The cashless society, where clumsy and expensive‐to‐handle coins and notes are replaced by efficient electronic payments initiated by various types of plastic cards is a tantalizing prospect for the twenty‐first century. Some of the interested parties stand to gain more than others if the...

Describes the importance of plastic payment cards at the point of sale (POS) and the evolution of the credit card in general and affinity cards in particular. Suggests reasons for both the growth of plastic card payments (the cashless society) and the threats to affinity cards (the interchange...