Card Formats

The format or packaging of a RFID solution is not important for interoperability because of the limited form factor interaction between transponder and reader. Here are some examples of RFID packaging:

Plastic cards Plastic housing Disks and coins Glass housing Dedicated formats for tools and bottle identification Keys and key fobs Mobile phones and watches

The newest and hottest format is called “Smart Label”: they are labels with 13.56 MHz embedded ultra-thin RFID tags (often called inlays or inlets).

But of course the ID-1(credit card) format is the dominant form factor used for payment. This is also the most efficient format: The antenna size used in ID-1 cards ensures a better range than other formats. It also can carry multiple standardized interfaces (dual interface chip for both contact and contactless interfaces, magnetic stripes, barcode, and photography) and greatly enables migration from existing applications by offering backward interoperability with legacy systems.