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A bank card is a plastic card, the appearance and “content” of which meets certain standards. It is a "subspecies" of a whole family of plastic cards used for various tasks and purposes, and has its own history of origin (it even has a monument, see the link above)
What is a bank card
There are many definitions of what a bank card is, but their meaning is as follows: it is a convenient universal tool for accessing your bank account, it is also called a special bank account (SCA). The card makes sense only in tandem with your bank account, and all operations are carried out with it (payment at a point of sale or on the Internet, cash withdrawals from an ATM, transfers and charges). More correctly, the above transactions with money (write-off or replenishment) are reflected on the card account.
This implies an important point - there is no money on the plastic itself, there is only encoded digital information (on a magnetic strip or in a chip), which is transmitted to the bank with the help of all sorts of "tricky" protocols, and it already decides whether to give you money through an ATM or allow payment for goods in the store (any action on the card begins with authorization). Simply put, a bank card is the key to money, not the money itself. This, by the way, is one of its advantages.
This whole kitchen with the exchange of information and other things is more interesting for a specialist-technician, but for an ordinary cardholder it is enough to know that the payment system (PS) is responsible for all this. That is why on the card you can see not only the name and logo of the bank, but also the image of the payment system without fail (often these are international PS Visa or MasterCard, less often local domestic (national). In fact, the payment system is an intermediary between you and the bank, providing the possibility of making payments with a bank card everywhere (of course, within the framework of its presence).
If we are talking about the exchange of information, then it is important to note the fact that a card without modern means and communication capabilities (the Internet, etc.) becomes a beautiful piece of plastic (or more noble material, if the card is privileged), although earlier they did without it ( read about slip and embossing).
It is interesting that the bank that issued the card ( the issuing bank ) is its owner (i.e., by and large, you must return the bank card back to the bank after its expiration date or if you wish to close it), but does not have the right to dispose of the holder's money cards (only within the framework of a card agreement or by a court decision).
You can fully use the card after its activation.
Types of bank cards
Bank cards are debit (payment), credit (credit cards), prepaid and virtual. There are also universal bank cards (both credit and debit cards at the same time). If using a debit card it is possible to make payments within the framework of your own funds on your account, then on a credit card you borrow from a bank and then extinguish it. To use a credit card, the level of financial literacy must be significantly higher than, say, for the owner of a salary card who uses it according to the scheme: “If the salary is dropped, it’s faster to the ATM”. It is curious that credit cards appeared in Russia much later than debit cards (there were reasons for this). Prepaid (eg gift) cards are usually issued with a limited cash limit and no top-up option. Virtual cards are a modern banking product that does not have a physical medium (plastic base),
Card appearance
All bank cards have a standard size of 85.6 mm x 53.98 mm x 0.76 mm (according to the ISO 7810 ID-1 standard, if interested) - unification is necessary at least for the compatibility of ATMs, terminals and other devices that read data from cards. The arrangement of elements on the front and back of the card is also unified.
The most important element of the card is its design. Following the latest trends, banks (represented by designers) come up with a beautiful and memorable design of a plastic card, which is not the least important for its future owner. Even multi-colored and transparent cards are issued, banks are experimenting with card materials.
There are frequent cases when the future owner is given the opportunity to choose a card design from a variety of proposed samples, and even, moreover, the client can offer his own design - a photo, landscape or other artistic delights (it is clear that this affects the cost of issuing a card). The reverse side of the card is usually made in a plain background.
Front side of the card
The front of the card looks like this:
1. Four-digit number - located directly under the 1st group of digits of the card number. This number is applied to the card with a waterproof paint that is contrasting with the color of the card. All its digits must necessarily coincide with the first group of digits of the card number - this is one of the degrees of card protection. The discrepancy between the numbers or their complete absence indicates that the card may be counterfeit.
2. Name and surname of the cardholder - located at the bottom left side on the face of the bank card in Latin transcription.
