Card Payment: Definition, Examples & How It Works

Meaning 1：payment by card (Card payment)

Card payment 🔊

/kɑːrd ˈpeɪmənt/

Paying for goods or services using a card like a credit or debit card, instead of cash.

Card payment at store checkout with successful transaction screen

payment by card 🔊

➕

/ˈpeɪmənt baɪ kɑːrd/

The act of paying for goods or services using a plastic card (credit, debit, or prepaid) instead of cash or checks, processed electronically.

📁 Category：Social Economy 🔖 Level：Beginner

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

Card from Latin 'charta' (paper); payment from Latin 'pacare' (to pacify/settle).

💡 Mnemonic

Imagine a credit card sliding through a terminal – that smooth 'beep' means payment is done.

📖 Example

At the grocery store, I always choose card payment because it's quicker than counting coins. 🔊 At the grocery store, I always choose card payment because it's quicker than counting coins.

🔗 Collocations

card payment system – A system designed to process payments made with credit or debit cards.

card payment terminal – A device at checkout that reads the card and authorizes the transaction.

cashless card payment – A payment method that does not involve physical currency, relying solely on card transactions.

🔄 Synonyms

credit card transaction (n.) – A specific type of card payment where funds are borrowed from a credit line.

debit card purchase (n.) – A card payment where money is deducted directly from the buyer's bank account.

cashless payment (n.) – Any payment that does not involve physical cash, including card payments, mobile payments, etc.

🚫 Antonyms

cash payment (n.) – Payment made using physical banknotes and coins, the opposite of card payment.

check payment (n.) – Payment via a written order to a bank, which is slower and less common than card payment.

money order (n.) – A prepaid financial instrument that serves as an alternative to card or cash payments.

🌱 Derivatives

cardholder (n.) – A person who owns a credit or debit card.

cardless (adj.) – Without using a physical card, e.g., cardless ATM access.

prepayment (n.) – Payment made in advance, often loaded onto a card before use.

📖 Cultural Story

The first universal credit card, Diners Club, launched in 1950. 'Card payment' became a staple term in modern cashless societies, symbolizing convenience and digital finance.