Smart Card Vending

A smart card is a credit card-sized plastic card with an embedded computer chip. The chip can either be a microprocessor with internal memory or a memory chip with non-programmable logic.

How they work

There are two general categories of smart cards, contact and contactless. A contact card requires insertion into a smart card reader. It is via this physical contact point that transmission of commands, data and card status takes place.

A contactless card requires only close proximity to a reader.

When it comes to vending machine applications, the vending industry definitely is the “tail,” and not the “dog.” Smart card vending has so far been widely practiced in college campuses.

U.S Vending: limited applications

Some Antares vendors have reported that systems on college campuses work very well. But the conversion is limited to the machines in the campus system and operators have not extended it to other types of locations. A card only operation would bring about increased security and shrinkage benefits for your Antares vending business. This system would no doubt bring about efficiency in your operations.

Benefits noted in vending

This system comes with a number of advantages. Route people will no longer have to carry cash. In addition to this there will be no more jams, sales can be tracked by site, there would be no coin counting room and no more shortages. The cost of the card equipment for your Antares vending machines is about the same as for coin and bill changers.

Widespread acceptance of smart cards requires multiple use applications, not just in vending only. Yet everyone in vending wants to be an automatic supermarket and this will require smart cards to achieve it. If you want to achieve efficiency in your Antares vending business then you would need to convert to cashless vending.

A smart card reader on this country’s vending machines functioning like a coin mechanism will eventually happen in the future. For widespread application of smart cards here, the infrastructure must first be created.

Costs are still too high for widespread vending application. This of course will change in the time to come.