A credstick is a small pen-like device which can be inserted into various machines to transfer funds, much like a credit card. In 2070, credsticks are a primary method of transferring funds with no paper trail. Before 2070, they were the primary method of transferring funds for all low-cost purchases. Credsticks come in several different types, a few of which are below listed below:
A credstick is either a certified or a personal one. Certified credsticks are not registered to any given person, and can be transferred from person to person, where as other credsticks act as a sort of debit card, usable only by the person it is registered to. Certified credsticks are also known as "checksticks".
A credstick comes in several different grades, which indicates the maximum amount of cash it can hold. They are:
- Standard (5,000¥ max, passcode secured)
- Silver (20,000¥ max, fingerprint secured)
- Gold (100,000¥ max, voiceprint secured)
- Platinum (500,000¥ max, retina-scan secured)
- Ivory / Ebony (1,000,000¥ max, cellular-scan secured)
In Europe and especially the Allied German States a so-called "Europäisches Bargeldloses Zahlungsmittel" (EBZ) is used instead of a credstick, which differs from a credstick in size and form.