With all of the wireless technology that is available these days, it's almost a question of how much farther can we go to make things easier? Even swiping a credit card has become too much for some and the invention of RFID credit cards is showing up at your local registers.
What is RFID?
RFID is a radio frequency device that allows information to be transmitted by radio waves. This is much like the FastTrak toll booth payments that allow you to wave a card at the reader to pay your tolls. And it's coming to a restaurant near you.
McDonald's is looking at implementing RFID credit cards so that people can fill their card with money and then wave their card at a register to transmit the payment. It's fast, it's easy, and it saves time in line. Plus it's safer than you might think.
What's great about RFID?
RFID is easy to use and easy to transport. And for those that are nervous about carrying all their information on an RFID credit card, you can rest easy because the information is encrypted and can only be decrypted by an RFID reader. Of course, who's to say that thieves won't come up with a way to get that information without your knowledge? But the general consensus is that RFID is much safer than traditional credit cards.
With traditional credit cards, you can simply enter the information into an online retailer or hand it to an employee who can then take down the information for their own use. This allows for plenty of opportunities for someone to use your information without your permission while on the Internet or by filling out new credit card applications.
With the RFID credit card that information never passes into the employee's hands it goes directly to the server that handles payments. This is much more secure and helps a user feel safer in each transaction. However, with this technology, a thief will just have to take possession of the RFID credit card in order to use it.
Overall, RFID credit cards are the wave of the future, being used widely in Japan, Hong Kong, Malaysia, and Singapore. They allow for simpler transactions and less worry. Even Chase credit cards are thinking about using RFID technology in their cards.
Yours credit cards could be next.
