A smart card is a plastic card about the size of a credit card, with an embedded microchip that can be loaded with data, used for telephone calling, electronic cash payments,access control and other applications, and then periodically refreshed for additional use. Currently or soon, you may be able to use a smart card to:

* Dial a connection on a mobile telephone and be charged on a per-call basis
* Establish your identity when logging on to an Internet access provider or to an online bank
* Pay for parking at parking meters or to get on subways, trains, or buses
* Give hospitals or doctors personal data without filling out a form
* Make small purchases at electronic
* stores on the Web (a kind of cybercash)
* Buy gasoline at a gasoline station

There is IC and ID card. For IC card there is contact IC card(eg,sle4442 and sle4428) and contactless IC card(eg,mifare 1k/s50 and mifare 4k/s70).While contactless IC card and ID card(eg,tk4100 and tk28) is called RFID card or proximity card.

A smart card contains more information than a magnetic stripe card and it can be programmed for different applications. Some cards can contain programming and data to support multiple applications and some can be updated to add new applications after they are issued. Smart cards can be designed to be inserted into a slot and read by a special reader or to be read at a distance, such as at a toll booth. Cards can be disposable (as at a trade-show) or reloadable (for most applications).