That card is a Smart Card. It can hold tons of data, on the card. While a mag-stripe card typically only has a hexadecimal number that then links to a computer, where the computer keeps the information, a Smart Card has the ability to function as a microprocessor (a computer) and have storage and a bunch of other things, including, but not always, "touchless contacts" that communicate via RF (WiFi if you will) to near-field machines and other devices.

Here is an interesting link to a brief Wikipedia article on Smart Cards. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smart_card

But please note, I am not saying Jason's card has all of these features, but it certainly has more than a simple mag-stripe card that only contains your unique hexadecimal code number.

It's 1984 all over again!

Jim