Ever troubled by the number of cards you’ve got fattening your wallet? A Californian company has created a nifty little gadget which may be able to help.
It’s called the Fuze – and it’s an all-in-one card.
The same size and thinness of a normal bank card, the Fuze has a re-writable EMV chip which allows it to take on the information of up to 30 cards – from bank cards to reward cards and gym membership passes.
To add a card users simply have to take a picture of a card’s barcode via the app or by swiping it with a card-reader. They can then toggle between cards using the buttons on the card’s face, using a small E-paper display to see what they’re doing.
Cards can also be combined in certain situations where appropriate to allow transactions to take just one scan of the card – such as getting rewards points from a shop where you are a member while paying.
The card was backed by crowdfunding which apparently broke the $100,000 mark (£78,000) in just 10 hours – and has now raised almost $1.5 million (£1.2 million).
Its makers say the Fuze card is safe too. It can be locked with a code and will automatically lock if your paired phone is too far away, while its location can be tracked via its app on your phone.
The app is also able to take instructions from the user to wipe the information on the chip should it be lost or stolen.
The Fuze will perhaps have competition from contenders with similar products such as Apple’s Wallet feature for the iPhone – but time will tell whether it can take off.
The card is being shipped worldwide according to its page on Indiegogo – with the lowest prices for pre-order at around $89 (£70).
