Credit cards since when? Why are the cards the same shape?

The Dhaka Times Desk Nowadays credit card is our daily companion. I can withdraw money by credit card anytime day or night. But since when has this credit card been in circulation or why are credit cards of the same shape all over the world? They are unknown to us.

Your credit card balance and other's balance can never be the same. However, you both have one credit card in common, and that is the same size. Not only that, the credit cards of all the people in the world are almost the same. That is, the size or shape of the credit card is the same.

According to an information in the media, Bank of America started circulation of credit cards for the first time in 1958. You might think that the bank created the world's first credit card with the convenience of keeping it in the wallet, but the bank reduced the size of the credit card to the size set by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).

ISO sets standards for everything from toy safety to the shape of credit cards. ISO/IEC 7810:2003 outlines the standards for identification cards there. Specific standards are set by both ISO and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). Credit cards, debit cards and ATM cards come under the ID-1 category. That is, these cards must be within 85.6 mm × 53.98 mm or 3.375 inches × 2.125 inches. Also all identification cards must be of 0.76 thickness regardless of category.

Credit cards have changed in many ways over the years, but the format of the cards has always remained the same. Credit card number recognition through tiny rollers, later magnetic stripe and now credit card number recognition through chip readers – credit card technology is always updating. But the size remains the same. That's why anyone can use a credit card anywhere in the world. Especially international banks have such opportunities.