# Magnetic stripe

https://www.uniwebpay.com/glossary/magnetic-stripe/

*Last updated: 2026-08-03*

The oldest of the three card entry methods, and the weakest — the stripe carries static data where chip and contactless carry cryptographic authentication. It remains worth supporting in a market with many overseas visitors, because some cards a visitor is carrying still require it and the alternative is a sale that cannot be completed at all.

## Why it matters to a merchant

Mostly a fallback, and mostly relevant to merchants serving visitors, because the cards that still need it tend to arrive from elsewhere. A merchant whose customers are largely local may never see one; a merchant on a tourist street will, and should know before the queue forms whether their setup handles it and what the staff should do.

## Related terms

*At the counter*

- [Card present / card not present](https://www.uniwebpay.com/glossary/card-present/)
- [EMV](https://www.uniwebpay.com/glossary/emv/)
- [Contactless](https://www.uniwebpay.com/glossary/contactless/)
- [Merchant-presented QR / consumer-presented QR](https://www.uniwebpay.com/glossary/merchant-presented-qr/)
- [Smart terminal](https://www.uniwebpay.com/glossary/smart-terminal/)
- [MCC (merchant category code)](https://www.uniwebpay.com/glossary/mcc/)
- [Consumer-presented QR](https://www.uniwebpay.com/glossary/consumer-presented-qr/)
- [MID (merchant ID)](https://www.uniwebpay.com/glossary/mid/)
- [Tap to phone (SoftPOS)](https://www.uniwebpay.com/glossary/tap-to-phone/)
- [CVM (cardholder verification method)](https://www.uniwebpay.com/glossary/cvm/)
- [Tip adjust](https://www.uniwebpay.com/glossary/tip-adjust/)

- [All 74 terms](https://www.uniwebpay.com/glossary/)

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