# Plastic card

Canonical: https://web4.xpay.bi/en/wiki/wp-en-69344796/

Language: en

Published: 2026-10-24T18:33:23.848Z

Updated: 2026-10-24T18:33:23.848Z

Plastic cards usually serve as identity documents, thus providing authentication. In combination with other assets that complement the data stored on the card, like PINs, they also serve authorization purposes, most often as debit or credit cards for allowing their holders to make financial transactions. Early and simpler cards feature only hard-to-imitate integrated photographs, securit

## Key facts

## Overview

Plastic cards usually serve as identity documents, thus providing authentication. In combination with other assets that complement the data stored on the card, like PINs, they also serve authorization purposes, most often as debit or credit cards for allowing their holders to make financial transactions. Early and simpler cards feature only hard-to-imitate integrated photographs, security holograms, guillochés, or a magnetic strip on which few bytes of personal data could be stored.  Today, smart cards, i.e. those equipped with an electronic chip (storage, or RFID), serve as high-security active electronic documents that allow their holder to qualify for driving cars (drivers license card), receive medical treatment (health insurance cards), do banking  and more.

## Industry

In their January 2020 report, the  International Card Manufacturers Association's (ICMA) indicates a production increase to a record-high of 37.1 billion cards and $27 billion revenue in 2019. Forecasts predicted market growth at a rate of 8.2% from 2021 to 2028, which was counteracted by losses through the COVID-19 pandemic.

## Production

Plastic cards (standard size ID-1) come in various colors and finishing. The laminated mixture of various dyes, paper and plastics (so far mainly PVC and PVCA) and the integration with electronics makes them hard to recycle.

## Range

Contact cards (must be inserted into a suitable reading device, e.g. magnetic stripe cards) Contactless cards (using Near-field communication or RFID)

## Techno

Apart from "regular", i.e. non-electronic cards, there is considerable overlap between "chip-enabled", "digital" and "smart" cards, mostly for historical reasons in the development of the current fully equipped smart cards.

Regular cards Chip-enabled cards Smart cards Digital card Magnetic stripe cards

## Applications

Gift cards Discount cards Access cards Payment cards Credit cards Debit cards Telephone cards Transportation cards Government/Health, e.g. European Health Insurance Card, Identity card, Passport card SIM cards (smaller size contact card only used within mobile phones)

## Non-electronic security features

Plastic cards may be printed with the following security-relevant features, some of them also containing personal information, others only serving as anti-forgery devices:

QR code and / or barcode photograph signature security hologram microprinting guilloché patterns (similar to bank notes)

## See also

Electronic banking Plastic recycling Plastic compounding

## Sources

- Plastic card · Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/?curid=69344796

Source: Wikipedia contributors — https://en.wikipedia.org/?curid=69344796&oldid=1343156003

Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0 — https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

Adaptation notice: Reformatted for XPay; the source may be abridged, restructured or translated. Consult the cited revision for the original.