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Personal readers for e-cards to cost about 50 dollars

You may make a payment for house maintenance while lying on a beach in Miami - head of an authorised federal company

MOSCOW, December 8 (Itar-Tass) — Personal readers for use with the universal electronic card to pay for state, municipal and commercial services will cost about 50 dollars, head of an authorised federal company Universal Electronic Card /UEC/ Nikolai Ulyanov told a news conference on Thursday.

Clients will be able to chose from four ways to pay for services – by a bank transfer, via a payment terminal or an ATM, or on-line, but there is “the fourth option, which we hope will become popular – the reader,” he said.

“This device is not free, it will cost about 50 dollars; it is a device, with which any time, in any place and, I stress it, safely, unlike with other forms of payment, you will be able to pay for any service,” he explained. “You may make a payment for house maintenance while lying on a beach in Miami. The device has a keyboard, and you will be able to watch what you are paying for while making a payment.”

He added that stage duties will be slightly lower than for bank transfer payments. At the same time, use of the cards will not be obligatory, and those who are not willing to use it will be able to pay like they are doing now.

UEC’s Deputy President Andrei Petkevich said that “Russia’s over half regions are ready for issuing of electronic cards from January 1, 2013” against applications from individuals. From January 1, 2014, everyone who has not filed an application or refusal from use of the card will receive the universal electronic cards.