australianit: Amex first across smart-card line
American Express plans to release a smartcard product in Australia. There isn’t much technical detail here; the term “e-cash” is used, but the article later talks about interest rates, implying it’s just another credit card.
“There’s no point introducing a card if you don’t have the infrastructure to use it,” ANZ spokesman Paul Edwards said. “What we are actively doing is replacing our entire infrastructure. The first instalment for merchants is in September. That will give you the infrastructure to use chip cards for lots of things, like e-cash and loyalty programs.”