Credit card companies may have found their latest gadget: cards that light up with built-in OLED displays. Here’s what they could actually be used for.
Sentry Enterprises, a fintech startup, announced its “Radiance” platform that integrates flexible OLED light panels into credit and debit cards. When making a contactless payment, part of the card lights up, essentially serving as visual confirmation of payment.
For banks and card issuers, Sentry says the illumination capability can build customer loyalty and generate more payments by offering a “modern” card that gets people talking. Issuers can choose to illuminate or animate their logo in a way that attracts attention.
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The OLED screen will not need a battery to operate
The good news is that the integration of the OLED relies on the energy harvested by the NFC wireless connection during the transaction. So, while the cards do not have a battery, the contactless payment terminal provides just enough power to temporarily power the display component.
The boards use traditional plastic construction, but they are replaced with a flexible OLED lighting panel from manufacturer Konica Minolta. The Japanese company has been working for years to commercialize its foldable lighting technology for applications like these.
So far, Radiance OLED cards can be issued on Visa and Mastercard payment networks. Sentry says it is also exploring the possibility of launching its own branded card to highlight illumination capabilities.
Of course, the question is whether anyone actually needs their credit card to light up, beyond just the novelty. Adding electronics and foldable screens adds complexity and points of failure that regular plastic boards don’t have. Credit cards already have rudimentary chips and payment lights built into them. Digital screens that animate or pulse during transactions could therefore be considered superfluous, but this might please some customers. It remains to be seen whether these famous OLED credit cards will manage to find a place on the market.