14 DAY TRIAL // Although cards (or plastic money, as they're sometimes called) have been around for quite a while, there are certain situations in which the user of such a payment method is not exactly eager to use it, due to several reasons (as for example, when they don't feel quite secure about the location where said transaction is taking place). This is the reason why Visa, one of the world's most important credit card manufacturers, has come up with a new and very innovative way for users to make micro-payments (under 25 US dollars), namely the Visa Micro Tag.
The Visa Micro Tag is designed to easily attach to a key ring, and it allows cardholders to pay by simply waving their Visa Micro Tag in front of a contactless smart card reader without the need to physically swipe or insert the device into a point-of-sale terminal. Moreover, the Visa Micro Tag allows financial institutions to offer cardholders a companion smart card device to an existing Visa credit, debit or prepaid account. Designed to be small and durable, the Visa Micro Tag makes paying for purchases faster and more convenient.
Visa Micro Tags display the Visa Brand Mark and contactless indicator. A Visa account number is not required to be embossed or printed on the device, providing an additional layer of security for consumers carrying a Visa Micro Tag in visible ways, such as on a keychain.
The new Micro Tags from Visa use the company's PayWave contactless payment technology, already included in several of the company's cards, which allow users to make purchases of under 25 US dollars without having to sign for the payments. Moreover, this technology provides pretty much the same security protections as all of the other products from Visa, including zero liability for fraudulent charges and Visa's industry-leading anti-fraud technology, but also adds some advantages of its own, as the owners of the Visa PayWave-enabled products don't have to hand over their cards, which can only be read at extremely close proximity to a reader. The PayWave devices also submit a dynamic authorization data to the Visa payment network that is unique to each transaction.
"Visa cardholders consistently say they would like to use their Visa accounts at more merchant locations and are looking for faster and more convenient transactions," said Pam Zuercher, vice president, product innovation and coordination, Visa USA. "As one of the smallest payment devices, the Visa Micro Tag offers the experience cardholders demand with the added layers of security they expect from Visa."
According to the company, the Visa Micro Tags can be easily manufactured and personalized as part of an automated manufacturing process similar to that of standard cards. Furthermore, the Visa Micro Tag can also be made into a variety of shapes and sizes, from flat to three-dimensional, delivering innovative payment product design options, which might be quite appealing for a large number of companies.
We are just a few, but there are many of you, Softpedia users, out there. That's why we thought it would be a good idea to create an email address for you to help us a little in finding gadgets we missed. Interesting links are bound to be posted with recognition going mainly to those who submit. The address is 
.