Re: ~digicash at Shell

Shell is now marketing a stored-value card in $25, $50, and $100 face denominations. The $100 card retails for $94 right now. I'm not sure if that discount will be a long-term thing or if it's just to get people hooked. Anyway, the card can be purchased anonymously for cash and can be used to buy anything at Shell. I like to use the automated pay-at-the-pump gizmos to save time but I don't like to leave a digital footprint behind on my credit card statement for Louis' Legions to peruse, so I think the stored-value card is a step forward for privacy.

Is this a "stored value smart card", or something like most US phone cards, where the "account number" is used to debit a centrally maintained account?