Credit Cards Online Information

Sometimes it's not so bad being the little guy. It's good to sit back and let the biggest players in the financial services industry figure out whether there is any practical use for some of technology's flashy offerings. Consider smart cards. For years, I have heard the little plastic card with a computer chip on it would revolutionize the payments system. While the cards are popular in Europe, the truth is they are a flop in this country. That is, so far. Perhaps they will become an important part of the payments system someday, but let the biggest players in the industry spend billions of dollars to try to get us to that point. If American consumers ever decide they really want smart cards, then community bankers can begin to offer them.

I was intrigued by an announcement from Target Corp., the big retailer, that it would start putting computer chips on its Target Visa cards. Card readers will be installed at all of its stores and consumers will be able to use electronic coupons they download onto the cards from the Internet. It's a nice gimmick but it will take more than a fancy discount coupon to convince most people they need a smart card.

# posted by Medical Information : 2:07 AM