You may be wondering: should I use barcodes or magnetic stripes to access cardholder data? We're here to help you
compare barcodes vs magnetic stripes to help determine which is best for you!
Barcodes:
- Lowest cost way to access cardholder data
- Require no additional equipment
- Do not store data themselves, instead, a barcode reader is used to scan the code and the code is then sent to a computer where it is associated with data stored in the computer
- Fast and easy to use
Magnetic stripes:
- Low cost compared to other technology cards, but not as inexpensive as barcodes
- Require a card printer and ID card software with mag stripe encoding capability
- Store data that is read by a magnetic stripe reader
- Higher data capacity than most barcodes
- More secure than barcodes
- Ease and speed of use, making them ideal for transit and point of sale applications
- Well established standards, resulting in high compatibility
This is a basic outline of the differences between barcodes vs magnetic stripes. If you have additional questions, talk to one of our ID Professionals at (800) 321-4405. We’ll be happy to discuss your specific needs!
