Smart cards are nothing new. The concept is a few years old in the ever-evolving world of digital finance. We’ve seen a few companies and their products go bankrupt from mismanagement or false marketing. Fuze smart card raised over $2 million on Indiegogo. The company expects to ship their EMV cards in 2018, and chipless cards started shipping in July.

Ease of Use

The concept is simple: add all of your cards to Fuze Card via smartphone app/reader. After that, you can use it like a regular credit card. You can load up to 30 cards via the eReader. Fuze card uses Bluetooth technology to connect to your phone, and NFC technology to scan your card.

One charge takes an hour and a half. It will give the Fuze Card a 30-day life, and if you buy an extra travel charger, it will hold an extra charge for emergencies. But there’s a small button on the card to power it on and off so you can conserve battery life.

It is supposed to work at all ATMs. The uncertainty with the Fuze smart card doesn’t lie in the mag strip technology, which works almost flawlessly. The problem most consumers face is whether the customized chip will work.

Cost

The card costs $160, but as of this writing, it’s on sale for $129. With your order, you’ll receive the card reader, portable charger, and the Fuze Card. Pre-orders started at $79, so the price is steadily increasing to Fuze’s retail value of $210.

The company offers a 90-day warranty for any defective Fuze smart cards, and this seems a little subjective. Especially when you consider their return policy. Refunds are processed on a case-by-case basis; a refund may be possible before the card goes into production and shipment. But after the card ships, there are no returns allowed.

Accuracy

Fuze claims that they have a much higher readability rate than other smart cards. However, as mentioned before, there are some customers who experienced problems with the chip. It is one of the most substantial issues with the current version of the card, so hopefully the makers will address this in future iterations.

Quality

The Fuze smart card is waterproof, but don’t leave it in your pocket on laundry day. The washer will destroy the card. It only comes in black (for now), and is the size of a standard credit card. At this time, only one Fuze Card can pair with a Fuze Card app account.

The company tested the card for over six months in South Korea and the United States, so a lot of tweaking and fine-tuning went into the product already to fix numerous issues and bugs.

Security

The company is FCC and ISO certified and legally compliant. All payment information is stored within an encrypted chip, and data is not stored. Additional security measures include separation alerts, card location tracking, remote wipe, and tap code entry on the card.

The app will alert you if your card is on the move without you, so you can take the necessary precautions to secure your wallet. One-time transactions are protected by selecting a single card to use when the card loses its Bluetooth connection. When you give your waiter the card, the selected payment method locks into place so that your finances are still protected.

Sources: Fuze, Indiegogo