diff --git a/Sources/FeistelCipher/Cipher.swift b/Sources/FeistelCipher/Cipher.swift
index b5470a7..5dbf39f 100644
--- a/Sources/FeistelCipher/Cipher.swift
+++ b/Sources/FeistelCipher/Cipher.swift
@@ -175,8 +175,7 @@ public struct FeistelCipher: Sendable {
     /// ```
     public func encode(_ value: UInt64, withChecksum: Bool = true) -> String {
         let data = encrypt(value)
-        return withChecksum
-            ? CrockfordEncoder.encodeWithChecksum(data) : CrockfordEncoder.encode(data)
+        return CrockfordEncoder.encode(data, withChecksum: withChecksum)
     }
 
     /// Encrypts a value and encodes it as a Crockford Base32 string padded to a fixed length.
@@ -226,22 +225,35 @@ public struct FeistelCipher: Sendable {
     ///
     /// - Parameter value: A Crockford Base32 string previously produced by ``encode(_:withChecksum:)``
     ///   or ``encode(_:length:withChecksum:)``.
+    /// - Parameters:
+    ///   - value: A Crockford Base32 string previously produced by ``encode(_:withChecksum:)``
+    ///     or ``encode(_:length:withChecksum:)``.
+    ///   - withChecksum: When `true` (the default), the trailing check character is validated
+    ///     before decoding. Set to `false` when decoding tokens that were encoded with
+    ///     `withChecksum: false`.
     /// - Returns: The original plain integer.
     /// - Throws:
     ///   - ``FeistelCipherError/emptyToken`` if the token is empty after normalisation.
     ///   - ``FeistelCipherError/invalidCharacter(_:)`` if the token contains a character outside
     ///     the Crockford Base32 alphabet that could not be corrected automatically.
-    ///   - ``FeistelCipherError/checksumMismatch`` if the trailing check character does not match.
+    ///   - ``FeistelCipherError/checksumMismatch`` if `withChecksum` is `true` and the trailing
+    ///     check character does not match.
     ///
     /// ## Example
     /// ```swift
     /// let cipher = FeistelCipher(key: 722628)
-    /// try cipher.decode("99G7GB6QCKZBH0")    // 1
-    /// try cipher.decode("0099G7GB6QCKZBH0")  // 1  (padded token, same result)
-    /// try cipher.decode("99G7GB6QCKZBH9")    // throws FeistelCipherError.checksumMismatch
+    ///
+    /// // Default — checksum validated
+    /// try cipher.decode("99G7GB6QCKZBH0")                  // 1
+    ///
+    /// // Token encoded without checksum — must decode the same way
+    /// let token = cipher.encode(1, withChecksum: false)
+    /// try cipher.decode(token, withChecksum: false)         // 1
     /// ```
-    public func decode(_ value: String) throws(FeistelCipherError) -> UInt64 {
-        let decoded = try CrockfordEncoder.decode(value)
+    public func decode(_ value: String, withChecksum: Bool = true) throws(FeistelCipherError)
+        -> UInt64
+    {
+        let decoded = try CrockfordEncoder.decode(value, withChecksum: withChecksum)
         return decrypt(decoded)
     }
 
diff --git a/Sources/FeistelCipher/CrockfordEncoder.swift b/Sources/FeistelCipher/CrockfordEncoder.swift
index adfc358..098a25f 100644
--- a/Sources/FeistelCipher/CrockfordEncoder.swift
+++ b/Sources/FeistelCipher/CrockfordEncoder.swift
@@ -44,8 +44,11 @@ struct CrockfordEncoder {
     ///   - ``FeistelCipherError/emptyToken`` if the token is empty after normalisation.
     ///   - ``FeistelCipherError/invalidCharacter(_:)`` if the token contains a character outside
     ///     the Crockford Base32 alphabet that could not be corrected automatically.
-    ///   - ``FeistelCipherError/checksumMismatch`` if the trailing check character does not match.
-    static func decode(_ input: String) throws(FeistelCipherError) -> UInt64 {
+    ///   - ``FeistelCipherError/checksumMismatch`` if `withChecksum` is `true` and the trailing
+    ///     check character does not match.
+    static func decode(_ input: String, withChecksum: Bool = true) throws(FeistelCipherError)
+        -> UInt64
+    {
         let clean = input.uppercased()
             .replacing("-", with: "")
             .replacing("O", with: "0")
@@ -54,9 +57,17 @@ struct CrockfordEncoder {
 
         guard !clean.isEmpty else { throw .emptyToken }
 
-        // 1. Separate the value from the check symbol (last character)
-        let valuePart = String(clean.dropLast())
-        let providedCheckChar = clean.last!
+        // 1. Separate the value from the optional check symbol
+        let valuePart: String
+        let providedCheckChar: Character?
+
+        if withChecksum {
+            valuePart = String(clean.dropLast())
+            providedCheckChar = clean.last
+        } else {
+            valuePart = clean
+            providedCheckChar = nil
+        }
 
         // 2. Decode the value part, throwing on any unrecognised character
         var numericValue: UInt64 = 0
@@ -68,13 +79,14 @@ struct CrockfordEncoder {
                 numericValue * 32 + UInt64(alphabet.distance(from: alphabet.startIndex, to: index))
         }
 
