Can we start eliminating horrible plastic cards immediately in 2021? Yes, you read the title right. In this blog, we are going to be discussing the elimination of plastic cards and why they are going to be obsolete in a few years due to the new methods and inventions that are replacing the need for plastic cards. We are going to primarily discuss debit, credit and membership cards as these are the most frequently used. Let’s be honest, even companies are starting to stop the use of plastic cards, especially with the climate change crisis going on and they are simply a hassle to carry around.
Paper money and coins will be obsolete in a few years, most people use their cards to pay and don’t even touch real money, some kids have never even touched real physical money…Can you believe that? Some supermarkets in Europe have no cash register but unmanned check out points where you can only pay with your card. Many busses in Europe don’t even allow paying with cash anymore, it is too much hassle and takes too much time, time is precious, so many busses only accept membership cards or other payment cards where you must swipe or scan to pay and catch a ride with the bus.
Criminals used to use only cash so that they cannot be traced, found and caught in their criminal actions, however with the age of cryptocurrency or anonymous bank accounts, not even criminals need paper money anymore.
How are we going to be eliminating horrible traditional plastic cards?
We are going to share some new developments that will replace the plastic card Era, we recommend these following options as a substitute for cards that can be swiped or wirelessly scanned as they are encoded with a chip or a bar code. The following possibilities are also not targeted for ID cards such as a license or passport, but we think the above mentioned may be implanted in the future where you scan your long-term card or chip to be identified with one simple swipe or scan by authorized personnel when given permission only by you.
The new payment / membership methods will be described as simple as possible so that the concept can be understood and to share the ideas so that other people can improve them, make them more durable and sustainable and better in general and safer, if you want deeper details on how they work and the materials they are made of, you can check out their website linked with their photos.
Long-lasting electronic cards
There are two cards that we have discovered that can replace the plastic card era, that is Stratos and Fuze card. Both cards come with an app, a scanner and a charger so that you can charge the cards. You can currently upload your payment cards and membership cards.
The first card, Stratos, is encrypted, has Bluetooth, does not display your card number it can get locked via Bluetooth when lost \ and you get a new one every two years, which is not very durable or sustainable. On the website though it doesn’t clearly state how to buy it or if you can even buy it.
The second card on the list is Fuze card, it has a screen on the card, which is great for when you must scan cards with barcodes, it is smaller than the Stratos card and looks more advanced, offers basically the same features as the Stratos card. The website is also a bit more advanced and makes it easier for the user to order a card.
Phones or watches
The most logical next step or a step above these cards is what apple is already doing with their iPhones and smart watches. But we like the idea of having a chip carrying everything you need in a watch or integrated in a bracelet.
The Watch doesn’t have to be a smart watch, it can just be used as your daily normal ”not smart”/”classic” watch, but then has a secret NFC chip in it that can be RFID protected with push of a button incorporated on the watch. We can even take it a step further and do what some swimming pool businesses are doing and put NFC chips inside of wristbands, if this can be incorporated into a water tight bracelet, the possibilities are exciting to talk about.
This method is the one that is the most practical as you can take it off when you want and charge it. It does involve you piercing your skin in any way, carrying a wallet around and having all those cards that you like to carry around for discounts or just paying to buy the things you want and need. This is will be the most popular method for payments and membership access and identification, there is no question about it. This would be amazing for being identified as an ID card where you simply have to scan your watch or bracelet to be identified, with your permission of course.
Implanted micro-chips
Our final method, and what we think will take over both the plastic cards and those mentioned above when it is safer and more developed is the skin integrated NFC chip. This will become more accepted when it can be injected with a thin needle and taken out with the same needle, fully painless and risk free. Currently there are still risks so there would have to be more developments before it gets widely accepted. The only known official company that does this is Biyo. The method is also not legal worldwide and is not very popular, though it is growing very popular in Sweden already. With Nano technology this may be improved quickly in the coming years or even months where the implants are becoming smaller and smaller.
Mixing classic with modern
However, if you absolutely do not want this chip and think you are going to stick with the modern cards that can hold several cards, you would still need a card holder. Luvioni has been testing a Dutch made wallet for a few months now, and because we like to recommend our readers to only use the best products while being futuristic and sustainable. We recommend this slim looking card holder that we strangely enough do not see a lot of on the streets. the only thing that can be adjusted is that they can focus on making high quality vegan leather instead of still using animal skin.
This was a fun blog for us to write and we hope you have enjoyed reading it if we missed some important cards or developments please let us know and we may update this blog or make a completely new one in following to this as the world does keep advancing. Please have a look at one of our latest blogs to see how society will advance!
