Are consumers using RFID today?
Yes. Millions of consumers carry around an RFID tag in their pocket or purse everyday. Many cars made after 1994 use an RFID tag in the key and a reader in the steering column; the car won’t start unless the RFID tag matches the serial number the reader has been programmed to receive. This has dramatically reduced car theft. The ExxonMobil Speedpass uses RFID to make it easier to pay for gas. A keychain fob with a small RFID transponder containing a unique serial number is matched to the customer’s credit card, so when a customer waves the fob near a reader in the pump, their credit card is billed automatically. Nearly 7 million people in the United States use Speedpass to pay for gas. Millions of people around the world pay road tolls using an RFID transponder on their windshield. And millions of workers around the world gain access to their office building by using an RFID access control card.
