Date: 19th April, 2012

The launch of a new card payment system is hardly the kind of story in which you'd expect to find a pinball angle, but a new device from a company called Dynamics Inc. includes rewards and benefits from Jersey Jack Pinball.

The new device is called ePlate and it is a credit card-sized device which operates in much the same way as a Mastercard or Visa, but it incorporates two buttons which allow the user to choose which of two 'experiences' they want their transaction to be associated with.

The ePlate

These 'experiences' are promotions or incentives from companies or charities such as Dark Horse Comics, Evil Genius Games, Toys for Tots and, yes, Jersey Jack Pinball.

the ePlate 'experiences'

Each transaction made with the ePlate where the cardholder selects the button associated with the JJP 'experience' earns them discounts on JJP machines and merchandise, and enters them into a draw to win one of the Emerald City Limited Edition The Wizard of Oz games.

The card itself is battery powered and the promotions, sorry, 'experiences' behind the two buttons can be changed through software on a smart phone or on a website, such as your bank's site.  The battery is said to last for four years and the card also features a smart magnetic strip which can change what appears on the strip when you press one of the buttons.  It is said to be compatible with existing swipe credit card readers, but doesn't appear to be designed to work with 'Chip & PIN' card readers which are increasingly replacing the older magnetic strip devices.

Whether the ePlate is the future of electronic payments we will have to wait to see, but today's launch does give some added exposure to JJP and positions them at the forefront of cashless transaction development, which is certainly the way micro-payments (such as game credits) appear to be going.

Note: There are dozens, if not hundreds, of ©, ® and ™ symbols omitted from this article for the sake of both clarity and sanity.

© Pinball News 2012