Chase Rolls Out RFID Credit Cards in N.Y. and Philadelphia

Steven Marlin / InformationWeek | October 28 2005

J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. said Thursday that it has begun rolling out its contactless credit cards, known as "blink," in the New York and Philadelphia metropolitan areas. To use the blink cards, customers wave the card near a reader at the checkout line. The reader emits a tone and lights up to signal payment confirmation.

Chase is delivering the cards, which use a radio-frequency identification chip, to two million customers in the New York metropolitan area and 900,000 customers in the Philadelphia metropolitan area.

The initial merchants that will accept blink are 7-Eleven, AMC Theatres, CVS, Duane Reade, Regal Entertainment, and Sony Style stores.

The blink cards, which also include a traditional magnetic stripe, can be used anywhere Visa and MasterCard are accepted.

In trials of the blink card, consumers appreciated the security of retaining possession of the card during the transaction, rather than swiping it or handing it to an employee, the bank said. They also praised the card's speed and convenience. The most significant time savings was realized in the drive-thru environment, where transaction time was reduced by as much as 20 seconds compared to cash. For merchants, the card speeds checkout times and lets customers spend more time shopping and less time waiting in line.