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Just What You Always Wanted: Scented Credit Cards

November 20, 2008 German smart card manufacturer Giesecke & Devrient(G&D) has contracted with contract with Commerzbank to print a line of scented credit cards. The three-year deal covers production of several million cards for the bank's partner brands, though not all of the cards are scented.

Sylvia Vandeven, Commerzbank vice president, said: "The series of scented credit cards emit fragrances of coffee, orange or cinnamon, making an ordinary payment card into a small sensory experience."

The cards will be issued with the Maestro (MasterCard), V-Pay (Visa) and EMV credit cards (MasterCard or Visa) names and feature a Secure Chip Card Operating System (SECCOS).

Axel Deininger, head of G&D's payment division, said: "This exclusive contract from Commerzbank represents an important milestone in the German banking industry's migration to SECCOS."

We're not sure how the companies will decide which scent to provide to their customers or whether the scents will be personalized. It brings to mind the recent Capital One ads for personalized pictures on their Credit Cards. One can envision the Sea Captain in the ad requesting or "Sea Breeze" scent - or perhaps essence of codfish.



There's no accounting for taste!

Posted by Stephen Beals on November 20, 2008 | Comments (0)