A credit card is a type of means of payment in the form of chart plastic, equipped with a magnetic band and/or electronic chip (see smart card), who allows:
- the payment of purchases and performances of service, near suppliers having a “terminal of payment” (replacing the old “domestic iron”) which can read the chart and connected or not to its bank or in an automatic distribution system;
- withdrawals of species to the automatic teller machines;
- home-bankings Internet, etc
Its acceptance implies that the global area network with which the chart is associated is accepted by the electronic payment terminal (TPE) of the tradesman. The most known global area networks are VISA, Mastercard, American Express, JCB, Diners.
The name “Credit card” is used only in France. In the remainder of the francophonie, one will speak according to the case, of credit card or (more rarely) chart of flow. The French interbank network is a characteristic; any chart having mark “CB - Bank card” makes it possible to pay by the means of the French interbank network (usually called “Credit card”, whereas it is only about one particular mark).