If the card has a first and last name, then it is personalized. The absence of these details means that she is not personalized.
A non-personalized card is usually a quick issue (instant) card, which is nevertheless tied to a bank current account. For example, the bank credit card is not personalized and is issued in a matter of minutes to the bank's clients on a special offer after signing a number of documents (including this is a universal banking service agreement)
On personalized cards, the name and surname (as well as a number of other elements) are applied using the method of embossing letters, this process is called embossing. The bulk of the issued personalized cards are embossed, but there are also non-embossed copies (when banks do not want to spend additional funds on the production of card products).
Embossed cards are a design element, a degree of privilege (classic and higher), as well as the ability to make payments by card in retail outlets in the absence of communication with the bank (for this, imprinters are used that make special checks from such cards - slips).
The presence of the name and surname is also one of the types of additional protection of card products: if an attacker tries to make a large purchase using a stolen card, he may be asked to present an identity card (cashiers have every right to do so).
The name and surname of the cardholder are used when paying for goods / services online via the Internet.
3. The validity period of the card is located under its number (5) approximately in the middle of the plastic card in the format: mm / yy (month / last 2 digits of the year). Accordingly, the card is valid until the very last day of the month indicated on it.
After the expiration date of the card, its holder will no longer be able to carry out banking transactions with it, since it will be blocked by the bank. In this case, the account of the cardholder is not closed, but remains valid. If the owner wishes, he can be issued a new card (for the next validity period), and all obligations on the previous card (if any) are transferred to a new one, and the account remains the same.
To do this, you need to visit the bank in about 1 month (the terms may vary slightly) and write an application for card reissue. If the owner does not want to issue the card again and he wants to terminate the relationship with the bank, then he must write an application to close the card account and complete all the necessary procedures to close the card (so that there are no problems with the bank).
The value of the card validity period is used when paying for goods / services online via the Internet.
4. The payment system logo and its hologram - indicate the payment system within which the bank card is served and are located on the right side of the plastic card. The payment system is responsible for carrying out payment transactions with the card. Most often you can find cards with international payment systems Visa and MasterCard, less often you can find American Express, China's China UnionPay, and a number of domestic systems.
The payment system logo must be present both on the card and on the ATM (payment terminal, on the card payment page on the Internet, etc.) otherwise no operations with the card (withdrawal of money, payment in the online store, etc.) can be performed work out.
5. Card number is a unique number that is assigned only to a specific card. Usually the number consists of 16 digits and is divided into 4 blocks of 4 digits each (for example, in Visa and MasterCard payment systems), sometimes the number of digits may be different. For example, in the American Express payment system, the card number consists of 15 digits and is divided into 3 blocks of 4.6 and 5 digits in each block, respectively.
The card number is not an account number (as is often confused), but is used to identify cards when making various payment transactions.
The card number is used when paying for goods / services online via the Internet, when making money transfers at an ATM or in the Internet bank, when replenishing accounts, etc.
6. Card validation code only on American Express cards. It is usually located on the back of the plastic (see 11).
7. A chip is a microprocessor with external contacts (in fact, it is a small computer). The chip contains information on the card in the form of digital data and, unlike a magnetic stripe, has an increased level of security. For example, if data from a magnetic stripe can be copied by creating a clone card, then such an operation will not work with the chip - it uses hardware and software protection against hacking. Cards with a single chip are practically not found in Russia - usually banks issue combined bank cards - with a chip and a magnetic stripe.
8. Bank logo - can be placed anywhere on the card, it depends on the design decision. The logo indicates that the card belongs to the issuing bank (issuing bank). Usually, the logo contains the name of the bank in an abbreviated form.
The reverse side of the card
The reverse side of a bank card usually looks like this:
9. Information about the bank - at the bottom of the reverse side of the card, information of the following nature is usually provided: the card was issued by the bank such and such (its name) and only the cardholder has the right to use it. You can often find a toll-free hotline here for communication with contact center specialists.
