Encyclopedia Galactica: Cred Sticks
Cred sticks are the 30th century version of cash. Paper money or coins are not used on most technologically advanced planets. But the desire for something similar to paper money instead of leaving an electronic footprint every time a purchase is made has never left us. Many, especially in Orion space, do not want governments or corporations sticking their noses in their financial affairs, and so want the anonymity of cash.
Cred sticks are simple electronic devices, about the size of a fountain pen. They can hold any sum of cash up to 10,000 credits. This limit is placed on cred sticks by most governments, although sticks with higher limits are available, most governments require that financial institutions report sales of cred sticks capable of accepting these higher amounts to avoid any tax fraud problems. Cred sticks have electronic encryption that makes counterfeiting difficult. Cred sticks can transfer credits from their internal deposit into any credit reader or another cred stick. Credit readers are used at most retail establishments and are usually just a small round slot in the counter into which cred sticks are inserted to make a payment for any items purchased. The user of a cred stick can protect it with personnel codes, they can make notations on where and for what payments from the cred stick were used, much like a paper checkbook ledger. Deposits can be made to a cred stick from any auto teller capable of accessing the user’s financial accounts with funds available to be downloaded. Cred sticks themselves cost 50 credits on average.
