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WPD News Service |
Issue 71. 9-10/02/01
Summary
-Phonecard NEWS: Cyprus, Denmark, French Polynesia, Latvia, Madagascar, Norway, Romania, Russia, Slovenia, Turkey, USA
-Publications: Hungary, Netherlands, USA
Special news:
-Special Showcard for PCE2001
A unique showcard was produced for the Orlando phonecard show by Talkhome/ZUMACard. The card features a magnetic stripe, to be used as a hotel key; a 10 minute PIN, as a phonecard; and an image of a microchip. The card was extremely popular. The 200 cards were handed out to the attendees and to the exhibitors.
-New Madagascar chip card
Telecom Madagascar produced a card commemorating the Solar Eclipse. There are only 200,000 cards produced and they carry 25 units.
/Contributed by Joe, dealer/
-Newest Danish phonecard
Card D49 issued was recently issued in Denmark. The mintage is 50,000, the face value is 30 Kr. and the back of the card features a woman lying on the bed, typing on her laptop.
-New Latvian phonecards
A TELEcard with advertising functions
A TELEcard dedicated to the Month of European culture with a programme of
events.
See more at www.lattelekom.lv/telecards
-New Turkish phonecards
A set of 2 phonecards was issued in Turkey for EuroBasket 2001, which takes place in Istanbul from Aug 31-Sep 9. 900,000 sets were printed by Abacicard.
/Contributed by Izzet Kirbas, collector/
-New Cypriot phonecards
A new nature series featuring butterflies and a frog. Only 155,000 cards were produced. And a set of Wonderbra cards, only 60,000 produced./CYTA/
-New French Polynesian phonecard, mintage is only 5,000.
/Tahiti Telecom/
-New Slovenian phonecard from Impulz
The Obalne Galerije. Mintage is 4.700, 5.000 and 1.000 for 25, 50 and 300 u.
cards.
/Impulz/
-New Romanian Prepaid GSM card.
Dialog 35,70 and 140
units scratching-prize rechargeable card.
/Contributed by Romania Phonecards/
-New Russian phonecards from MGTS
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Moscow
Units 100 2001 Qty 15000 |
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/Ruscards.com/
-New Norwegian phonecards
The first issue in a new Phonecard series with pictures and recipes from the cookbook of the norwegian master cook Arne Brimi. The cards have a mintage of 50,000.
/Telenor/
Smartcard NEWS
CTST reports www.ctst.com
University of Michigan Smartcard fails
For the first time in six years, freshmen at the University of Michigan will start a fall semester without a chip-bearing student ID card in their pockets. The Mcard, which was the first big campus smart card issued in North America when it debuted in mid-1995, will no longer carry a chip or the stored value application that used to run on it. Because of high costs and low use, the university killed the smart card project last spring, shortly after the card program’s founder and biggest champion, Bob Russell, died of heart disease. The university issued up to 50,000 cards per year to students, faculty and staff, who found fewer and fewer places to use the e-purse. Only one of the university’s 22 libraries ever installed chip-accepting terminals for copy machines. And, the number of off-campus merchants that took the card shrank from 82 the first year to 28 last spring, says Dave Doyle, head of sales and marketing for the Mcard program. The university decided it couldn’t afford to continue to pay the $3 cost for the card or lay in needed upgrades of readers, both from vendor SchlumbergerSema, to support just a little used e-purse, he says. “When talking about a $3 smart card, that’s just the (blank) card; it’s very hard to tell management that that’s worth more than a 30-cent mag-stripe card,”
Show reviews:
-Find all the upcoming shows and reviews of past shows at www.phonecardexpo.org
-Intelecard News feature story: FROM www.intelecard.com
Major retailer to launch a co-branded Visa smart card program
Minneapolis-based Target Corp. is leading the U.S. retailer smart card charge by being the first to launch its own smart Visa card that will be issued through Retailers National Bank later this year. This also is the first official co-branded Visa program in the market. Point-of-sale terminals that accept chip payments will be installed in all Target stores in 2002.