10. Paper signature strip - located immediately below the magnetic strip (12). It is on any cards, even non-personalized ones. The absence of a signature on this strip may lead to the refusal of the cashier to accept the card (sometimes this happens), about which the bank warns in small print under the paper strip in Russian, English and French: “Signature sample, not valid without signature”. On the other hand, the presence of a signature, albeit ineffective, but protection against the use of plastic by an intruder (in this case, it is necessary to verify the signature of the cardholder with the signature on it during each purchase - but is it expedient and is it realistic?).
Usually on a paper strip there is the last group of four digits of the card number with a tilt to the left (you can find the whole number as well) followed by 3 digits of the authentication code (security code).
The design of the strip can be different: plain or filled with diagonal lines with the words Visa or MasterCard (depending on the payment system of the card).
11. Card authentication code (CVV2 / CVC2), also known as security code or secret code - consists of 3 digits and is called CVV2 (for Visa cards) or CVC2 (for MasterCard cards). It is usually placed on a small white paper strip, next to the strip for the holder's signature after the last four digits of the bank card number. The font is tilted to the left.
This code is used for payments on the Internet (online stores and any online purchases) to verify the authenticity of the card as an additional security element , which significantly increases the security of payments. It may not be available on cards with entry-level payment systems (Maestro, Cirrus, Electron), i.e. the holder will not be able to pay with such a card on the Internet.
12. Magnetic stripe is a strip of digital data on a magnetic storage medium. The data on it is recorded only once at the time the card is issued by the bank and contains the information necessary for the payment of this card.
Advantages and disadvantages of bank cards
Benefits of bank cards:
First of all, a plastic card replaces cash (especially a small change), but it does not create any inconvenience. payment for it in retail outlets for its holder occurs without a commission (shops themselves pay a substantial commission according to the rules of payment systems - on average, about 2% per operation). You also don't need to carry big money with you, they are all safe in your bank account.
This also implies that there is no need to declare a large amount of money during a trip to another state (at customs) - cards are not subject to customs registration.
The loss or theft of a bank card has no longer become a problem compared to the loss of a wallet with money - the card can be quickly blocked by calling the bank or by SMS (the holder should always know how to block his card). The fraudster (or who found it) will no longer be able to use it, the bank will issue you a new card with the same amount in your account.
If you have an international payment system (IPS) card, then you will not have problems with paying abroad in most countries of the world where this IPS operates. Your funds will be automatically transferred to local currency at the bank's established rate (with a possible small commission). You can also pay via the Internet.
Any payments will go through quickly, no matter what country you are in. You can also easily withdraw money at any ATM (with the logo of your payment system).
The holder can quickly and interest-free replenish his account through payment terminals or ATMs with the function of accepting cash, without wasting his time in queues at the bank's cash desk.
If the cardholder is abroad, then replenishing the card account is the best way to transfer money to him, in contrast to instant transfer systems that charge a certain percentage for this service.
Disadvantages of bank cards:
The main drawback is the lack of one hundred percent security when making payments in retail outlets and on the Internet. The point here is not even the standards and protocols used for data exchange, but the purposeful actions of attackers aimed at stealing card details (especially on the Internet). They use many illegal methods and the protection against this is financial literacy and attentiveness of the cardholder.
Some transactions may involve a commission, for example, payment abroad in foreign currency. It is important to be aware of such transactions and be sure to clarify the amount of the commission.
The rest of the drawbacks are rather the underdevelopment of the infrastructure for payments for plastic: cards are not yet accepted for payment in all stores; there is some difficulty in using while working with an ATM (especially for the elderly); problems with paying tips (this is not as developed as in Europe and the USA, where a separate line is provided for tips in the check and they are made as a separate payment).
Separately, we can highlight the fact that all purchases with the card are not anonymous, this information is available to the authorities.
