Prepaid MasterCard
People’s Trust Company, 2020-2022
Plastic
8.5 x 5.3 x 0.3 cm
Purchased from a grocery store
Personal collection
This gift card was purchased at a grocery store. These are considered common everyday methods of transaction, and many more can be purchased in various convenient stores, gas stations, and Walmarts across the country. They are a common part of society, in which customers purchase these cards to exchange a physical dollar amount for a digital dollar amount. These cards are designed to be dispensable, to be used once and discarded. Some cards allow for the re-usable design in which cards can be re-loaded and used for an endless number of purchases. This card was designed with the intent to make everyday purchases more convent, whether it be a swipe of the card in person at the checkout counter, or for purchases made online. There are several benefits to carrying a plastic card with a monetary value in comparison to cash or coin in today’s society - not only for ease of not having to carry the physical cash or coin, but also to feel confident that you will always have access to all your money while on the go.
In the context of the pandemic, cards have become even more critical. Transactions using cash are being discouraged and refused as bills potentially are potentially “dirty”, carrying bacteria and ‘germs’ while being exchanged from hand to hand. By opting for a plastic card for the ease digital transactions, such as a swipe or a tap with a card, we are cutting down on the spread of bacterial and viral disease at the checkout machine.
When comparing this method of payment to the past, we have created an easier and more convenient method of payment. However a sense of nationalism and dedication associated with a country’s currency is lost. The feel for the very physical hand held cash reward is now non-existent. It is easy to lose track of how much money one has spent, and without keeping track one might put themselves into debt. By moving forward into a world of digital currency, there is a shift in the way that we value money. When in earlier times we could hold the physical coin, and now our money takes hold of a digital number in the bank. By digitalizing all of our money, it now changes the way we view the rewards of hard work, but and more specifically, it changes the very worthiness and historic meaning behind of the coin itself.
Robyn Rand