Credit Cards

Synonyms / Other Terms Used

Credit Cards Accepted, Affinity Card, Bank Card, Charge Card, Debit Card, Debit Cards Accepted

Category

Services, Travel, Tourism

Message / Function

To indicate that credit cards are accepted

	Source	Description
	BTA 1989	Rectangle with rounded corners, horizontal line plus currency sign in the middle
	Düsseldorf Airport	Two cards, each with stripe and triangle pointing upwards
	jeff	Two cards, showing typical front and back side
C)	Sramek	Three cards, each with magnetic stripe plus currency sign
B)	ÖNORM A 3011	Two cards with magnetic stripe plus text CC resp. 100
A)	Vavrinek	Card with magnetic stripe plus logo
	Vavrinek	Card with indicated card number plus logo
	Vavrinek	Two cards with indicated card number plus text CC resp. 100
	Vavrinek	Card with magnetic stripe plus text CC
	Vavrinek	Card with magnetic stripe plus text 100
	Vavrinek	Card with indicated card number plus text CC
	Vavrinek	Card with indicated card number plus text 100
	Scheiber	Tilted card with magnetic stripe, signature field, and numbers, two coins below
	Scheiber	Tilted card with magnetic stripe, signature field, and numbers, two coins below
	Scheiber	Card with magnetic stripe, signature field, and two lines with numbers
	Scheiber	Card with magnetic stripe, signature field, and numbers
	ÖBB	Card with magnetic stripe, indicated numbers, rectangle

Discussion

There used to be significant regional distinctions concerning the acceptance of payments by credit card. In regions with a long tradition of credit card use, no corresponding pictograms or symbols are employed, as such payment is accepted at all places. In the World Wide Web often just logos of the main credit card providers are displayed to signify the option of payment by credit card.

When the Austrian Standards Institute attempted to develop a comprehensable pictogram for Credit Card, several variants were designed and thirteen pictograms subjected to a test on basis of the Comprehensibility Estimation procedure (Brugger, 1999). Data showed large variance for all pictogram variants, indicating that no pictogram was uniformly judged concerning comprehensibility. Generally variants showing a magnetic stripe were rated better than pictograms with indicated card number. While the implied logo seemed to foster comprehensibility, showing the number 100 on the card was seen as misleading, inducing possible confusions with prepaid phone cards for example. The test designs labeled as Vavrinek and Scheiber in the table above are displayed according to the comprehensibility estimates of that study, starting with the highest score.

The three pictograms marked A) to C) in the table above reached reached quite similar results when tested for comprehension (Brugger, 2000): With comprehension scores of 72.1, 77.5 and 75.0 (A) to C)) according to ISO 9186 all proved to be sufficiently comprehensible and fulfilled relevant ISO requirements. A few respondents in this study interpreted the design provided by Sramek as symbol for Currency Exchange or Bank, while wrong answers for the other two designs were rather related to other uses of magnetic cards. Based on these results and regarding further aspects variant B) was selected for use a standardized symbol.

Recommendations

CreditCards

We recommend using pictogram No 164 of ÖNORM A 3011, part 11 to indicate that payments on basis of credit cards are accepted.

Tests of pictograms of referent Credit Cards

Brugger: Ch. (1999): Verständnisschätzungen - Projekt 1999. Report to the Austrian Standards Institute dated December 1999.

Brugger: Ch. (2000): Verständlichkeitstest ON 2000. Report to the Austrian Standards Institute (ON) dated November 2000, Vienna.