A transaction card defined by a card periphery having a plurality of sides comprising first and second parallel short sides (104, 106) and first and second parallel long sides (102, 108), wherein the short sides (104, 106) being shorter than the long sides (102, 108), the transaction card comprising: a metal layer having a front surface, a back surface, a metal layer periphery, and an opening sized to accommodate a transponder chip module, the opening having a first edge being parallel and relatively closest to the first short side of the card periphery, second edge being parallel and relatively closest to the first long side of the card periphery, and a third edge being parallel and relatively closest to the second long side of the card periphery, the first edge being relatively closer to the short side of the card periphery than the second edge is to the long side of the card periphery, and the second edge being relatively closer to the first long side of the card periphery than the third edge is to the second long side of the card periphery, the edges of the opening defining corners; at least one discontinuity in the metal layer comprising a gap in the metal layer extending from the front surface to the back surface, the at least one discontinuity defining a path from an origin at the card periphery and terminating in a terminus in the opening, wherein one of the terminus or the origin is located relatively closer to a line defined by the first long side of the card periphery than the other, and the path has a length greater than a shortest distance from the terminus to the side of the card periphery containing the origin, wherein the short side of the card periphery has a rectangular region having an edge which is coextensive with the first edge of the opening, wherein the rectangular region extends from the edge to the first short side of the card periphery characterized in that the origin is located on the card periphery outside the rectangular region; and a self-supporting non-metal layer disposed on at least one surface of the metal layer, wherein the self-supporting non-metal layer comprises polyimide or a fiberglass reinforced layer comprising an epoxy. a metal layer having a front surface, a back surface, a metal layer periphery, and an opening sized to accommodate a transponder chip module, the opening having a first edge being parallel and relatively closest to the first short side of the card periphery, second edge being parallel and relatively closest to the first long side of the card periphery, and a third edge being parallel and relatively closest to the second long side of the card periphery, the first edge being relatively closer to the short side of the card periphery than the second edge is to the long side of the card periphery, and the second edge being relatively closer to the first long side of the card periphery than the third edge is to the second long side of the card periphery, the edges of the opening defining corners; at least one discontinuity in the metal layer comprising a gap in the metal layer extending from the front surface to the back surface, the at least one discontinuity defining a path from an origin at the card periphery and terminating in a terminus in the opening, wherein one of the terminus or the origin is located relatively closer to a line defined by the first long side of the card periphery than the other, and the path has a length greater than a shortest distance from the terminus to the side of the card periphery containing the origin, wherein the short side of the card periphery has a rectangular region having an edge which is coextensive with the first edge of the opening, wherein the rectangular region extends from the edge to the first short side of the card periphery characterized in that the origin is located on the card periphery outside the rectangular region; and a self-supporting non-metal layer disposed on at least one surface of the metal layer, wherein the self-supporting non-metal layer comprises polyimide or a fiberglass reinforced layer comprising an epoxy.