- What is a bank card
- Types of bank cards
- Card appearance (front and back elements)
- Advantages and disadvantages of bank cards
A bank card is a plastic card, the appearance and “content” of which meets certain standards. It is a "subspecies" of a whole family of plastic cards used for various tasks and purposes, and has its own history of origin (it even has a monument, see the link above)
What is a bank card
There are many definitions of what a bank card is, but their meaning is as follows: it is a convenient universal tool for accessing your bank account, it is also called a special bank account (SCA). The card makes sense only in tandem with your bank account, and all operations are carried out with it (payment at a point of sale or on the Internet, cash withdrawals from an ATM, transfers and charges). More correctly, the above transactions with money (write-off or replenishment) are reflected on the card account.
This implies an important point - there is no money on the plastic itself, there is only encoded digital information (on a magnetic strip or in a chip), which is transmitted to the bank with the help of all sorts of "tricky" protocols, and it already decides whether to give you money through an ATM or allow payment for goods in the store (any action on the card begins with authorization). Simply put, a bank card is the key to money, not the money itself. This, by the way, is one of its advantages.
This whole kitchen with the exchange of information and other things is more interesting for a specialist-technician, but for an ordinary cardholder it is enough to know that the payment system (PS) is responsible for all this. That is why on the card you can see not only the name and logo of the bank, but also the image of the payment system without fail (often these are international PS Visa or MasterCard, less often local domestic (national). In fact, the payment system is an intermediary between you and the bank, providing the possibility of making payments with a bank card everywhere (of course, within the framework of its presence).
If we are talking about the exchange of information, then it is important to note the fact that a card without modern means and communication capabilities (the Internet, etc.) becomes a beautiful piece of plastic (or more noble material, if the card is privileged), although earlier they did without it ( read about slip and embossing).
It is interesting that the bank that issued the card ( the issuing bank ) is its owner (i.e., by and large, you must return the bank card back to the bank after its expiration date or if you wish to close it), but does not have the right to dispose of the holder's money cards (only within the framework of a card agreement or by a court decision).
You can fully use the card after its activation.
Types of bank cards
Bank cards are debit (payment), credit (credit cards), prepaid and virtual. There are also universal bank cards (both credit and debit cards at the same time). If using a debit card it is possible to make payments within the framework of your own funds on your account, then on a credit card you borrow from a bank and then extinguish it. To use a credit card, the level of financial literacy must be significantly higher than, say, for the owner of a salary card who uses it according to the scheme: “If the salary is dropped, it’s faster to the ATM”. It is curious that credit cards appeared in Russia much later than debit cards (there were reasons for this). Prepaid (eg gift) cards are usually issued with a limited cash limit and no top-up option. Virtual cards are a modern banking product that does not have a physical medium (plastic base),
Card appearance
All bank cards have a standard size of 85.6 mm x 53.98 mm x 0.76 mm (according to the ISO 7810 ID-1 standard, if interested) - unification is necessary at least for the compatibility of ATMs, terminals and other devices that read data from cards. The arrangement of elements on the front and back of the card is also unified.
The most important element of the card is its design. Following the latest trends, banks (represented by designers) come up with a beautiful and memorable design of a plastic card, which is not the least important for its future owner. Even multi-colored and transparent cards are issued, banks are experimenting with card materials.
There are frequent cases when the future owner is given the opportunity to choose a card design from a variety of proposed samples, and even, moreover, the client can offer his own design - a photo, landscape or other artistic delights (it is clear that this affects the cost of issuing a card). The reverse side of the card is usually made in a plain background.
Front side of the card
The front of the card looks like this:
1. Four-digit number - located directly under the 1st group of digits of the card number. This number is applied to the card with a waterproof paint that is contrasting with the color of the card. All its digits must necessarily coincide with the first group of digits of the card number - this is one of the degrees of card protection. The discrepancy between the numbers or their complete absence indicates that the card may be counterfeit.
2. Name and surname of the cardholder - located at the bottom left side on the face of the bank card in Latin transcription.
If the card has a first and last name, then it is personalized. The absence of these details means that she is not personalized.
