Buying Guide

Magnetic card readers have become so commonplace that it is difficult for some to remember what life as a consumer was like before them. Customers use debit or credit cards for a variety of reasons and your ability to process these cards may make the difference between a sale and a customer walking away. Card numbers can still be hand entered on a credit slip and processed manually, but this takes valuable time, is prone to human error, and eliminates the ability to offer services to some debit card holders. Magnetic card readers accurately and quickly input encoded information from the magnetic stripe directly into your computer. Scanning a magnetic card sends input to the computer as if a keyboard were being used. It simultaneously enters customer, banking, and other preprogrammed information. The magnetic stripes contain tracks of information; different types of card readers are able to read different numbers of tracks. Design influences the percentage of “first scan” success and materials used influences durability in various work environments. Some card readers, such as “slot card readers” also have the added ability to decode barcodes, making them useful for reading ID badges, student ID cards, membership cards or tickets. Magnetic stripe cards allow consumers the ability to carry enormous amounts of information with them in a convenient, secure form that is almost universally accepted. Convenience, versatility, speed, security, and accuracy are all features held within those magnetic stripes and barcodes; the card reader unlocks them all.