-        // 3. Validate the check symbol
-        let expectedCheckIndex = Int(numericValue % 37)
-        let expectedCheckChar = checkSymbols[
-            checkSymbols.index(checkSymbols.startIndex, offsetBy: expectedCheckIndex)]
-
-        guard providedCheckChar == expectedCheckChar else {
-            throw .checksumMismatch
+        // 3. Validate the check symbol (only when withChecksum is true)
+        if let checkChar = providedCheckChar {
+            let expectedCheckIndex = Int(numericValue % 37)
+            let expectedCheckChar = checkSymbols[
+                checkSymbols.index(checkSymbols.startIndex, offsetBy: expectedCheckIndex)]
+            guard checkChar == expectedCheckChar else {
+                throw .checksumMismatch
+            }
         }
 
         return numericValue
@@ -82,6 +94,21 @@ struct CrockfordEncoder {
 
     // MARK: - Encoding
 
+    /// Encodes a `UInt64` value as a Crockford Base32 string, optionally appending a
+    /// modulo-37 check character.
+    ///
+    /// This is the unified entry point that mirrors ``decode(_:withChecksum:)``.
+    /// Pass `withChecksum: true` to append a check character, or `false` for a raw
+    /// Base32 string with no trailing check symbol.
+    ///
+    /// - Parameters:
+    ///   - value: The `UInt64` value to encode.
+    ///   - withChecksum: When `true`, a modulo-37 check character is appended.
+    /// - Returns: A Crockford Base32 string.
+    static func encode(_ value: UInt64, withChecksum: Bool) -> String {
+        withChecksum ? encodeWithChecksum(value) : encode(value)
+    }
+
     /// Encodes a `UInt64` value as a Crockford Base32 string and appends a modulo-37 check
     /// character to the end.
     ///
diff --git a/Tests/FeistelCipherTests/CrockfordEncoderTests.swift b/Tests/FeistelCipherTests/CrockfordEncoderTests.swift
index 8167164..a1c17f8 100644
--- a/Tests/FeistelCipherTests/CrockfordEncoderTests.swift
+++ b/Tests/FeistelCipherTests/CrockfordEncoderTests.swift
@@ -23,6 +23,27 @@ struct CrockfordEncoderTests {
         }
     }
 
+    @Test func decodeWithoutChecksum() async throws {
+        // encode (no checksum) → decode (no checksum) must round-trip
+        let value: UInt64 = 1_234_567_890
+        let encoded = CrockfordEncoder.encode(value)
+        let decoded = try CrockfordEncoder.decode(encoded, withChecksum: false)
+        #expect(decoded == value)
+    }
+
+    @Test func decodeWithChecksumFalseIgnoresLastChar() async throws {
+        // When withChecksum is false every character is treated as a value digit —
+        // passing a token that HAS a checksum would decode to a different (larger) number
+        let value: UInt64 = 1_234_567_890
+        let withCheck = CrockfordEncoder.encodeWithChecksum(value)  // e.g. "14SC0PJV"
+        let withoutCheck = CrockfordEncoder.encode(value)  // e.g. "14SC0PJ"
+        let decodedFull = try CrockfordEncoder.decode(withoutCheck, withChecksum: false)
+        #expect(decodedFull == value)
+        // The checksum-bearing token decoded without checksum would be a different value
+        let decodedFull2 = try CrockfordEncoder.decode(withCheck, withChecksum: false)
+        #expect(decodedFull2 != value)
+    }
+
     @Test func formatForCopying() async throws {
         let encoded = "1234567890"
         let formatted = CrockfordEncoder.formatForCopying(encoded)
diff --git a/Tests/FeistelCipherTests/FeistelCipherTests.swift b/Tests/FeistelCipherTests/FeistelCipherTests.swift
index 036472b..dd634a2 100644
--- a/Tests/FeistelCipherTests/FeistelCipherTests.swift
+++ b/Tests/FeistelCipherTests/FeistelCipherTests.swift
@@ -43,6 +43,35 @@ struct FeistelCipherTests {
         #expect(encoded == "9G0X9D4P5QCWW")
     }
 
+    @Test func testDecodeWithoutChecksumRoundTrip() async throws {
+        // encode(withChecksum: false) + decode(withChecksum: false) must return the original value
+        for id: UInt64 in [1, 42, 1_000, 1_234_567] {
+            let token = cipher.encode(id, withChecksum: false)
+            let decoded = try cipher.decode(token, withChecksum: false)
+            #expect(decoded == id)
+        }
+    }
+
+    @Test func testDecodeWithChecksumTrueFailsOnChecksumlessToken() async throws {
+        // A token encoded without checksum must NOT decode successfully with checksum: true,
+        // because its last value character is consumed as (almost certainly wrong) check char
+        let token = cipher.encode(1, withChecksum: false)
+        #expect(throws: FeistelCipherError.checksumMismatch) {
+            try cipher.decode(token, withChecksum: true)
+        }
+    }
+
+    @Test func testBitWidth50DecodeWithoutChecksumRoundTrip() async throws {
+        // The canonical 10-char use-case: bitWidth 50, no checksum, fixed length
+        let cipher50 = FeistelCipher(key: 722628, bitWidth: 50)
+        for id: UInt64 in [1, 42, 1_000, 1_000_000] {
+            let token = cipher50.encode(id, length: 10, withChecksum: false)
+            #expect(token.count == 10)
+            let decoded = try cipher50.decode(token, withChecksum: false)
+            #expect(decoded == id)
+        }
+    }
+
     // MARK: - Fixed-length encode overload
 
     @Test func testEncodeWithLengthPadsWithLeadingZeros() async throws {