So maybe this is two ideas in one, but:

Imagine that your bank allowed you to redesign your credit card with any pictures you wanted (keeping the numbers and logos I guess). If we can have business cards, why not personalised smart cards?

Secondly, it might be nice to be alerted every time your credit card is charged, or your account balance dips below a threshold you set. Maybe an API isn't enough for this - maybe you need hooks or triggers available that can email you (or IM you, or send an SMS, or whatever) if a given condition is met (where this condition is checked for every transaction). Even just a weekly email report (instead of, or as well as, a monthly snail mail report) could be handy. Banks could provide standard mods, or customers could upload their own to a common forum ...

(First idea, please be gentle.)
-- bellorie, May 23 2006

Halfbakery: Your choice of photo... (2003) Your_20choice_20of_...our_20credit_20card
... on your credit card. [jutta, May 23 2006]

an API for your bank ? that's a far out idea with loads of security implications ! (+) Nice work, and welcome.
-- neilp, May 23 2006


The photo-card has been done (both in reality and on the halfbakery), but I'd totally sign up for the API.
-- jutta, May 23 2006


Sorry about that - looked under "Banking" but not "Credit Card" :/

neilp - there's a few minor details to resolve :) The hope is that the net effect would be increase security ...
-- bellorie, May 24 2006



random, halfbakery