| | Gift Certificates| Gift Certificates Article |
Scrip is now issued in the form of gift certificates (alternatively gift vouchers), or gift cards. The two are essentially the same, except that the cards automate the checkout and accounting processes. Cards usually have a barcode or magnetic strip, which can be processed through a standard electronic credit card machine.
Cards do not have any value until they are sold, at which time the cashier enters the amount which the customer wishes to put on the card. This amount is rarely stored on the card, but is instead noted in the store's database, crosslinked to the card ID. The major exception is in many public transport systems, and library photocopiers, where a simplified system (with no network) stores the value only on the card itself (a stored-value card). To thwart counterfeiting, the data is encrypted, though not very strongly given the relatively low amounts of money involved. The magstripe is also often placed differently than on credit cards, so they cannot be read or written with standard equipment
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