Mastercard Design New Cards To Assist Visually Impaired Persons
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As more and more banking cards move towards a flat card design, without embossed lettering and numbering, a significant barrier is presented to blind and visually impaired users in identifying the card type and distinguishing how to insert the cards into card terminals. To address this barrier and ensure all users can use their cards independently, Mastercard Inc. are introducing a new card design to assist persons who are blind or visually impaired to distinguish between debit, credit, and prepaid cards and to identify the correct orientation to insert the cards into card terminals and ATMs.
The new Touch Card will provide a tactile solution, in the form of notches on the side of the card to assist blind or visually impaired users to identify the card type, by providing:
- A round notch for Credit Cards;
- A broad squarish notch for debit cards; and
- A triangular notch for prepaid cards.
Mastercard has also been embedding a signature melody to signal to users, and in particular blind or visually impaired users, that the card transaction has been completed successfully.
The new Touch Card design is endorsed by The Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) in the U.K. and VISIONS/Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired in the U.S.
You can find further information on the new Mastercard Touch Card here
Alternatively, if you need further information on how to make facilities or services more accessible and inclusive, please do not hesitate to contact one of our team on 01 415 12 85 or e-mail
