Magnetic strip card,hico and loco

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MAGNETIC STRIP CARD

UNDERSTANDING MAGNETIC STRIPE CARDS

Order magnetic stripe cards. Magnetic stripes or mag stripes, are the dark strip of magnetic material often seen on the back of gift cards, loyalty cards and membership cards, which are used in conjunction with a POS system. Mag stripe cards are also used in access control as key cards, as well as on ID cards. They come in two main varieties: high-coercivity (HiCo) and low-coercivity (LoCo).

High-coercivity magstrips are harder to erase, and are more appropriate for cards that are frequently used or require extended life. Low-coercivity magstrips require a lower amount of magnetic energy to record, reducing their cost. Gift cards, loyalty cards, fundraising cards and membership cards typically utilize a LoCo magstrip. A magnetic stripe card reader can read either type of magnetic stripe.

WHAT IS MAGNETIC STRIPE ENCODING?

When magnetic stripes are encoded, a unique serial number is stored on the strip. This serial number is recognized by the POS system or access control lock device, providing access to funds stored on the POS system or opening a locked door.

Our magnetic stripe encoding services will ensure that your mag stripe cards work with your card reader hardware and software. There are three available encoding tracks on a magnetic stripe (aka magstripe), with the first two tracks being the most commonly used. Magnetic stripe encoding is perfect for gift cards, loyalty cards, membership cards and more.

HOW DOES IT ALL WORK?

Using a gift card as an example, a customer purchases a gift card, which is swiped by the cashier to obtain the serial number stored on its magnetic stripe. The cashier then asks the customer how much money they would like to be “placed” on the gift card. That amount is entered into the POS system by the cashier.

The next time the gift card is swiped, the POS system uses the serial number stored on the magnetic stripe to look up the customer’s card balance, which is stored on the POS system using the same serial number. Sometimes, a POS system may fail to read a magnetic stripe. That’s why we also recommend printing the same serial number directly onto the card’s surface. This is called a human-readable number.

Loco magnetic strips (300OE)

Loco magnetic stripe card is perfect for short-term applications where top level high security and lasting card life are less of an issue. The magnetic stripes on these cards are more of a brownish tone, while HiCo mag stripes are nearly black in color. LoCo cards utilize a lower strength electromagnetic field and are utilized for a range of applications consisting of gift cards, membership and loyalty cards, transit passes, hotel space secrets, amusement park passes, grocery club cards, and much more.

Hico magnetic strips (2750OE)

Hico magnetic stirp card has actually now been completely embraced by the banking market and is likewise utilized in the bulk of access control applications. It must be kept in mind that the greater the coercivity, the more pricey the magnetic tape is. The key distinction is HiCo magstripe card is encoded with a more powerful magnetic field that makes them more ideal for safe and secure applications and for when the cards might be swiped more often.

So what should i chose, Hico or Loco?

The answer is Loco magnetic strip. Magnetic stripe readers are “blind” as to whether a stripe is HiCo or LoCo and are developed to check out both. LoCo magnetic stripe cards are perfect for most applications. 95% of our clients chose loco magstrip card. But if you run a bank, you need hico magstrip card of course.

Magstrip card encoding

Each magnetic strip card encoding consists of 3 tracks of details and the requirements and abilities of these is summed up as below.

Magstrip card encoding track 1

Magstrip card encoding track 2

Magstrip card encoding track 3

Which track is the best to encode the information? 1, 2 and/or 3?

The answer is track 2, we can do seuqential or random number encoding according to client’s needs.

Magnetic plastic card applications

For membership cards

A magnetic stripe card, which might read by “swiping” it in a reading gadget. Each magstrip card from plasticcardonline.com has a magnetic stripe that is encoded with a distinct serial number. The value of the magnetic strip card is not saved on the card however within the point of membership card software in the shop. When the consumer returns with the card, the magnetic stripe is “swiped” or the human understandable characters are gotten in. The client might include added funds to the card or utilize its value to make a purchase.

Magnecti swip card for hotel door locks

Magnetic stripes are likewise utilized with lock systems such as hotel or institutional. The magnetic swip card is embedded in the back of a key card and the lock system encodes each card with the distinct code to get. You may contact your door lock system provider if you are not sure exactly what type of magnetic stripe or encoding your system needs. They can aid you with which kind of magnetic swip card will work best and the essential characters to be encoded for your certain system.

WHAT IF I ALREADY HAVE CARDS, BUT NEED THE MAGNETIC STRIPES ENCODED?

No problem. We can encode the magnetic stripe to your specifications. We can also manufacture and warehouse your PVC cards for delivery as needed.

WHAT DO I NEED TO KNOW IF I WANT MAGNETIC STRIPES ON MY CARDS?

To ensure your custom magnetic stripe cards will function properly, there are a few things you will need to know. Your POS or lock system provider will be able to assist you in obtaining this information.

Does your POS or lock system require magnetic stripes to be HiCo or LoCo? Or, is either option okay?
There are three available “tracks” or areas on your magnetic stripe. Which track or tracks should be used to encode your serial numbers onto your cards? Additional information regarding supplied data specifications can be found on our data specifications page.
There are two types of serial number formats: random and sequential. Which format is required by your POS or lock system? If random, are specific characters or a specific number of characters required? If possible, it’s best to obtain a random number file from your POS or lock system provider. If your serial numbers are sequential, what number should we start with?

Note: Some print options or print option combinations are not possible due to card thickness and other factors. Please contact us to verify which print options will work for you. Check with your POS system provider to answer any option questions you might have. This is important to ensure that your card’s barcode or magnetic stripe will be compatible with your POS system.