Visa provides services, such as payment networks and card products, to member banks, who in turn provide payment cards to their customers. Card technologies at Visa include debit, credit, corporate, and electronic purse cards. Smart Visa cards combined with Java technology provide the platform for a multiple-application card. Visa's large consumer base and growing member bank force enable Visa to propose new payment products and technologies, such as the Open Platform system that provides the capability for multiple applications to reside on one smart card. The smart Visa with integrated Java technology is a small plastic card with an embedded integrated circuit containing a microprocessor and memory.
Many smart cards are about the size of a credit card and can be issued by banks.
They may contain credit or debit services that you use every day. The Shape of Things to Come Imagine being able to use a smart card anywhere in the world, while still receiving messages from the terminal in your preferred language. With the smart Visa and Java Card TM technology, it may soon be possible to customize your purchasing experience so that the system always knows your preferred language. Whether you purchase goods in Tokyo or use an ATM in New York, the message you see would always be in Spanish, or French, or the language you choose. As card service levels are enhanced, upgrades will be transparent to card holders.