Quick Wertkarte
Quick is an electronic purse system available on Austrian bank cards to allow small purchases to be made without cash. The history of the Quick system goes back to 1994.
The system is aimed at small retailers such as bakeries, cafés, drink and parking automats (but even small discount shops such as Billa accept it) and intended for purchases of less than €400. The card is inserted into a handheld Quick reader by the merchant who enters the transaction amount for the customer. The customer then confirms the purchase by pushing a button on the keypad, the exact amount debited from the card within a few seconds.
As well as the multipurpose bank card version, anonymous cards (also smart cards) are available for the use of people without bank accounts, such as children and tourists. At ATMs, one can transfer money for free between bank cards and the Quick chip (either on a standalone smart card, or contained in the bank card).
Currently the scheme is operated by Europay Austria and most of the Maestro cards in use contain Quick support, but new ones are not issued without it.