All payment cards subject to change. A large bank explains why
The specifications of payment cards currently used date back to the 1960s. Several French banks, including BNP Paribas, argue that it is time for changes.
Everyone knows perfectly well what a payment card looks like, after all, they carry at least one in their wallet. But whether it will remain like this forever is an open question.
It would be difficult to change the dimensions of the card itself, because it has dominated this issue almost from the beginning ID-1 standard (thickness – 0.76 mm; height – 53.98 mm; width – 85.6 mm), to which not only terminals but also documents can be adjusted. It’s different when it comes to functionality and printing.
New, more contemporary layout
Several French banks, including BNP Paribas, are testing increasingly intensively new, modified format of payment cards – reports the RMC daily. He stands out several fundamental changeswhich are presented as a modernization of the project.
New type of cards They are devoid of a magnetic strip and a signature field, constituting archaism in the opinion of the advocates of change. Additionally, they have a rearranged arrangement of printing elements.
The card number is moved to the back but remains on the front Just holder’s name, expiration date and operator’s logo. Letters and numbers at the same time they are not convex as before, but completely flat – only printed.
This last change is the most controversial, but the BNP Paribas spokesman quoted in the source has an explanation.
Contrary to appearances, flat or unembossed personalizations are now much more resistant to the test of time and everyday life (input/output in wallets, payment terminals, ATMs, etc.) than embossed numbers, which tended to wear off over time.
– assures the BNP Paribas spokesman in an interview with RMC.
The price works wonders
The fact is that the ridges on the card made the most sense in the era of imprinters, when the seller had to copy data on tracing paper, and these date back to the 1960s. Another thing is that they could also help blind or visually impaired people.
BNP Paribas, undeterred by adversities, argues that there are only advantages on the horizon. There are supposed to be new types of cards more environmentally friendly and at the same time more durable than the previous onesalthough it cannot be denied – they should also be much cheaper to produce.