Gift cards with magnetic stripe

A gift card with a magnetic stripe compared to a gift card with a barcode is certainly a safer solution while maintaining similar functionality.

GIFT CARDS WITH MAGNETIC STRIPE

The main difference between these two cards is the way of reading data. On the plastic voucher there is a special tape placed – called a magnetic stripe.

There are two types of magnetic strips: LoCo and HiCo, which seem to be identical, but differ in, among others, data storage durability.

MAGNETIC TAPE HAS A LARGER CAPACITY THAN A BAR CODE

You can encode more data on a tape than in a barcode, because we have so-called three paths.

To make it easier for you to explain it, imagine that these are three lines like in a notebook, which you can fill by writing certain values.

SAMPLE CODING

Here, each path corresponds to different information.

READING THE INFORMATION WRITTEN ON THE MAGNETIC STRIP

The data from the gift card is read when the card is swiped by the reader. Then the data is sent to the IT system, and the cashier’s monitor displays the status of available funds.

In order for the customer to check himself how much money he has to use from a plastic gift voucher, a number should be printed on the card, because the data from the magnetic strip is in no way visible to an ordinary recipient.

However, it is worth remembering that the number on the magnetic strip and the printed number do not duplicate. This simple procedure will minimize the risk of a counterfeit card.

TECHNICAL ASPECTS

Before placing an inquiry or order, find out which type of a magnetic stripe you need, what data should be encoded and on which path/track. Maybe your store or service point is already equipped in a system for gift cards and you already have the necessary readers – then we will adapt our gift cards to your requirements.

Although there is something you must know now. A magnetic stripe gift card is susceptible to demagnetisation. In simple terms, it means it will stop working if it is kept close to a cell phone, TV or other electronic devices. This problem can be solved by making a new card / duplicate of a card with the same encoded data.