A chip card is a Visa credit or debit card with an embedded smart chip. It appears as a gold square on the left hand side of the card. Like the magnetic stripe on the back of current credit and debit cards, the embedded microchip securely stores account details - account name, number and account expiry date. But unlike the magnetic strip, the microchip is virtually impossible to copy, which provides an unrivalled level of protection against counterfeiting, card skimming and other fraudulent use.