Credit Cards to Receive a Vertical Makeover

The way credit cards are used has stayed the same over the last 5 decades, even with the technology behind it changing. However, the act of paying by credit card might forever be changed, as card providers and banks are taking a different road since the first credit card style from the 60s.

In fact, the familiar horizontal credit card will get a makeover and get a brand-new vertical design that is supposed to make payments faster and easier.

Most credit card transactions today take place online without the presence of a physical card, or by chip-and-pin technology and tap-to-pay systems. Nevertheless, these transactions are still happening on a foundation built for swiping, so the credit card industry is adapting to user needs while increasing security.

According to Suhkmani Dev, MasterCard Canada’s vice-president of digital products, a portrait orientation makes it easier to tap and pay and is a better design for many reasons from a user’s point of view.

While the portrait-mode orientation does add a nice touch to the design, the real reason behind the change is the tap-based technology which is a big upgrade from the older systems.

Per Dev, tap-enabled cards are powered by a “tokenization” technology. This means that the identifying information for a transaction is unique for that one transaction, making it harder for a thief to get a hold of data and compromise an account.

In case you lose your card, the company will replace the 16-digit card information with a unique identifier, which you can still use to make transactions, but it won’t be the actual 16-digit card number.

All in all, the wish to keep up with people’s pace and improve service for customers is the reason why the industry is constantly adapting, says Dev. This is why MasterCard believes the best credit card is the one a cardholder will barely notice.