After three Common Access Card (CAC)-biometric technology demonstration (TD) projects, the Department of Defense (DoD) is considering moving into phase 2 of a program that could lead to four-million-plus biometric enabled DoD CACs. But the timeframe is still uncertain. Phase 2, for which vendor support has not yet even been requested, is still on the […]

JCB Co. Ltd., Japan’s largest credit card company, is continuing its slow, but consistent expansion into the Pacific Rim area and the rest of Asia. A year ago, it had begun its initial forays into Taiwan and Korea. Today, JCB cards are starting to turn up in Thailand, Singapore, and China. “We now have significant […]

Buoyed by successful trial roll-outs in Orlando, Florida and Dallas, Texas, and a survey showing more and more consumers are looking for cash alternatives, MasterCard International is poised to launch more PayPass pilots in U.S. cities this summer. “Right now, PayPass trials are continuing in Orlando and Texas,” said Betsy Foran-Owens, vice president, product services, […]

With increased customer spending–compared with cash–coupled with decreased checkout time as high as 30-40 percent, American Express continues to pilot its ExpressPay program, recently taking it internationally for the first time. This contactless technology–a key fob no bigger than a stick of gum that attaches to the user’s keychain–was first introduced in Phoenix, Arizona early […]

Standards are incredibly important, yet incredibly frustrating. While the work of standards bodies is absolutely critical, the complexity of their effort makes it seem as though they purposefully work to make it difficult for outsiders to comprehend. Consider the following lines extracted from an actual presentation made before a security industry trade group: • M1 […]

Even while companies are moving forward with RFID tag and label implementation to help them track products in the supply chain, and even though such full implementation is likely years away from success, several states are considering restrictions on RFID use. California’s Sen. Debra Bowen in February filed a bill restricting RFID tags (see February […]

The National Association of Campus Card Users (NACCU) Annual Meeting is always a great event, but this year was special. The crowd was large, the education was fresh and strong, and the events and social activities were first class.   To express my appreciation and extend the praise that I heard from so many at […]

The Annual Conference of the National Association of Campus Card Users (NACCU) was a great event and a great opportunity to spot trends and changes in the campus card industry. In the following paragraphs, a number of these developments and observations from the event held early this month in San Antonio are highlighted. Look for […]

A company called CardSmith is working toward a Fall 2004 launch of a new campus card offering. Though the company is new its management team is made up of campus card veterans.   CardSmith’s Founder and CEO, Jay Summerall, helped lead both AT&T and Student Advantage in the campus card arena. Co-founder and VP of […]

Relatively young, as card programs go, East Stroudsburg University’s eCard began just four years ago. The small four-year Pennsylvania school located in the Pocono Mountains was using a photo ID card that included the Social Security Number, a rising cause for concern in today’s ID-theft-prone world. In March 2000, the 6,200-student university recarded the campus, […]