Most smart cards manage binary text and numeric data.
Smart cards can store a dollar value, and the user can buy items at convenience stores or other retailers that accept the cards. The cards can store medical records or can be used to swipe through a card reader on a PC to purchase goods over the Internet. Another use is to pay for boarding trains and buses. A card you can flip to a cashier to pay for a Snickers bar or slide through a reader at the emergency room to fetch medical records or both sounds pretty convenient. But it won't be convenient for the IT professionals charged with making it happen.