Todays bills are problematic for vending machines. Modern vending machines accept dollar bills， but users still face the frustration of their money being rejected because of folded corners and wrinkled edges.<br> One of the great benefits of smart cards is that the cards value can be verified and changed without going through the kind of credit card dial-up system. Transactions can be speeded up， and lines shortened.<br> Imagine using the sort of smart card planned by Visa in an experimental program for the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. Although final plans are still being worked out， the user could get up in the morning with a card he had loaded with， say，$ 200 the day before at an ATM-like machine. He pays for breakfast at a fast food restaurant， pays for a bus ride to an Olympic stadium， then purchases a ticket for the pole vault competition at a machine on-site. In the hot afternoon sun， he stops by a vending machine to purchase a cool drink with the card， then pauses at a nearby telephone to call home， also using the card.<br> With the value of the card reduced， he might stop at an ATM to add another $100. （One of the virtues of the card is that if it is lost， only its current value is put at risk， and not an entire line of credit.） Or he might exhaust the cards value and simply throw it away. In the Visa experiment， the cards will be disposable.<br> Converting to smart cards will require massive， but gradual， refitting or replacement of equipment in stores， restaurants， and telephones. The first smart cards will carry the conventional magnetic stripe so they can be used like traditional credit cards in addition to their "smart" functions.The transition will likely be a quiet， almost unnoticed process. And its already happening.
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