+            "4929############",
+            "40240071#####",
+            "40240071########",
+            "4485#########",
+            "4485############",
+            "4716#########",
+            "4716############",
+            "4############",
+            "4###############"
+        ),
+        'MasterCard' => array(
+            "51##############",
+            "52##############",
+            "53##############",
+            "54##############",
+            "55##############"
+        ),
+        'American Express' => array(
+            "34#############",
+            "37#############"
+        ),
+        'Discover Card' => array(
+            "6011############"
+        ),
+    );
+
+    /**
+     * @return string Returns a credit card vendor name
+     * 
+     * @example 'MasterCard'
+     */
+    public static function creditCardType()
+    {
+        return static::randomElement(static::$cardVendors);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Returns the String of a credit card number.
+     *
+     * @param string  $type      Supporting any of 'Visa', 'MasterCard', 'Amercian Express', and 'Discover'
+     * @param boolean $formatted Set to true if the output string should contain one separator every 4 digits
+     * @param string  $separator Separator string for formatting card number. Defaults to dash (-).
+     *
+     * @example '4485480221084675'
+     */
+    public static function creditCardNumber($type = null, $formatted = false, $separator = '-')
+    {
+        if (is_null($type)) {
+            $type = static::cardType();
+        }
+        $mask = static::randomElement(static::$cardParams[$type]);
+
+        $number = static::numerify($mask);
+        
+        if ($formatted) {
+            $p1 = substr($number, 0, 4);
+            $p2 = substr($number, 4, 4);
+            $p3 = substr($number, 8, 4);
+            $p4 = substr($number, 12);
+            $number = $p1 .$separator . $p2 . $separator . $p3 . $separator . $p4;
+        }
+
+        return $number;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @param boolean $valid True (by default) to get a valid expiration date, false to get a maybe valid date
+     * @example 04/13
+     */
+    public function creditCardExpirationDate($valid = true)
+    {
+        if ($valid) {
+            return $this->generator->dateTimeBetween('now', '36 months');
+        }
+        return $this->generator->dateTimeBetween('-36 months', '36 months');
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @param boolean $valid True (by default) to get a valid expiration date, false to get a maybe valid date
+     * @param string  $expirationDateFormat
+     * @example '04/13'
+     */
+    public function creditCardExpirationDateString($valid = true, $expirationDateFormat = null)
+    {
+        return $this->creditCardExpirationDate($valid)->format(is_null($expirationDateFormat) ? static::$expirationDateFormat : $expirationDateFormat);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @param boolean $valid True (by default) to get a valid expiration date, false to get a maybe valid date
+     * @return array()
+     */
+    public function creditCardDetails($valid = true)
+    {
+        $type = static::creditCardType();
+
+        return array(
+            'type'   => $type,
+            'number' => static::creditCardNumber($type),
+            'name'   => $this->generator->name(),
+            'expirationDate' => $this->creditCardExpirationDateString($valid)
+        );
+    }
+}
diff --git a/test/Faker/Provider/PaymentTest.php b/test/Faker/Provider/PaymentTest.php
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..f075feef
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/Faker/Provider/PaymentTest.php
@@ -0,0 +1,45 @@
+<?php
+
+namespace Faker\Test\Provider;
+
+class PaymentTest extends \PHPUnit_Framework_TestCase
+{
+    public function setUp()
+    {
+        $faker = new \Faker\Generator();
+        $faker->addProvider(new \Faker\Provider\Base($faker));
+        $faker->addProvider(new \Faker\Provider\DateTime($faker));
+        $faker->addProvider(new \Faker\Provider\Person($faker));
+        $faker->addProvider(new \Faker\Provider\Payment($faker));
+        $this->faker = $faker;
+    }
+
+    public function testCreditCardTypeReturnsValidVendorName()
+    {
+        $this->assertTrue(in_array($this->faker->creditCardType, array('Visa', 'MasterCard', 'American Express', 'Discover Card')));
+    }
+
+    public function testCreditCardNumberReturnsValidCreditCardNumber()
+    {
+        $this->assertRegExp('/^6011\d{12}$/', $this->faker->creditCardNumber('Discover Card'));
+    }
+
+    public function testCreditCardNumberCanFormatOutput()
+    {
+        $this->assertRegExp('/^6011-\d{4}-\d{4}-\d{4}$/', $this->faker->creditCardNumber('Discover Card', true));
+    }
+
+    public function testCreditCardExpirationDateReturnsValidDateByDefault()
+    {
+        $expirationDate = $this->faker->creditCardExpirationDate;
+        $this->assertTrue(intval($expirationDate->format('U')) > strtotime('now'));
+        $this->assertTrue(intval($expirationDate->format('U')) < strtotime('+36 months'));
+    }
+
+    public function testRandomCard()
+    {
+        $cardDetails = $this->faker->creditCardDetails;
+        $this->assertEquals(count($cardDetails), 4);
+        $this->assertEquals(array('type', 'number', 'name', 'expirationDate'), array_keys($cardDetails));
+    }
+}