Is there a Smart Card in Your Future?
Card companies believe that every payment card in the world will eventually carry a chip.  As the cost of implementing smart cards continues to decrease, most payment cards will become smart cards in the next few years in Asia Pacific.

Consumer research conducted by Visa in November 2004 revealed that more than 70 percent of consumers surveyed believe that smart cards will be an important part of their everyday life.  Close to three-quarters of consumers surveyed said they believed that with smart cards, there was opportunity for people to carry only one card.  Smart cards can not only be used to make payments and store personal data, they also have the potential to become lifestyle cards, equipped with a range of applications chosen by the cardholder.

Future smart cards will act not only as a payment card, but may also track status of frequent flyer membership and other value-added programs.  The rental car upgrade and free-room bonus, for example, are rewards for loyalty patronage.  The smart card user will not have to show a 'frequent guest' card at a hotel's front desk because a tiny microprocessor chip embedded in his/her smart card provides an up-to-the-minute record of his/her status in that reward club.

When that happens, you may be carrying fewer cards, but have more convenient and faster access to a wide array of information.

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