A non-personalized card is usually a quick issue (instant) card, which is nevertheless tied to a bank current account. For example, the bank credit card is not personalized and is issued in a matter of minutes to the bank's clients on a special offer after signing a number of documents (including this is a universal banking service agreement)
On personalized cards, the name and surname (as well as a number of other elements) are applied using the method of embossing letters, this process is called embossing. The bulk of the issued personalized cards are embossed, but there are also non-embossed copies (when banks do not want to spend additional funds on the production of card products).
Embossed cards are a design element, a degree of privilege (classic and higher), as well as the ability to make payments by card in retail outlets in the absence of communication with the bank (for this, imprinters are used that make special checks from such cards - slips).
The presence of the name and surname is also one of the types of additional protection of card products: if an attacker tries to make a large purchase using a stolen card, he may be asked to present an identity card (cashiers have every right to do so).
The name and surname of the cardholder are used when paying for goods / services online via the Internet.
3. The validity period of the card is located under its number (5) approximately in the middle of the plastic card in the format: mm / yy (month / last 2 digits of the year). Accordingly, the card is valid until the very last day of the month indicated on it.
After the expiration date of the card, its holder will no longer be able to carry out banking transactions with it, since it will be blocked by the bank. In this case, the account of the cardholder is not closed, but remains valid. If the owner wishes, he can be issued a new card (for the next validity period), and all obligations on the previous card (if any) are transferred to a new one, and the account remains the same.
To do this, you need to visit the bank in about 1 month (the terms may vary slightly) and write an application for card reissue. If the owner does not want to issue the card again and he wants to terminate the relationship with the bank, then he must write an application to close the card account and complete all the necessary procedures to close the card (so that there are no problems with the bank).
The value of the card validity period is used when paying for goods / services online via the Internet.
4. The payment system logo and its hologram - indicate the payment system within which the bank card is served and are located on the right side of the plastic card. The payment system is responsible for carrying out payment transactions with the card. Most often you can find cards with international payment systems Visa and MasterCard, less often you can find American Express, China's China UnionPay, and a number of domestic systems.
| Payment system | Logo | Hologram |
|---|---|---|
| Visa |
| 
|
| MasterСard | 
| 
|
| American Express | 
| not used |
| UnionPay | 
| not used |
The payment system logo must be present both on the card and on the ATM (payment terminal, on the card payment page on the Internet, etc.) otherwise no operations with the card (withdrawal of money, payment in the online store, etc.) can be performed work out.
5. Card number is a unique number that is assigned only to a specific card. Usually the number consists of 16 digits and is divided into 4 blocks of 4 digits each (for example, in Visa and MasterCard payment systems), sometimes the number of digits may be different. For example, in the American Express payment system, the card number consists of 15 digits and is divided into 3 blocks of 4.6 and 5 digits in each block, respectively.
The card number is not an account number (as is often confused), but is used to identify cards when making various payment transactions.
The card number is used when paying for goods / services online via the Internet, when making money transfers at an ATM or in the Internet bank, when replenishing accounts, etc.
6. Card validation code only on American Express cards. It is usually located on the back of the plastic (see 11).
7. A chip is a microprocessor with external contacts (in fact, it is a small computer). The chip contains information on the card in the form of digital data and, unlike a magnetic stripe, has an increased level of security. For example, if data from a magnetic stripe can be copied by creating a clone card, then such an operation will not work with the chip - it uses hardware and software protection against hacking. Cards with a single chip are practically not found in Russia - usually banks issue combined bank cards - with a chip and a magnetic stripe.
8. Bank logo - can be placed anywhere on the card, it depends on the design decision. The logo indicates that the card belongs to the issuing bank (issuing bank). Usually, the logo contains the name of the bank in an abbreviated form.
The reverse side of the card
The reverse side of a bank card usually looks like this:
9. Information about the bank - at the bottom of the reverse side of the card, information of the following nature is usually provided: the card was issued by the bank such and such (its name) and only the cardholder has the right to use it. You can often find a toll-free hotline here for communication with contact center specialists.
