Embossed card - what is it? Embossed means safe?

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

Plastic cards can be distinguished in many ways. Separate cards by type of funds:

1. Debit. The owners of such cards use their own funds for settlement transactions.
2. Credit. Payment for goods / services at the expense of the bank, interest is charged on the debt in proportion to the term and amount of the loan.

Among the standard types of cards, there are 2 more varieties of them. According to the degree of protection, cards are divided into the following types:

1. Embossed card (what it is will be described below).
2. Unembossed card.

What is an embossed bank card?

The complex production process of embossed cards protects their owners from unauthorized use. It is more difficult for fraudsters to make a duplicate, so purchases with such a card are better protected.

In the simplest sense, an embossed bank card is a card that has a high degree of protection. All inscriptions on it are convex (last name and first name of the cardholder, expiration date, card number and other information). The data cannot be applied quickly, so the production of the card takes place within2 weeks.

Embossed card - what is it? Why aren't all cards so secure? Read more about this.

Registered, chipped and instant cards

What does an embossed card mean and what other means of protection can it have? As a rule, personal cards, in addition to the owner's data, are additionally protected by a chip. If you have such a card in your hands, then any purchase should be made only with your confirmation. The signal for the bank in this case will be the entry of a PIN code. If the chip is missing, then the card is not fully protected, since the presence of a magnetic strip allows you to carry out the operation without entering a secret code (PIN code).

According to the rules, the seller must verify the data of the passport and the data on the card. They must match. Therefore, when traveling, an embossed card is indispensable. What does it give you? Confidence that no one except you uses the money. Cash can be stolen, and then the trip will be ruined.

Instant cards are basically credit cards that are issued quickly. The amounts on them are small, and therefore the bank does not particularly care about the degree of their protection. It is better not to pay for purchases with such cards, at least in online stores. And in other places - take precautions.

Where else are embossed cards used?

In addition to banks, cards of this standard are used in large organizations and retail chains. It is necessary to organize identification at the checkpointsystem and time tracking? An embossed card will handle this. What is it and why is it needed in chain stores? An embossed card stores important data about the owner, the amount of his discount, takes into account and remembers all transactions with its use. Gives the company access to confidential information. Also designed to promote a store or network among customers.

The embossed card differs in its appearance from the usual ones, so it is also made to attract attention. It shows the status, indicates the importance of a person or the scale of entrepreneurial activity. An externally embossed card is more attractive, and therefore desirable for the rest.

Unembossed card: why is it still used?

It would seem that for all its shortcomings, a non-personalized (ie, non-embossed) card should have ceased to exist long ago. But banks are still actively issuing such types of plastic cards. And many people use them. What is the reason for the success?

Cards of this type are issued very quickly, therefore, whether it has debit or credit functionality, you will receive it immediately after filling out the questionnaire. Information about you is kept to a minimum when it comes to a debit card. Credit non-embossed cards are issued, as a rule, "as a load" to the main product. For example, when applying for a consumer loan, a bank employee may offer you a card with a small amount from a zero-service bank, just in case. Or they will issue a card linked to yourcredit account to replenish it through ATMs.

The non-personalized card has a lower service cost, if at all, it is provided for by the contract. Such "payment instruments" are issued for the most part up to the "Standard" level. And cards of the "Classic" level and higher ("Gold", etc.) are mostly personalized. They necessarily have a higher level of protection: there is owner data, a microchip, a CVV code, and so on.

Which card should I take with me abroad?

If we compare embossed and non-embossed cards, then the first type has priority in any case. Traveling to any European or other country involves spending within the country. Plastic cards are not subject to declaration when crossing borders. But cash is subject to strict restrictions depending on the host country.

There must be several plastic cards, at least two for a trip. If one is lost, it will not be necessary to restore it outside of Russia. The main thing is to block. The second card will save your journey.

As for payment systems, the choice between VISA and MasterCard is not so important. The main thing is the level of the map. For booking a car, hotels and making payments, any one of at least Classic is suitable. Basically, this is only when converting currencies. If you have an account opened in a Russian bank in a foreign currency, it would be better for you to link it to the card before the trip. So the commission amounts will be less.