Quick Wertkarte
Encyclopedia
Quick is an electronic purse system available on Austria
n bank cards to allow small purchases to be made without cash. The history of the Quick system goes back to 1994.
The system is aimed at small retailers such as bakeries, cafés, drink and parking automats (but even small discount shops such as Billa
accept it) and intended for purchases of less than €400. The card is inserted into a handheld Quick reader by the merchant who enters the transaction amount for the customer. The customer then confirms the purchase by pushing a button on the keypad, the exact amount debited from the card within a few seconds.
As well as the multipurpose bank card version, anonymous cards (also smart card
s) are available for the use of people without bank accounts, such as children and tourists. At ATMs
, one can transfer money for free between bank cards and the Quick chip (either on a standalone smart card, or contained in the bank card).
Currently the scheme is operated by Europay Austria and most of the Maestro
cards in use contain Quick support, but new ones are not issued without it.
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n bank cards to allow small purchases to be made without cash. The history of the Quick system goes back to 1994.
The system is aimed at small retailers such as bakeries, cafés, drink and parking automats (but even small discount shops such as Billa
Billa
This article is about the company. For the Indian movies see Billa starring Rajinikanth or Billa starring Ajith Kumar or Billa starring Prabhas....
accept it) and intended for purchases of less than €400. The card is inserted into a handheld Quick reader by the merchant who enters the transaction amount for the customer. The customer then confirms the purchase by pushing a button on the keypad, the exact amount debited from the card within a few seconds.
As well as the multipurpose bank card version, anonymous cards (also smart card
Smart card
A smart card, chip card, or integrated circuit card , is any pocket-sized card with embedded integrated circuits. A smart card or microprocessor cards contain volatile memory and microprocessor components. The card is made of plastic, generally polyvinyl chloride, but sometimes acrylonitrile...
s) are available for the use of people without bank accounts, such as children and tourists. At ATMs
Automated teller machine
An automated teller machine or automatic teller machine, also known as a Cashpoint , cash machine or sometimes a hole in the wall in British English, is a computerised telecommunications device that provides the clients of a financial institution with access to financial transactions in a public...
, one can transfer money for free between bank cards and the Quick chip (either on a standalone smart card, or contained in the bank card).
Currently the scheme is operated by Europay Austria and most of the Maestro
Maestro (debit card)
Maestro is a multi-national debit card service owned by MasterCard, and was founded in 1990. Maestro cards are obtained from associate banks and can be linked to the card holder's current account, or they can be prepaid cards...
cards in use contain Quick support, but new ones are not issued without it.