Time has run out for “knuckle-busters,” the clunky contraptions merchants needed for decades to accept card transactions, but their legacy—the raised characters embossed on payment cards—is proving ...

Julia Kagan is a financial/consumer journalist and former senior editor, personal finance, of Investopedia. Toby Walters is a financial writer, investor, and lifelong learner. He has a passion for ...

He added that card designers can do much more with a smooth surface. A design in the lower portion of the card always gets "distorted" once the numbers and letters are embossed, he said. Even the ...