Mastercard has delivered a new design standard using a series of notches on the side of the card to help visually impaired people distinguish between a credit, debit or prepaid card.
As more cards move to flat designs without embossed name and numbers, Mastercard's Touch Card provides an effective way for visually impaired people to determine what card they are holding.
Co-designed by Idemia, the new Touch Card credit cards have a round notch; debit cards have a broad squarish notch; and prepaid cards have a triangular notch.
“The Touch Card will provide a greater sense of security, inclusivity and independence to the 2.2 billion people around the world with visual impairments,“ says Raja Rajamannar, chief marketing and communications officer. “For the visually impaired, identifying their payment cards is a real struggle. This tactile solution allows consumers to correctly orient the card and know which payment card they are using.”
The concept has been vetted and endorsed by The Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) in the UK and VISIONS/Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired in the US.