What are Multifunctional and Smart Cards?

Many organizations and businesses with ID card programs find more than one way to take advantage of their system and maximize its use. For example, an employee ID card can also serve as an electronic door key, a time & attendance card, or even a cashless payment card at the company or school cafeteria. By integrating more than one use for ID badges, companies can both streamline operations and increase security. Multifunctional cards are a key component in such applications as:

• Keyless entry
• Cashless payment programs
• Time & attendance tracking
• Loyalty programs and memberships
• Retail tags
• Laundry services
• Volunteer & visitor management
• Passes & tickets

It’s worth noting that most multifunctional cards are encoded with data, and thus referred to as Smart cards. Smart cards can be utilized in virtually every ID card program, and work with a myriad of applications. Examples of smart card encoding technologies include:

• Barcodes
• Magnetic Strip Encoding
• Proximity Cards
• Contact Cards
• Contactless Card
• RFID Chips

Are Multifunctional and Smart Cards Right fit for my Organization?

Depending on your needs, AlphaCard’s ID card specialists can provide recommendations as to what type of technology would work best for your ID card system. Please keep in mind that third-party software is required to implement access control, smart card encoding, and proximity card technology.

Ready to Learn More about Multifunctional and Smart Cards?

If you’re uncertain as to whether your business would benefit from multifunctional calls give us a call now and speak to one of our veteran ID card experts. We will assess your business needs, ID card requirements, and customer base to determine if multifunctional ID cards would be in your company’s best interest.