Gift Cards: As Safe As It Gets
Gift Cards work the same way as bank cards and credit cards. The only difference is that bank cards and ID cards use High Coercivity (HiCo) magnetic stripes, which always come in black color. Alternatively, Low Coercivity (LoCo) magnetic stripes are used for items such as Gift Cards or hotel key cards and are brown in colour.
High Coercivity magnetic stripes require more energy to be encoded and typically withstand about 5000 swipes or 5 years. Low Coercivity magnetic stripes require less energy to encode and withstand about 2000 swipes or 2 years.
Gift Cards: How Data Is Encoded
Whether they are HiCo or LoCo type, the magnetic stripes contain three tracks where they store different information. Every track has its own specific tasks, it is impossible to encode the wrong information in any of the tracks. They are as follows:
- Card Track One: Stores the name of the cardholder, their address and more if required, depending what the card is used for. It stores capital letters only
- Card Track Two: Stores all the information about the card in numbers. It contains details such as the number of the card and pin code if necessary. It accepts only numbers
- Card Track Three: An optional track that can be customized as needed, commonly used for storing a point system and credit balances.
Gift Cards: Easy To Use & Encode
Not only are Gift Cards incredibly easy to use, but they’re also simple to encode. To encode your magnetic stripes correctly, you only need to know which type of magnetic stripes you have and indicate which track you want to use. You will also need a data file in the format of “Excel,” “.csv” or “.txt”. Make sure to request an Excel file that contains the necessary information from your Point of Sale company.
For anything that might be unclear, you can always communicate with the company that issued your cards and ask them for help. In most cases, all you will need is some simple instructions and you’ll be ready to go. Gift Cards are an opportunity that mustn’t be overlooked. Hurry and get those cards ready for your customers as soon as possible.