"The national rollout of the Target smart Visa card provides a significant opportunity for Target to deepen our relationship with our guests," says Jerry Storch, vice chairman of Target. "This revolutionary new card offers our guests a credit vehicle with greater convenience, broader utility, increased value and expanded rewards programs," Storch says.
"We think it’s a win-win because Target is leveraging Visa’s core smart technology platform consisting of payment, access and loyalty," says Heather Gray, vice president of consumer credit for Visa. "Our platform, coupled with Target’s strong marketing, is a great combination that will really benefit consumers."
Gray says that the Target smart Visa card program has already been a catalyst for the industry. "Our phone has been ringing nonstop — PC manufacturers who are looking to put readers into their machines; other merchants looking at the value proposition they can deliver to cardholders through a chip; and other issuers, who see a flagship merchant has agreed to accept and are thinking maybe they should get into the game."
Visa’s partnership with Target has attracted attention for good reason: Target’s marketing muscle includes 1,320 stores in 46 states, plus a credit card portfolio of 36 million accounts. Some existing cardholders will automatically receive the new card to replace their Target guest card, which includes loyalty features.
Making it real for customers
Until now, smart cards in the U.S. have been a victim of the chicken or egg scenario: Retailers have waited for consumers to snap up enough cards to warrant investment in chip readers, while consumers have held off until stores have readers.
There’s also the problem of chip readers, which must be installed on card owners’ PCs so they can go to a retailer’s website and download coupons directly to their card. Gray says that although at the outset most of their issuers did not charge for readers, every issuer’s strategy is different.
Gray says the partnership with Target represents the culmination of Visa’s mission to make smart Visa real in the minds of consumers. "The Target announcement shows that smart cards are tangible — you will be able to use your card at the first physical location in the U.S."
Some experts are skeptical that consumers will take to smart cards in a big way. "This is technology in search of a consumer need, looking for a problem to solve," says Bruce Brittain, president of Brittain Associates, a financial services market research company.
In his opinion, the marketing opportunity for stored value has yet to be established. "Stored value is only compelling to consumers if it is for what’s known as unattended POS (point of sale), such as parking meters, payphones, toll booths and vending machines. Any place people can make change, cash is better."
Brittain points out that his firm’s recent study of the American Express Blue Card also proved security wasn’t a magic bullet in terms of ultimate consumer behavior.
So is there a compelling consumer reason to adopt smart cards? "Nobody is going to adopt an application unless it makes their life more convenient or pays them back in terms of ego gratification, actual money or merchandise," says Brittain.
Quadagno takes a different view. "Smart cards are a technology. If you give consumers a good reason to use this chip on a card, then the answer is yes, smart cards have come of age."
Publications
-CASHCARDS a brand new magazine was started in the Fall to cover the exciting world of the North American hobby. After all, North America has some real rarities and jewels for both phonecards and cashcards. The November issue has a variety of articles about prepaid gasoline cards, promotional cards and cell phone cards. Please help support the development of this publication! Email Lou at [email protected]
-The Telefonkartya Mania magazine issue # 12 is avilable now. The colorful 30 page publication focuses on Formula-1 racing, with articles about Senna, Niki Lauda and the Hungaroring. As always the newest Hungarian phonecards are presented in a catalogue format at the center of the magazine. There is also more information about Jersey cards, Polish horoscope and Hungarian prepaid cards. The magazine has lots of text and thus knowing Hungarian is recommended! For more information, visit www.maniamagazin.hu
-The September issue of NTC magazine headlines the new tram set from Paytel Australia.You will find a variety of articles about DT, CYTA, Eircom, France TelecomCarib, Armenian and other new cards, as well as the 2001 Fall Dutch club meeting schedule. For more information www.ntc2000.bizland.com
Telecom News:
-Telia purchasing 51% of Panama telco
The "WPD news" is the free weekly news service of the Worldwide Phonecard Database (WPD). Copyright WPD 1999-2001
