CDR: VISA to smartcard the US

[A. Melon]

Sep 12, 2000 - 07:27 PM 

            Visa USA to Launch Smart Card in
            the U.S. 
            The Associated Press

            NEW YORK (AP) - After success with its smart card in
            Europe and Japan, Visa is aiming squarely at the U.S.
            market with an upgraded version that contains more
            memory. 

            Over the next couple of weeks, Visa USA, the
            companys U.S. division, will be launching smart cards
            - microprocessors embedded in plastic -that will offer
            prepackaged services to be determined by its issuers. 

            Customers will be able to download information from
            their computers via special card readers. Over the next
            year or so, they will be able to store airline tickets, for
            example, and eventually use the cards as keys to their
            cars and homes. 

            The card, which has 32 kilobytes of memory, is
            different from Visas original version, which has mainly
            served as a "monetary value card," said Al Banisch,
            senior vice president of consumer credit products. 

            The new card will be available free to Visas 350
            million cardholders.