Your most used credit/debit card has…
[You can use the final option for Apple/Google/Samsung pay on your mobile/cellular, or if you use a wearable payment device]
P.S. By "account number", in this case I mean card number (Amex, Discover, MasterCard, UnionPay, Visa, etc. number). Not your bank account number.
I wonder if things have already shifted since last time. 🤔
https://velocipederider.com/@ruari/113142278460382792
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One of my own numberless† cards, for those that have not seen such things before. Other companies that offer them include Chase (UK) and also the Apple card.
And yes this is a real, usable card and no I did not remove anything. This is how it is issued.
† It has a number obviously, just not printed on the card. I can access it though the app and website associated with my account and I also store it in my password manager for convenience.
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Here is an old image of more of my cards. I switched some of them since this picture but still none have any card account number on the front, unlike my cards further in the past.
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The obvious advantage of stripping the numbers off the front (or entirety) of the card is for security/privacy. If they are seen† it is not possible for a nefarious person to memorise or quickly photograph the number.
Indeed I cannot think of any good reason for modern cards to continue to print the number across the front. If your bank does, maybe tell them to stop it.
† Just a few years back I could not have posted a picture like this on social media without compromising my account details.
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Having an embossed card seems particularly stupid in 2025. Those old "Knuckle Busters" cannot be used anywhere, anymore. So there is no advantage to them.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Credit_card_imprinter
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Just to clarify one point, card imprinters might now be pointless but I do personally think they were a brilliant solution at the time. They are so much quicker (and more accurate) at recording the account details than someone handwritting them out. So while their time has come and gone, hats off to whichever individual(s) that came up with this idea in the first place. It was a brilliant little hack.
[And yes I am using "hack" in it's more traditional sense]
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I'm also curious if anyone has a physical payment card without a magnetic stripe.
Technically I do but I am not sure it counts as it is a microcard.
Let's see if anyone else does. Do you have a full size credit/debit card which came without any magnetic stripe?
[If you have such a card and if you don't mind, name the bank/fintech company in the comments below]
https://www.mastercard.com/news/perspectives/2021/magnetic-stripe/
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P.S. For anyone curious about my reference to a microcard.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZ3m8LW5plw
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Sadly one of the providers I use that used to issue micro payment cards has dropped them from their offerings (Bank Norwegian/Nordax). I still have a microcard with them and it works but they will not issue new ones in the future. They are commiting further to mobile and smartwatch payments instead.
That is a real shame IMHO but on the flipside I have at least one other provider where they are still continuing to support them going forward (for now at least).
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text/gemini
