ANZ has begun the roll-out of a new multi-application smart card system as part of a $50 million investment in chip technology.
According to Brian Hartzer, ANZ managing director cards and e-payments, the launch establishes ANZ as the first bank in Australia to introduce a fully functioning, end-to-end chip technology system for customers and retailers.
The bank is upgrading one million ANZ-branded credit cards to chip technology, starting with ANZ First and ANZ Gold Visa credit cards. ANZ is also replacing 80,000 merchant credit card terminals in Australia and New Zealand with new chip-enabled MultiPOS terminals, requiring PIN entry at the point of sale. Fifteen thousand terminals will be replaced by mid-December 2001.
In addition to the standard features of ANZ First and ANZ Gold, the chip-based credit card is loaded with ANZ eVouchers, a loyalty programme redeemable at participating merchants and activated when cards are swiped through the new MultiPOS terminal. Cardholders will also have a chance to win an overseas trip via a sweepstakes offer loaded onto the chip card. To qualify for entry, cardholders must use their card at merchant terminals located at Harvey World Travel outlets by 31 January 2002 for a chance to win a trip valued at up to $11,000.
As part of the roll-out the bank is building a Web portal for customers to manage their chip card online. The Website, which is expected to go live by the end of the year, will offer customers the ability to order a free chip card reader for shopping online, a shopping mall and will be integrated with ANZ Internet Banking.
"The chip will enable us to continually enhance the benefits the card provides through features such as a personalised Web portal, while the flexibility of the MultiPOS terminal will enable retailers to participate in point-of-sale offers from ANZ and even potentially offer their own card-based loyalty programmes to customers," says Hartzer.
Replacement of the majority of ANZ-branded Visa cards and merchant terminals is scheduled to be complete by September 2002. All ANZ chip cards and terminals comply with the Europay Mastercard Visa (EMV) standard for secure transactions at the point-of-sale.