Today you can not imagine your life without plastic cards. They are used everywhere in all spheres of human activity. Storage of funds, conducting payment transactions, providing access to various institutions, personal identification, receiving discounts and bonuses - these are all ways of using plastic cards.
The scope of their use is constantly expanding, but today the following types of plastic cards are known, the division into which is connected precisely with the scope and method of use:
- Bank cards. These types of plastic cards are a payment tool with the help of which their holders make cashless payments and receive cash at points of issue.
- Discount cards. These plastic cards allow you to purchase services and goods with certain discounts under previously agreed conditions.
The design of plastic cards of this type usually coincides with the logo of the store that issued them.
- Club cards. Allow holders to have discounts and privileges in certain communities and clubs.
- Fuel cards. Used to pay for refueling a vehicle at gas stations.
- Internet cards. With the help of them access to the Internet is carried out. These types of plastic cards differ in cost and orientation to a specific circle of users. They may have different requirements and different schedules for working on the Internet.
- Phone cards and express payment cards. Pay for telephone calls.
And, of course, no matter what kind of plastic card, they must somehow be distinguished from each other. For this, personalization of plastic cards is necessary (drawing information on the surface that allows them to be distinguished).
The card may contain either information about its owner, or card data that is applied either to it itself or to the built-in chip. There are several ways by which personalization of plastic cards occurs.
- Barcode.
- Text numbering.
- Embossing. With this method, embossed symbols are pressed onto the surface of the card and then painted.
- Chip. This type of personalization is a memory card that stores certain information (depending on the type of card). It is inserted into the card during its manufacture.
- Magnetic strip. With its help, certain information is recorded. Reading and writing takes place on a special device. Such personalization is widely used in the banking sector.
- Scratch strip. She hides a personal card number. To activate, you must erase this protective layer. This type of personalization is most often used in lottery cards and prepaid cards.
- Color image.
- Micro Font. A line of information is applied to the surface of the card, the size of which is so small that it can only be read under a magnifying glass.
- Panel for signature. The strip on which the personal signature of the cardholder is applied.
Different types of plastic cards can have either one way of personalization, or several at once. For example, bank plastic cards typically use embossing, a magnetic strip and a signature panel.