G+D recently began offering MasterCard issuers conveniently-sized contactless payment cards and devices in smaller formats to be attached to key rings. G+D has developed an innovative Contactless Product Suite, which makes small-scale antennas available for RF transmission on the basis of new antenna technology. The smaller MasterCard PayPass form factor will be issued 1st to customers in North America.
G+D’s new antennas allow contactless payment devices to be manufactured in all sorts of new shapes and sizes, as demonstrated by the keyfob now available for MasterCard issuers. These new form factors provide additional convenience and make the payment transaction particularly easy. Despite their reduced size, the devices meet the PayPass-ISO/IEC 14443 specifications and achieve excellent RF performance even with the small antennas.
MasterCard PayPass is widely used in US as a means for making fast and convenient “Tap & Go” payments. To perform a PayPass transaction using a card or a keyfob, users simply tap it on the contactless symbol of a PayPass reader to initiate the transaction.
G+D’s Contactless Product Suite offers FIs a wide range of form factors and antenna technologies to choose from. The antennas are either printed onto the card or made of copper wire. Both types come in either mini or half-size antenna format. Especially with the mini-antenna, FIs can now offer efficient and flexible solutions for chip-based payment in completely new forms.
Half-size antennas are also used for the traditional card format and are located in the upper portion of the card. It leaves the embossing area completely intact and allows for the essential 4th line embossing, necessary for credit/debit cards. Just like any other card, it can also carry the traditional magnetic stripe.
“We have taken G+D’s expertise in both printing and contactless technology and bundled it in a way that benefits FIs, who can then use the new, handy formats and innovative marketing concepts to reach new customer segments,” commented Michael Kuemmerle, Head of Payment Division, G+D.
