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Comment by otoburb | Hacker News Reader

Will the physical card have a number embossed on it, similar to other cards? Or can the physical card number be changed in some way (e.g. Plastc's demo supposedly leveraging e-ink display on the card[1])?

Also, does Final aim to become a credit card payments processor similar to Visa, Mastercard, et. al., or will you be leveraging a banking/credit institution in the backend to start with?

[1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8422928

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I was wondering about the number embossing as well. I could see it confusing or sketching out some cashiers, especially with all the recent news about credit card fraud. I like the e-ink idea that Plastc had and would be very attracted to this card if it had that just for ease of use.

I've had situations (recently) where the card machine wasn't working so they manually tapped in the number on the front instead. Without the number and given the same situation I might be left without a working card.

Agreed. In many retail locations they often type in the last 4 digits shown on the physical card even if it's not the entire card number, even when the PoS card scanner is working.

I have a credit card from capital one without embossing. The number and name is just written with ink, and the card surface is smooth. I've never had an issue using it.

I've seen those, but this card (judging by the image on the landing page) doesn't have any visible number at all.

Card design standards have been changing in the last year. We'll be issuing a card over the V/MC/Amex network, which requires the card to have a network logo on it. Exact branding is battle we know we will have to fight with the networks and our partner bank, but ultimately 100% acceptance at all merchants is our goal.

The eInk display is one of the reasons that Plastc probably won't work on a credit card size. If you browse through the comment you'll see more details but it boils down to the circuitry to drive an eInk display is thicker than the space available.

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