A physical card is a payment card that exists as a real object, usually plastic or metal, carrying an EMV chip, a magnetic stripe, often a contactless antenna, and the printed card number, expiry date and security code. It is produced through card personalisation, in which a bureau encodes the cardholder's data and keys, and is then posted to the customer. Physical cards are used for card-present transactions at shops and ATMs as well as for online payments.
The term is mostly used to distinguish such cards from virtual cards, which exist only as numbers in an app or wallet. Many issuers now offer a virtual card at once and a physical card later, sometimes for a fee. Physical cards carry higher costs for manufacturing, delivery and replacement, but they remain necessary for cash withdrawals and for merchants without mobile wallet acceptance.