10. Paper signature strip - located immediately below the magnetic strip (12). It is on any cards, even non-personalized ones. The absence of a signature on this strip may lead to the refusal of the cashier to accept the card (sometimes this happens), about which the bank warns in small print under the paper strip in Russian, English and French: “Signature sample, not valid without signature”. On the other hand, the presence of a signature, albeit ineffective, but protection against the use of plastic by an intruder (in this case, it is necessary to verify the signature of the cardholder with the signature on it during each purchase - but is it expedient and is it realistic?).
Usually on a paper strip there is the last group of four digits of the card number with a tilt to the left (you can find the whole number as well) followed by 3 digits of the authentication code (security code).
The design of the strip can be different: plain or filled with diagonal lines with the words Visa or MasterCard (depending on the payment system of the card).
11. Card authentication code (CVV2 / CVC2), also known as security code or secret code - consists of 3 digits and is called CVV2 (for Visa cards) or CVC2 (for MasterCard cards). It is usually placed on a small white paper strip, next to the strip for the holder's signature after the last four digits of the bank card number. The font is tilted to the left.
This code is used for payments on the Internet (online stores and any online purchases) to verify the authenticity of the card as an additional security element , which significantly increases the security of payments. It may not be available on cards with entry-level payment systems (Maestro, Cirrus, Electron), i.e. the holder will not be able to pay with such a card on the Internet.
12. Magnetic stripe is a strip of digital data on a magnetic storage medium. The data on it is recorded only once at the time the card is issued by the bank and contains the information necessary for the payment of this card.
Advantages and disadvantages of bank cards
Benefits of bank cards:
First of all, a plastic card replaces cash (especially a small change), but it does not create any inconvenience. payment for it in retail outlets for its holder occurs without a commission (shops themselves pay a substantial commission according to the rules of payment systems - on average, about 2% per operation). You also don't need to carry big money with you, they are all safe in your bank account.
This also implies that there is no need to declare a large amount of money during a trip to another state (at customs) - cards are not subject to customs registration.
The loss or theft of a bank card has no longer become a problem compared to the loss of a wallet with money - the card can be quickly blocked by calling the bank or by SMS (the holder should always know how to block his card). The fraudster (or who found it) will no longer be able to use it, the bank will issue you a new card with the same amount in your account.
If you have an international payment system (IPS) card, then you will not have problems with paying abroad in most countries of the world where this IPS operates. Your funds will be automatically transferred to local currency at the bank's established rate (with a possible small commission). You can also pay via the Internet.
Any payments will go through quickly, no matter what country you are in. You can also easily withdraw money at any ATM (with the logo of your payment system).
The holder can quickly and interest-free replenish his account through payment terminals or ATMs with the function of accepting cash, without wasting his time in queues at the bank's cash desk.
If the cardholder is abroad, then replenishing the card account is the best way to transfer money to him, in contrast to instant transfer systems that charge a certain percentage for this service.
Disadvantages of bank cards:
The main drawback is the lack of one hundred percent security when making payments in retail outlets and on the Internet. The point here is not even the standards and protocols used for data exchange, but the purposeful actions of attackers aimed at stealing card details (especially on the Internet). They use many illegal methods and the protection against this is financial literacy and attentiveness of the cardholder.
Some transactions may involve a commission, for example, payment abroad in foreign currency. It is important to be aware of such transactions and be sure to clarify the amount of the commission.
The rest of the drawbacks are rather the underdevelopment of the infrastructure for payments for plastic: cards are not yet accepted for payment in all stores; there is some difficulty in using while working with an ATM (especially for the elderly); problems with paying tips (this is not as developed as in Europe and the USA, where a separate line is provided for tips in the check and they are made as a separate payment).
Separately, we can highlight the fact that all purchases with the card are not anonymous, this information is available to the authorities.
