Mondex is electronic cash, stored securely in a smart card.

For consumers,
Mondex offers all the convenience, control, and flexibility of cash in the familiar
form of a card.
Retailers will receive funds immediately without the need for authorisation or
settlement when consumers pay for goods and services with a Mondex
prepayment card. The receipt of value in a Mondex transaction is as
immediate and certain as ordinary cash - but Mondex value can be banked easily at any time of the
day or night.

Mondex complements credit and debit cards, delivering new levels of efficiency, cost-savings and
marketing opportunities for all retailers and service providers.

a) ...................................
In the new Mondex payment system, monetary value is stored in an Intregated Circuit (IC) Chip
known as the electronic purse. Purses are held by all participants in the system – personal
cardholders, retailers, service providers and banks.

For personal cardholders the purse will be a standard, plastic IC card. This can be loaded with
electronic value via a Mondex telephone – bringing a new dimension in money management and
electronic cash transaction – or in much the same way as cash is currently obtained, for example
from a cash machine or a bank branch.

b) ...................................
To check how much money remains on their card, all cardholders will receive a Mondex balance
reader – a small lightweight device in the form of a key ring.

c) ...................................
When paying for goods or services, the exact emount is simply transferred from the card to the
ratailer’s purse in a Mondex point-of- sale (POS) device . No PIN, authorisation or signature is
required – just like cash.

d) ...................................
Telephones will be especially adapted to enable cardholders to access their bank account at any
time; to withdraw or pay- in (deposit) value down the telephone line: order and pay immediately
for goods and services from a retailer; send and receive money to or from friends and family. For a
retailer, a Mondex telephone means that value can be deposited directly into their account at any
time of the day and night.

e) ...................................
The Mondex wallet will make person-to-person payments possible. Electronic cash can be
transfered between any Mondex card and a separate purse held in the wallet. The wallet will also
read the balance on the card and/or the wallet as well as maintain a log of the last ten transactions.

Mondex electronic purses contain a 4-digit “lock code”. By pressing the lock key on devices such
as a wallet or telephone, the cardholder’s money is kept secure and their transactions private. -

The Key Balance Reader

POS Device

The Electronic Ballet Mondex Telephone

with serial interfase

The Electronic Wallet Log of Transactions.

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Discuss these questions.

1. When you go shopping in your city, how do you pay for goods?
2. List all the payments options you can think of.
3. Which of these ways to pay is most secure from the point of view of avoiding loss
or theft of your money?

Reading tasks

A. Identifying general content. Match the sub-headings (1-3) with paragraphs (a-f)
in the text.
1. Mondex purse
2. Mondex point-of-sale device
3. Lock
4. Mondex balance reader
5. Mondex wallet
6. Mondex telephone.

B. Understanding main points. Mark these statements T (true) or F (false)

according to the information in the text. Find the part of the text that gives the
correct information.

1. Mondex can be used to pay for goods and services.

2. Shopkeepers can be paid without delay.
3. You need to sign to authorise payment.
4. To check how much money is stored on your card you have to telephone your
bank.
5. You can load money onto your card using a special telephone.
6. Money can be transferred in or out of your bank account 24 hours a day.
7. Mondex can only be used to pay money to businesses such as shops or service
providers.
8. A disadvantage is that you cannot record the transactions you have made.
9. You can protect your money from thieves by using a “lock code”.

Vocabulary tasks

A. Word fields: Write these word and phrases in the appropriate columns.

retailer purse convenience make a payment bank withdraw

deposit cost-savings service provider telephone POS device
security reader flexibility transfer money

Participants Devices benefits transactions

retailer purse convenience make a payment

B. Complete the sentence : Use an appropiate word or phrase from Exercise A

to complete each sentence.

1. Electronic money provides more ________________than cash because the lock

function makes it difficult to steal.
2. The ________________ is used by the retailer to receive payment from customers.
3. A company that offers a service is called a ________________

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 4. When you pay money into yours bank account, we say that you make a
________________
5. The Mondex system offers ________________ because it is iasy to use. Also the
wallet and reader are not heavy to carry.
6. Mondex is used to ________________ between personal cardholders as well as
from consumers to retailers.

C. Complete the sentence : Use an appropiate word or phrase from the text to
complete each sentence.
1. When you pay by credit card, you must sign the payment slip to
________________ the payment.
2. The number 4791 consists of four ________________
3. Once you have ________________ your debts, you no longer owe money.
4. The ________________ of my account was $100. I have now paid out $ 40, so
$60 remains.

D. Word search : Find a word or phrase from the text that has a similar meaning.
1. amount of money (para 2) ________________
2. add to (para 3) ________________
3. ATM (para 5) ________________
4. not heavy (para 6) ________________
5. record (para 9) ________________

E. Collocations: Match these verbs and nouns as they occur in the text.

money goods or your bank the balance of

services account your account
pay for x / x x
access
withdraw
read
deposit
transfer
check

A. Linking: Match the first half of each sentence with the most appropiate second
half.
1 Using the Mondex telephone you can a. in the IC chip which is known as a
withdraw money purse.
2 Retailers can deposit money. b. into their account at any time.
3 Retailers can use the Mondex system c. to friends and family
to receive payment.
4 The wallet can be used to transfer d. from your accounts.
funds.
5 Electronic cash is stored. e. from customers.
6 You can send money over the f. between any two personal cardholders.
telephone.

Final task

1. Imagine you are a banking officer talking to a bank customer. Explain how
Mondex works.

2. Either orally or in writting, describe the benefits of the Mondex system for:
a. retailers
b. consumers.

3. Compare smart cards such as Mondex with:

a. credit cards and debit cards.
b. cash.

4. Describe a similar payment system which you are familiar with.