Australians To Hit NZ Shops With Mini Cards

Australians To Hit New Zealand Shops With Mini Cards

February 2005

For Immediate Release

Australians to hit New Zealand shops with mini cards

Visiting Australian Shoppers may present retailers with plastic of a different kind as their first Visa Mini cards come into use this month.

The world's leading payment brand Visa has joined forces with the National Australia Bank to release the National Visa Mini, which is 43 per cent smaller than a standard-sized card.

Bruce Mansfield, General Manager of Visa Australia and New Zealand, said the National Visa Mini was an innovative product that would provide customers with greater choice and a higher level of convenience.

"The development of the Visa Mini increases card accessibility and is a new opportunity to drive additional business for our merchant partners," Mr Mansfield said. "The active younger adult market will find the Visa Mini particularly appealing because it will be easier to carry when they are out and about, on holidays or active with sports."

The Visa Mini was first launched in the United States in July 2002 and has proven a huge global success for Visa with more than 22 million cards issued. A breakthrough in card technology, the mini card's patented magnetic stripe has resulted in a card that measures a mere 40mm by 60 mm, making it the smallest credit card in the market place.

Customers will be able to use their Visa Mini card at more than 20 million point-of-sale EFTPOS terminals with swipe readers around the world.

The Visa Mini has a small perforated hole in the lower left corner to allow for easy attachment to a key chain or mobile phone, eliminating the need for cardholders to carry a wallet or purse.

The Visa Mini also comes with a full-sized companion card that is required for use in ATMs and non-swipe terminals. The smaller card cannot be used at terminals which require the card to be inserted (ie most ATMs and "dip" terminals).

Security features on the Visa Mini include:
* Dove hologram and UV Dove
* Blue, white and gold Visa Flag with micro printing
* Pre-printed BIN and three-digit CVV2 value on the signature panel.

Visit www.visa.co.nz to find out more about the Visa Mini and to download a briefing for merchants including Frequently Asked Questions.

Visa International

Visa is the world's leading payment brand generating more than US$3 trillion in annual card sales volume. Visa has unsurpassed acceptance in more than 150 countries. The Visa organization plays a pivotal role in developing innovative payment products and technologies to benefit its 21,000 member financial institutions and their cardholders. Visa is a leader in Internet based payments and is pioneering the creation of u-commerce, or universal commerce--the ability to conduct commerce anywhere, anytime, and any way. For more information, visit www.corporate.visa.com. Visa in Asia Pacific In Asia Pacific, Visa has a greater market share than all other payment card brands combined with 62 percent of all card purchases at the point of sale being made using VISA cards. There are currently more than 229 million VISA-branded cards in the region. Through September of this year, US$339 billion was spent at point of sale or withdrawn from ATMs in Asia Pacific using VISA cards. Visa Asia Pacific's Internet address is www.visa-asia.com.

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